Recap
Going into the 5th inning of Wednesday night’s rematch with Players, Los Gatitos del Mar (2-2) were up 4-1 and cursing, despite leaving 8 runners on base in the first 4 innings. Things turned in the 5th, and the black strike mat shrunk in the evening heat, leaving pitcher Matt Kornis. Before it was all done Players (2-2) had jumped to 6-4 lead. That score stood entering the bottom of the 6th, and the umpire called the time limit on the game, meaning there would be no 7th unless Sea Kittens tied or won.
The Kittens rose to the challenge. Four of the first 5 batters reached, and the Kittens plated the tying run on a . Joe Hennessy stepped to the plate with bases loaded and 1 out. After taking a strike and a ball, he turned on an inside pitch, but lined out to the Players shortstop, who took three steps to his right to double off the runner frozen a step off third. To the 7th the game went (no ties in this league, time limit be darned).
Players retook their 2-run lead in the top of the 7th, and the Kittens again found themselves in a do-or-die situation. An error and a double closed the gap to one, and a grounder to short followed by heads-up running by Kornis moved the equalizer to 3rd. An Aaron Jossart sacrifice fly tied the game and was followed by a hit a walk, but the next Kittens couldn’t push those runners along.
The 8th had a promising start for the Kittens. League rules put a runner on 2nd to start the inning, but the Kits recorded 2 quick outs. A series or dribblers, 2 walks, and a sharp single again gave Players a 2-run lead, but the Kits stopped the damage there, stranding three Players on base. For a third straight inning the Kits would have to score 2 just to keep the game going alive. An poor throw by the Players shortstop allowed the first run to score and put a Kitten on 1st with nobody out. Another error put runners on 1st and 2nd. Hennessy then grounded into a fielder’s choice, and the next batter struck out. Two down, two on, and Players played lawyer ball, issuing an intentional walk to one Kornis in order to bring Audrey Pescitelli. Oh, the bench hissed and squawked! The cat calls were relentless! A swinging strike put Audrey down 0-2, but she got the bat on the next pitch and hit an infield single between the mound and third, reaching safely on a bang-bang play at first as the tying run scored.
The 9th started with a spectacular catch by Kittens left fielder Jon Hansen, who ranged in and to the foul line to snag a sinking liner just off the tips of the grass. The Kits rode that play through a scoreless inning, and after a ground out in the bottom of the 9th, Hansen laced a single to center to score the Sea kittens’ eleventh, final, and winning run.
SALMON SNACKS
Jon Hansen- delivered the Kits’ game-winning hit for the second straight week, made a spectacular catch in left
Dave Rowe 4-5 on the day with 3 RBI
Matt Kornis- 9 IP, 3-4 on the day with a walk, a double, and a rumbling triple, all on a duct-taped sprained ankle
Erin O’Brien- 3-5
Audrey Pescitelli- getting home the tying run with 2 outs in the bottom of the 8th
I am not sure how to treat these two plays, but they are worth remembering!
With the Kittens in the field and runner on 1st and 2 out in the 1st, the Players batter hit a slow roller between the mound and 3rd base. Joe Hennessy charged, picked, and wheeled, and threw low to (at) shortstop Dave Rowe, banging the ball off his shins. Problem is, he wasn’t covering 2nd. Erin was. Dave was about 8 feet to the right of second- and just happened to be the first black-and-white jersey the errant third baseman saw!
In the 3rd, the Kittens had runners on 1st and 2nd. A grounder to short, and Hennessy thought he could jump over the ball… Fail. It hopped up and hit him, and the inning ended on runner interference.
Sea Kittens