Holy DynamOele! Slugger Carries Kittens Past Offenders

Mother of mercy, Sea Kitten fans witnessed a one-player wrecking ball in action at Olbrich Park Wednesday night. Dan Dynam-Oele slugged three home runs and collected 10 runs batted in to lead Sea Kittens (6-1, 2-0 MSCR Kenosha League 2nd half) to a 15-4 win over Olbrich Offenders (2-5, 0-2). In the lead-up to the game the biggest story of the night appeared to be the disappearance of  the home-side bleachers by diamond #3, but Oele rewrote the script as the game progressed and by game’s end he had re-written pages of the Kittens’ record book as well.

In his first start since June 23, pitcher David Rowe showed everything Zen as he and the steady Sea Kitten defense navigated heavy Offender traffic on the base paths repeatedly on the sweltering July evening.  Rowe stranded runners on the corners to end the first inning- the eighth straight inning in which the Cats held Offenders scoreless this season, and Kristin Brown worked a walk in the first lead-off at-bat of her Sea Kitten career.  Two fielder’s choice outs later the Cats’ streak of 7 consecutive innings with a run scored looked to be in jeopardy, but Oele stepped in and crushed a fluttering knuckle ball deep into big cottonwood tree beyond the left-field fence to give Sea Kittens a 2-0 advantage.  The home run- Oele’s 9th of the year- set a new team record for most home runs by a player in a single season.

Offenders pushed a run across in the top of the second, and Sea Kittens put runners on second and third with one out but couldn’t manage to put a ball in play to extend the lead.  The visitors tied the game in the top of the third and had runners on first and third when Rowe collected a big strikeout to quell the uprising.

The game had the markings of a tense, back-and-forth affair as it headed to the bottom of the third, but Brown & Man-Aaron Jossart collected hits and Oele broke the deadlock with a laser shot that cleared the wall and just kept going.

Dan DynamOele’s 3rd-inning, go-ahead home run.

A two-out, solo homer in the top of the 4th brought the Olbrich side back within two runs, but the non-Oele portion of the Kitten lineup delivered in the bottom of the inning, with Joe Hennessy driving home the Polish Puma- Alex Latzka- with a double off the fence and coming home on a Rowe single.

Despite more Offenders occupying the basepaths in the fifth they could not find their way home, and Jossart and Mama Cat O’Brien set up Oele for his third, game-breaking, and decisive blow- a towering three-run shot to left to give Los Gatitos a 10-3 lead.  With it, the Big Daddy became the first player to homer three times in a single game in Sea Kittens’ 176-game history and extended his single-season home run mark to 11.

Top of the Pop

While Rowe switched to cruise control on the mound, he floored the accelerator in his final at-bat.  Spy his hopeful young son watching the game from beyond the center field wall, Rowe belted a ball in his direction… landing it beyond the reach of the Offenders’ outfielder and rolling in nearly to the fence by

which the boy sat.  Not content with a double, Rowe motored towards third and an easy triple, but sensing the opportunity at hand he blasted through the sensible and clear “stop” sign put up by Latzka, coaching third base.  Digging for home as the ball reached its cut-off, Rowe won the race by scant steps and recorded the first home run of his storied career.  Tragically, Boom Boom Magyera was not there to see it, and Sea Kittens Media, LLC failed to hit “record,” at any point as it tracked the play from start conclusion.  later in the inning Oele strode to the plate with tow more runners on base, but graciously only ripped a two-run double to the left-center field wall.

Technically winners by mercy rule at this point, Sea Kittens made no grievance when sent back to play defense in the 7th.  Offenders battled to the finish and plated one more run, but otherwise Sea Kittens held firm and closed the book an a 15-4 victory.

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Salmon Snacks

• Dan for the 3-HR, 10-RBI game
• Jami for flawless D at 2B
• Kristin getting on  base 3 times from the leadoff spot
• Here, Dan- have another
• KC for trolling opposing hitters from her spot behind the plate
• Dave for his first career HR
• One more for Dan
• Aaron & Joe for 3-hit games

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 Roadrunner Jami Hauer– for winning the Week 6 Great Fillet for legging out her first career triple! We’ve got a twist this week: a 3rd option!  Do you like the underdog (undercat?) racing to his first homer, in his 137th career game and 485th trip to the plate?  Or does it come down to the power of the big bat vs. perhaps the power of the spoken word?