A hot, sticky, Midwest summer afternoon and 40 minutes before the Sea Kittens much-anticipated Summer League opener against Hot Pitches, the clouds burst. Not rain-shower burst, but let’s dump a 55-gallon barrel of cold water on your hopes of playing softball tonight. But in perhaps the biggest upset in Sea Kittens history- the game went on. The field was *fine-* probably better than playing on the dusty mess it would’ve been. And though clouds loomed tall and ominous to the west at first pitch, for this one night Zephyr acceded to softball. Even more grateful than usual for the gift of playing ball, the Cats and Hot Pitches gathered for a spirited tussle on the diamond.
Hot Pitches struck first, plating three runs in the top of the first inning off Sea Kitten starting pitcher David “Zen Master” Rowe, but a sweet pick at third base by The Ringer- David Engeldinger- helped Rowe escape the early jam. The Cats scratched across two runs in the bottom of the inning- Alex “Puma” Latzka living up to the moniker by scoring from first base on a Josh Weber infield single (OK, there *may* have been an overthrow involved) and John Corrigan doubling home Weber.
After holding Logan Kobiske’s side scoreless in the top of the second, Engeldinger evened the game with a 265.5′ home run over the 265′ left field fence and Zen Master David Rowe put the Cats ahead 4-3 with a two-out single that scored All Day Kendra Haight from second. Hot Pitches were not ready to let that slim margin stand, but Latzka connected with Roadrunner Jami Hauer on an 8-4 putout to end the top of the third inning before HP could even the game.
Kendra on base all day- collecting her third hit of the game during the 6-run Sea Kitten 4th
Latzka tripled to open the bottom of the 3rd, but was still stuck at third after an infield single and nifty Hot Pitches double-play. Then, with two outs, Sea Kittens made their own cloudburst and poured on the runs. The next nine Cats collected hits, spraying them across the field between beleaguered HP defenders, plating eight runs and breaking the game open.
The Hot Pitches crew tried to get off the mat in the fourth, but the four-run rally still left them down 12-6, and in the bottom of the frame the Sea Kitten offense picked up where it left off. Eight Sea Kitten singles and a sacrifice fly led to six more runs and a commanding 18-6 lead. Rowe shut down Hot Pitches in the 5th, and The Sea Beast- Corrigan- blasted a two-out 3-run homer in the bottom of the inning to put an exclamation point on the Sea Kittens’ offensive outburst.
Hot Pitches burned reliever Joe Hennessy for runs in the top of the 6th, but the Cats romped away with a decisive 21-11 season-opening win.
Results
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea Kittens | 2 | 2 | 8 | 6 | 3 | x | 21 |
| Hot Pitches | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 11 |
Sea Kittens
| Player | AB | R | H | RBI | 2B | 3B | HR | BB | SF | IP | RA | WK | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alex The Puma Latzka | 4 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Josh “Rusty” Weber | 4 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mama Cat O’Brien | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| John Corrigan | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Man-Aaron Jossart | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jami “Roadrunner” Hauer | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| David “The Ringer” Engeldinger | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Joe Hennessy | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Kendra All Day Haight | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Braden “Gas” Furness | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Zen Master Rowe | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 1 |
| Sunshine Curtis | 3 | 00 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 40 | 21 | 29 | 20 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 11 | 0 | 1 |
Hot Pitches
| 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
- Six Kittens had three or more hits: Alex, Josh, Kendra, John, Joe & Dave
- Alex, Kendra, and John each scored 3 runs
- David for his nifty pick in at 3B in the 1st inning
- Katie for her long-overdue 2025 debut!
- Everybody for believing the game would go on as it poured at 5:45
Next Up
Sea Kittens resume play Thursday, July 3 in a 7:30 PM against defending league champion Da Hittas. By virtue of their Spring title, Da Hittas became the first team in the Thursday night upper division to secure back-to-back championships since Fingers Don’t Lose swept the 2022 season. Sea Kittens are 4-7-1 all-time against da Hittas, but have played up to the competition and won 3 of the most recent 5 matchups between the clubs.
Game Notes
- The win was the 150th in Sea Kitten history!
- The Cats are now 150-115-2 all-time
- Sea Kittens 29 hits were the most in a game since rapping 30 against Bobcats August 18, 2022
- The tally matched the 14th-most in Sea Kitten history
- It was the first time in 2025 Sea Kittens topped the 20-run mark
- Sea Kittens are now 11-0 all-time against Hot Pitches