Sea Cats Strut Past Wisco Kids

Recap

Wrapping up the team’s most successful regular season to date, Harmony Sea Kittens (9-1, 5-0 MSCR Monroe League second half) comfortably rolled past Wisco Kids (1-9, 1-4) at Olbrich Park Wednesday Night.  With nothing on the line but a chance to pursue some team and individual records and kept bats, pitching, and defense in tune before next week’s league championship game against Swingin’ Eagles, the Sea Kittens turned in their best overall performance since a July 11 win over Mickey’s Bomb Squad. Returning from a four-week stint on the disabled list, Harmony starter Zen Master Rowe showed no ill effects, pitching an efficient 2-walk/ 2-strikeout game and carrying a shutout into the bottom of the sixth inning.  Rowe also picked up where he left off with the bat and went 4-4 with a pair of doubles and three runs scored.  After issuing a two-base walk to open the game, Rowe settled in nicely and retired 15 of the next 19 Wisco batters, without allowing a runner past second base.

In the meantime the Harmony offense was in tune, opening the bottom of the first with five consecutive hits and going on to score five runs in the inning.  The Cats went on to send eleven batters to the plate in both the  3rd and 5th innings, scoring seven and six runs in those frames, respectively.  Sea Kittens up and down the lineup contributed, with 10 of 11 players collecting two or more hits, 10 scoring at least one run, and 10 driving in at least one run.   Among the 30-hit barrage were nine extra-base hits, pushing the 2018 team total to a record 66, topping the 61 collected by the 2016 Sea Kittens. Perhaps the biggest drama in the game was whether the Sea Kitten defense and Rowe could complete the second shutout in team history.  For the second consecutive week Los Gatitos strung zeroes on the scoreboard for five innings but could not close out the 6th inning unscathed.  A rather speedy Kid opened the top of the 6th with a ringing double.  Rowe got the next batter out but the next Kid lined a single to left-center.  Joe Hennessy fielded the ball cleanly and threw to(wards) home- an on-target, short, and late throw, but a principled one.  A throw that said, “hey, pitch-  I try to have back, but he too quick. maybe next time they’ll hit to Man-Aaron (Jossart) or Mercury (Stevens) in that situation.”  Wisco went on to score twice more in the inning, blah, blah.