Cats Smash Past Mashers

Try saying that four times fast. Harmony Sea Kittens moved to 3-0 for only the second time in franchise history with a tough 13-8 win over a young, talented Monona Mashers (0-3) squad. Los Gatitos slammed three home runs and had enough timely two-out hitting to overcome some defensive “excitement,” and remains the lone unbeaten team in MSCR Kenosha League play.

The Mashers- a new team in 2019- flashed some bats in the first inning, but as been the story of the early part of this Sea Kitten season, the Cats stifled the rally at a single run and stranded two Masher runners in scoring position.

Sweet Thing Harkins opened proceedings in the Sea Kitten half of the inning with a hard single to center, and two batters later Joe Hennessy lifted a low pitch into Olbrich Gardens for his second home run of the season and a 2-1 Sea Kitten lead. The Wetland Connection of Mama Cat O’Brien and Boom Boom Magyera followed with another hit-n-homer combo and a 4-1 lead for the Harmony Ten. Despite several search-and-recover attempts, the carcass of Magyera’s ball was never found (although the carcass of a recently deceased opossum was, and that was unexpected and a little gross). The incidents are not believed to be related.

Sea Kittens never looked back from its first-inning lead, but Mashers kept up intense pressure throughout the game, posting a tick mark in each of the first four innings and leaving runners in scoring position in every inning but the seventh. At times Harmony wavered under the pressure, with its defense uncharacteristically triggering flashbacks of classic “Sea Kitten Innings” more than once, but the veteran squad did not buckle.

The Cats benefited from some unclean Masher play in the second inning, with Sweet Thing Harkins turning a slow roller to shortstop into a two-run infield “home run.” The video says it all. Harkins was credited with a single on the play.

Still, as the game reached its midway point Monona had climbed withing two runs of Harmony. Hits from Boo Rabbit Bradley, Dan DynamOele, and Zen Master Rowe loaded the bases, but the Masher battery made a slick play on an elusive comebacker from Red Shoes Hewitt to cut down Bradley and home. Man-Aaron Jossart dug into the box, determined not to let the opportunity escape, and he delivered in the biggest was possible: lofting a high fly ball, deep to left field… it had a chance… and was gone! His first career grand slam just cleared the fence and gave the Cats a 10-4 lead and some breathing room.

He ate yogurt before the game, and his wrists were soft.

Sunshine Curtis, explaining Man- Aaron’s impressive feat

Sea Kitten Grand Slams
Smokin’ Joe Litchfield 8-26-2010, 5th inning in 30-7 W over Bombers (Olbrich 1 (248′))
Detroit Josh Ghena (2) 6-5-2013, 1st inning & 6th inning in 21-1 W over Baltimore Factorioles (Olbrich 3)
Dan DynamOele 6-22-2016, 4th inning in 10-4 W over Beckett Tax & Accounting (Olbrich 3)
Dan DynamOele 6-29-2016, 1st inning in 14-9 W over Infield Flies (Warner 5)
Mercury Stevens 7-13-2016, 4th inning in 12-7 W over South Side Badgers (Olbrich 4)
Joe Hennessy 8-31-2016, 3rd inning in 14-9 W over Affordable Quality HVAC (Olbrich 4)
Joe Hennessy 7-5-2017, 6th inning in 19-7 W over Steal Your Base (Olbrich 4)
Joe Hennessy 5-16-2018, 1st inning in 19-8 W over Wisco Kids (Olbrich 4)
Joe Hennessy 8-19-2018, 7th inning in 19-16 W over Andrea’s Team (Harmony Tourney, Olbrich 3)
Joe Hennessy 10-17-2018, 5th inning in 16-21 L to Wilson’s Coolers (Olbrich 1 (275′))
Man-Aaron Jossart 5-29-2019, 4th inning in 13-8 W over Monona Mashers (Olbrich 3)

The relief was short-lived, as Mashers scored three runs in the top of the fifth and left the bases loaded, and added another in the sixth after setting the Cats down one-two-three in the bottom of the fifth.

With the Kits clinging to a 10-8 lead, Bradley and DynamOele opened the bottom of the sixth with a single and double respectively, and Zen Master helped his own cause with a run-scoring single. Red Shoes stepped in and laced a hard, run-scoring hit past third base to extend the lead back to four, and Jossart knocked in the team’s 13th run to extend the advantage to five tallies.

With that lead in hand, Harmony reversed its early season trend and set the Mashers down swiftly in the seventh to secure the victory.

Up Next

Harmony Sea Kittens (3-0) vs Bat Intentions (0-3), 6:30 PM, Olbrich Field 4. Bat Intentions have scored a total of five runs in its first three games, and a Sea Kitten win secures at least a share of the first-half title, making this a terrifying trap game as Bat Intentions players are surely canvassing their workplaces looking for anyone who played baseball or softball in college.

Game Notes

• Sea Kittens have not trailed at the end of any inning through the first three games of 2019
• Mashers scored in six of seven innings played- prior to this outcome, Sea Kittens were 0-6 in games in which they’d allowed runs in six or more innings, and had allowed an average of 18.3 runs in those contests
  • Sea Kittens only scored in four innings in this game, but are 12-1 all-time in games in which they’ve scored in six or more innings
• The last time Harmony allowed a team to score in six or more innings in MSCR play was June 10, 2015, a 19-6 drubbing at the hands of Rattlesnake Masters
• When Mashers scored in the first and second innings, it ended a streak of nine summer league games in which Sea Kittens had held opponents to fewer than two runs in the first two innings
• Sea Kittens had no walks and no strikeouts at the plate for only the second time in team history. The only other time every batter put the ball in play every time was September 9, 2015- Mama Cat’s 45th birthday bash, a 13-8 win over South Side Badgers. That was also the game in which Heidibadger Nelson got beaned on the crown of the head by a throw from left field

Salmon Snacks

Sea Kittens Great Fillet of the Game

1. In the second inning with two out, Sweet Thing Harkins rolled a ball to shortstop- he was going to beat the throw, but the MM shortstop hurried one into the dirt, past the first basewoman and down the right field line. Man-Aaron saw the commotion and dug for home, drawing another wild throw, while in the meantime Sweet Thing never stopped running. He was rounding third when the ball went out of play, and was thus awarded home. A lot happened in twenty seconds, in a very Sea Kitten kind of way!
2. In the fourth inning with Sea Kittens holding a slowly evaporating 6-4 lead, Man-Aaron Jossart stepped in with two out and the bases loaded, and he delivered a Big Fly over the left-field fence for his first career grand slam to give the Cats some breathing room.

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Last week Laura “Red Shoes” Hewitt won the Great Fillet for her stupendous hustle for an infield single!