Sea Kittens moved to 2-0 for the Madison Sport & Social Club Spring Thursday night season with a resilient performance against Lob Stars (0-2). The Cats rallied from a 7-3 first-inning deficit and staved off several crustacean counter-attacks for a satisfying 18-12 victory.
Feelin’ all frisky after a 27-2 opening-night win, the visiting Sea Kittens posted three two-out runs in the top of the first inning and sauntered onto the field feeling like all that, and were quickly reminded that one must play all the innings in all the games, as Lob Stars poked, peppered, flicked and flopped hits onto open grass relentlessly, charging to a 7-3 advantage that got the Cats’ attention. A little heads-up defense from shortstop David Rowe and third baseman Slash Grutzik helped squelch the Stars’ rally, which ended with the bases loaded.
The Kitten offense got back to work, with outfielder Schultzy Oele rapping a single up the middle in her first at-bat in 2.5 years, and Rowe followed with another hit. Lob Stars’ defense tightened and secured two outs, but the Polish Puma, Alex Latzka, got a pitch to hit and drilled his first triple of the season, and Grutzik followed with an RBI single. Mama Cat O’Brien stepped in and worked a full-count, fouling off the second strike to earn a Glitter Ball, which she place perfectly through the 3-4 hole to set up pitcher Joe Hennessy with runners on first and second. Hennessy dug in and drilled a 3-run home run to center to give regain the Sea Kitten lead at 9-7.
Hennessy and the Kitten defense settled down after the first-inning excitement and retired the Lob Stars efficiently in the bottom of the second. Getting back to work at the plate, The Pup- Joe Bevington- ignited the Kitten bench with a home run to center field to lead off the inning- the first home run of his career. Schultzy and Rowe set the table again, and after a run-scoring groundout from Latzka, this time Grutzik delivered the big blow- a Big Fly to left to extend the Kitten advantage to 14-7.
Bevington goes yard for the second time of the night-and his career
Asked about his (frankly stunning) power display, Bev said, “look, I was disappointed with the rookie season. Frankly I just wasn’t ready for the big leagues. Took the off season to get my mind right and add some bulk to put more power in my swing. I’m pretty happy with how the spring campaign started.” Indeed- give that man another heapin’ helpin’.
Perhaps once again sitting back on their haunches, the Kittens got pinched to attention by another Lob Star rally- this one aided and abetted by a bout of wildness from Hennessy on the mound, as the veteran pitcher walked two batters with the bases loaded. Once again the Cats’ defense ended the rally there, but the Stars had closed the gap to 14-10.
Having none of this business and loving the rush his previous plate appearance brought, The Pup followed a leadoff walk to Roadrunner Jami Hauer with *another* shot to center field, this one traveling an estimated 265′ on a laser-like line, and keeping with his M.O. for the game, Latzka delivered his fourth 2-out RBI to give the Cats breathing room and a 17-10 lead.
Lob Stars did not go quietly in its final two frames, but only managed to push two more runs across the plate, though they once again loaded the bases in the bottom of the 5th to test the Kittens’ mettle before a 5-4 putout from Grutzik to Hauer was the final out and proverbial rubber band around the claws.
Results
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea Kittens | 3 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 18 |
| Lob Stars | 7 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 12 |
Sea Kittens
| Player | AB | R | H | RBI | 2B | 3B | HR | BB | SF | IP | RA | WK | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zen Master Rowe | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Man-Aaron Jossart | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sunshine Curtis | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Alex The Puma Latzka | 4 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Stephen “Slash” Grutzik | 4 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mama Cat O’Brien | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Joe Hennessy | 4 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 12 | 5 | 3 |
| Jami “Roadrunner” Hauer | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| The Pup | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Schultzy Oele | 4 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 38 | 18 | 23 | 18 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 12 | 5 | 3 |
Lob Stars
| AB | R | H | RBI | 2B | 3B | HR | BB | SF | IP | RA | WK | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Salmon Snacks
- Jess for her return to the diamond- her first game since October 7, 2019!
- Joe B for his first two career home runs
- Stephen for his dramatic roll-in-the-dirt putout at 3B
- Alex for a fine game in CF
- Erin, Jess, Joe H, Stephen, and Alex for 3-hit games
Sea Kittens Great Fillet of the Game
You didn’t have to see it to believe it. Vote here for the Sea Kittens Great Fillet of the Game! Congrats to Zen Master Rowe for capturing the first fillet of 2022 for his first-inning quadruple last week.
What's your pick for Sea Kittens Great Fillet of the Game?
- Jessica Schultzy Oele palying in her first game in 2.5 years (whilst delivering & raising a baby in the meantime) and returning to the diamond with a hit in her first AB, and going on to collect 3 (43%, 3 Votes)
- Joe The Pup Bevington clubbing the first two home runs of his career (57%, 4 Votes)
Total Voters: 7
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Game Notes
- Sea Kittens moved to 2-0 all-time in April games.
- The 45 runs the Cats have scored are the most the team has ever scored in the first two games of a calendar year
- Erin had a streak of 11 consecutive hits snapped in her final at-bat, a streak dating back to the Fall 2021 finale. There aren’t many who have had a longer streak, but it’ll take me a while to figure that out…
- It was the first time two Joes have homered in a Sea Kitten game
- Five homers ties the second-most in SK history. The Cats hit 7 vs Harmony Dogs August 22, 2021 in the Harmony Tournament
- It was the fifth time three different players have homered for Sea Kittens in a single game, matching the team record.
- It was the 15th time- and second in a row- in which nine or more Kits have had multiple hits in the same contest.
- Jess had the eighth 3+ hit game of her career, and her second-inning hit was the 100th of her career!
- Erin recorded her 25th 3+ hit game, and fourth in a row.
- Alex recorded the 100th RBI of his career.
- Joe H’s second homer was the 50th of his career, tying Dan for most in Sea Kitten history. Joe has 610 career at-bats, Dan 360… Since 2016- after Joe visited the Temple of Bogey- Dan has clubbed 47 in 282 AB, Joe 42 in 311 AB.