Cats Scratch Out Third Straight Win

Sea Kittens 13, Affordable Quality Heating and AC 12

For the second time in three weeks, the Harmony Sea Kittens (3-0) battled back from a 7^th-inning deficit to walk off winners, moving the team into sole possession of first place in the MSCR Fall Winona League, a half-game ahead of Pitches B Trippin’ (2-0).  Alex “The Polish Puma” Latzka chased a visibly alarmed Helen “Rabbit” Bradley around the bases for the game’s decisive runs, the pair crossing home just as a wild relay throw from right field sailed overhead.  

  Affordable Quality pounded Los Gatitos del Mar into a deep early hole, pounding four home runs in the first three innings and taking advantage of five bases on balls and a handful of seemingly innocuous miscues to build an 11-4 third-inning lead.  But Sea Kitten starting pitcher Joe Hennessy and the Kitten defense settled through the middle innings, keeping AQHAC in the park-  and more importantly, off the scoreboard- between the fourth and sixth innings, giving the Cats time to wriggle their way back into the game.  “Balls were flying out of here like popcorn,” shortstop Dan Oele commented about the early innings. While Hennessy struggled to find the plate and keep the ball in the park, the AQHAC starting pitcher had trouble recording the third out of several innings, and the rally Cats proved their mettle by scoring nine of their 13 runs with two outs.  Erin “Mama Cat” O’Brien led the way with five RBI, including three of the two-out variety.  Big Andy Nath appeared for the Cats for the first time since August 2015 and drove in three two-out runs, going high-low on AQ with a 30-foot swinging bunt up the third base line and a 247-foot double to the 248’ fence. Trailing 11-5 entering the bottom of the fourth inning, the Sea Kittens seemed poised for a game-changing rally as Brenna Marsicek, Sweet Thing Harkins, and Erin “The Pirate” Rodell loaded the bases with nobody out- Rodell collecting the first hit of her career in the process.  O’Brien knocked home two with a base hit, but the Kits were unable to further capitalize, and the next six Sea Kitten batters went down in order. With two out in the 6^th Nath & O’Brien provided some of their late-game heroics, following doubles from Marsicek and Harkins with hits to pull Harmony within a run., but AQ followed suit and picked up a two-out insurance run in the 7^th to extend its advantage to 12-10. The Sea Kittens’ last bats opened with harmless fly balls to left field, but DynamOele gave the team new hope with a double to left-center.  Bradley knocked a single to left to bring Oele home and the Cats within a run.  Latzka stepped in and ripped a line drive to the right-field fence. The Rabbit bolted on contact and raced towards second as the Polish Puma sprung from the batter’s box in pursuit as two AQ outfielders desperately chased the ball.  Coaching third, Harkins waved Bradley home, and seeing the relay still coming, Latzka turned third aggressively and dashed to the plate for his game-winning inside-the-park home run.

Game Notes

• Sea Kittens are 5-1 in 1-run games since losing to Steal Your Base 9/16/2015
• After playing 128 games without rallying from a deficit of 4 or more runs in the 5^th inning or later, the Fall 2017 Cats have done so twice in three weeks
• Biggest comebacks in Kitten history:
  • Down 11-1 after 1 inning vs Packer Inn 7/28/2010, W 15-14
  • Down 6-1 vs Jackalopes 7/28/2010 (same day!), W 11-10
  • Down 11-6 after 4 innings vs. South Side Badgers 5-23-2012, W 13-12
  • Down 13-4 after 4 innings vs. Royals 6-20-2012, W 14-13
  • Down 13-8 in the middle of the 5^th vs. Players 8/23/2017
  • Down 11-5 after 3 innings vs. Affordable Quality Heating & AC 9/6/2017
• The walk-off win was the 7^th in Sea Kitten history, and the fifth time the Sea Kittens have rallied from a deficit in their final at-bat:
  • Karli “Clutch” Younger delivered a walk-off win vs KL engineering October 19, 2016
  • Tommy TT Shabidu, Jr Cichosz hit his famous “home run double” to defeat South Side Badgers 11-10 May 23, 2012
  • Boom Boom Magyera foiled an intentional walk attempt July 30, 2010 to give the Cats a 15-14 win over Floyd & Donna’s Packer Inn
  • Ross “Stir it Up” Frey tripled and dashed home on an error vs. Players after Magyera delivered a game-tying homer 8/23/17
• Alex was the first to hit a walk-off home run; no Sea Kitten has yet hit an over-the-fence walk-off
• Before fouling out in the 5^th inning, Dan had reached safely in 13 consecutive plate appearances, one shy of Joe’s record of 14, set in summer 2016 and matched in fall of 2016
• The Mama Cat O’Brien RBI show:
  • Erin was the first Sea Kitten to collect 5 RBI since Mercury Stevens 10/19/2016
  • She matched Hadley “Boomer” Boehm (5/16/2012) and Katherine “Goat Roper” Curtis (7/28/2010) for most RBI by a SK woman in a game,
  • and has tied the all-time high for RBI in a fall season by a SK woman (7), with 3 games to play, tying the mark she set in 2010 and matched in 2013

NEXT UP- Sea Kittens (3-0) at Steal Your Base (0-2)

Sea Kittens are 4-2 all-time against Steal Your Base, and have won four straight in the rivalry, outscoring the Deadheads 98-19 during the run.  However, SYB has scored 20 runs in its two losses in fall 2017, and played the Sea Kittens to a 4-4 tie through 5 innings last time the two teams met, before the Cats erupted for a 15-run 6^th inning to seal the win.  It’s a trap game if ever there were one. Tidbit:  Zen Master Rowe is 4-0 as a starting pitcher vs. SYB.  Rowe has also hit safely in 45 of his last 46 games played- the only blemish was an 0-2 night vs. Sherri 9/16/2015, in a 4-3 Sea Kitten loss, where he was left on deck with the tying run on first.

Salmon Snacks

• Erin R for rapping the first hit of her life, and for scoring her first run as a Sea Kitten
• Andy for filling in and collecting 3 RBI
• Dan, Helen, & Alex for the clutch two-out hits in the bottom of the 7th
• Brenna, for collecting a pair of hits, including a double, and making it through a game without being hobbled J
• Erin o for being an RBI machine in the 11-spot in the batting order. Second leadoff, indeed!
• Bad for collecting 2 hits and cranking the ball hard all three times up
• Helen for a couple more slick picks at third base
• Jami, to power up her axe for game 4!