Sea Kittens (2-0-1) squared off with familiar foes Da Hittas (0-3) for the first time in 2024 last week at Bowman Park in Madison Sport & Social Club Thursday night Vilas League play. On an idyllic night for softball, the two teams delivered a memorable back-and-forth battle, with the Sea Kittens’ clutch hitting and defense delivering enough to send the Cats home with an 8-7 win.
After a shaky start to their 2024 season, Da Hittas looked to be more in their usual form this night, playing solidly both at bat and in the field. Sea Kittens hoped to extend the positive momentum and good feelings gained after battling Average@Best to a 14-14 team a week earlier.
Things started slowly on the Sea Kitten side. Two quick outs to open the first inning threatened to extinguish the team’s run of nine innings with at least one run scored, but Alex “Puma” Latzka and the Roadrunner- Jami Hauer- delivered singles, and Ol’ Mossyback Stephen Grutzik lashed a two-run triple to left field to put the Cats up 2-0.
Da Hittas answered with a run in the bottom of the frame to cut the Kitten lead in half, but starting pitcher David “Zen Master” Rowe and the Kittens’ defense limited the damage to that lone tally. The teams traded zeroes in the second, with Da Hittas defense making its own stand as the Cats put runners on second and third with nobody out and the Kittens working an efficient bottom half of the inning.
Los Gatos extended their advantage in the third inning, with Latzka driving home Joe Hennessy with a two-out double and Hauer and Grutzik following with another pair of hits to give Sea Kittens a 4-1 lead. But Da Hittas swung back in the bottom of the inning, tagging the Cats for 3 runs to even the score.
The Cats weathered the blow and counter-punched in the fourth. Dan DynamOele opened the frame with a two-base walk, and one out later Rowe drove him home with a single- the only run the Cats scored with fewer than two outs in this ballgame. One out later, Katie Sunshine Curtis brought home Rowe with a hit to extend the Cats’ lead to 6-4. The lead vanished again as Da Hittas slugged home a pair of runs in response during their half of the inning.
The Sea Kitten fifth started slowly, but for the third time this night Roadrunner picked up the Cats’ offense with a two-out hit. Grutzik singled, and Erin Mama Cat O’Brien lined a two-strike, two-out go-ahead single to left to push the Cats in from again.
Mama Cat Erin O’Brien delivers a clutch RBI single with two out in the 5th, giving Sea Kittens a 7-6 lead.
Da Hittas set up shop again in the bottom of the fifth with a leadoff single, but the Sea Kitten defense stepped up. Grutzik stayed with a lively ground ball to third, juggling it twice before flicking to Hauer for the second out of the inning. The next Hitta banged a hit to right field, but Man-Aaron Jossart fired a throw to third. Cut off by Rowe, he glanced at the runner rounding first before turning and flipping to Grutzik, who stabbed a quick tag just quick enough to catch Da Runna trying to get from first to third.
Jossart drove home Rowe to give the Cats an insurance run in the sixth, and then Latzka, Oele, and Adrienn “A-Train” Howard combined for an 8-6-5 putout at third to open the bottom of the inning. Da leadoff Hitta mashed a ball to the fence in left-center, but Latzka bounded on it as quickly as a Cat could, turning and firing a missile to Oele as Da Hits rounded second and dug for third. Oele wheeled and sent a seed to Howard, who slapped a tag on Da Runner for a dramatic first out of the inning. The Kits held firm there, and entered the seventh with an 8-6 lead.
But the Cats couldn’t push a run across, and had to survive one more offensive from Da Hitta lineup. After recording the first out of the inning, Da Hittas heated up, and shadows of the teams’ last meeting, which Da Hittas won in a walk-off started to creep onto the field. They moved within a run following a double and single, but with two out Rowe dug in and ultimately won a tenacious full-count at-bat with one of Da Hittas’ sluggers to close out the game.
Results
| Team | R |
|---|---|
| Sea Kittens | 8 |
| Da Hittas | 7 |
Sea Kittens
| Player | AB | R | H | RBI | 2B | 3B | HR | BB | SF | IP | RA | WK | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joe Hennessy | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kendra All Day Haight | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Alex The Puma Latzka | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jami “Roadrunner” Hauer | 4 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Stephen “Slash” Grutzik | 4 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mama Cat O’Brien | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dan DynamOele | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| A-Train Howard | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Zen Master Rowe | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 1 | 1 |
| Red Shoes Hewitt | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Man-Aaron Jossart | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sunshine Curtis | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 36 | 8 | 16 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 1 | 1 |
Da Hittas
| 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
- Jami for going 4-4 and scoring two runs- remarkably she gathered all four hits with two outs in the innings she batted!
- Aaron, Dave, & Stephen for completing the putout at 3rd base in the 5th inning, gunning down Da Hitta trying to go first-to-third on a single to RF.
- Alex, Dan, & Adrienne combining to nab a Hitta trying to stretch a leadoff double into a triple in the 6th inning.
- Erin for her clutch two-out single in the 5th to give the Cats a 7-6 lead.
- Stephen for going 3-4 with a triple and three two-out RBI.
- Dave for his steady pitching performance.
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 Jami, Dan & Erin for winning the week 2 Great Fillet for twisting two double plays in the hard-fought tie with Average@Best.
What's your pick for the Sea Kittens Great Fillet of the Game?
- Alex -> Dan -> Adrienne's 8-6-5 putout at 3rd to open the 6th, nabbing a runner trying to stretch a double to a triple (33%, 1 Votes)
- Aaron -> Dave -> Stephen's 9-1-5 putout gunning down a runner trying to go 1st -to-3rd in the 5th (67%, 2 Votes)
Total Voters: 3
Next Up
Sea Kittens (2-0-1) tangle with More Beer More Cheer (0-3) at Bowman Park May 23, 8:30 PM. MBMC is one of two new teams in the MSSC Thursday night Vilas League- a rare unfamiliar opponent for the Cats.
Game Notes
- Seven of the Sea Kittens’ eight RBI came with two out
- The Cats had lost 21 of their last 23 games when scoring 8 runs or fewer; overall the team is 16-79 when scoring 8 runs or fewer.
- But Sea Kittens have won 30 consecutive games when holding an opponent to 7 runs or fewer, and are 88-18 all-time when doing so.
- Sea Kittens are now 3-6-1 overall against Da Hittas