Hot Pitches Torch Kittens

The 13th try was the charm for Hot Pitches, who drubbed Sea Kittens 13-4 in a Madison Sport & Social Club Fall League semifinal October 16 at Bowman Park.  The Pitches unleashed any pent-up frustration they may have had in not beating Sea Kittens in 12 previous tries, slowly building their advantage throughout the game while absolutely stymying the Cats’ offense.  Much like the 2025 Brewers, Hot Pitches parlayed the supremely satisfying victory into a humbling at the hands of Da Hittas, who claimed their 4th consecutive league championship with a quick and methodical 11-2 victory in the title game.

This contest began as a tight, defense-driven affair, with Hot Pitches scoring a run in each of the first two innings on a triple/ groundout combination, while Sea Kittens scored one run on an infield single from Emalie “The Rocket” Thern after a Stephen “Slash” Grutzik triple.  (Fun fact of the day:  “Earthmen Lie” is perhaps the best anagram of “Emalie Thern”).  Alas, Logan Kobiske’s squad shook up the can of whoop-ass with 4 runs in the top of the third inning, and opened it up on the Cats with a 3-run fifth, building a 9-1 advantage and holding the Kittens’ hitters to a 1-12 stretch between the second and fifth innings. 

Kittens still trying in the 6th

The Cats tried to pick themselves off the mat in the bottom of the 6th, as Joe Hennessy opened the inning with a double to right-center and wheeled home two batters later on a inside-the-park homer by Alex “Puma” Latzka.  Braden “Gas” Furness got himself into scoring position with a two-out single and aggressive advance on an overthrow, but was stranded there. 

Down 9-3 the Cats were still within striking distance entering the 7th, but desperately needed a hold.  Sadly, it did not happen and Hot Pitches broke through for four more runs to salt the game away, and so closed the 15th chapter in Sea Kittens history.

David delivers the final hit of 2025 for the Cats, while Josh hustles first-to-home for the team’s final run.

Salmon Snacks

• Perfect attendance. 😛
• Stephen & Josh both managed 2-hit games
• Alex making a tremendous running catch in deep CF, even in the top of the 6th in a 9-1 game
• Alex digging for an inside-the-parker, even in the bottom of the 6th in a 9-1 game
• Emalie-Stephen & Erin turned a sweet 4-6-3 double play
• All the Sea Kittens for another great year of softball-  THANK YOU-  we won the Companionship!!!!
• Hot Pitches for a game well-played

 

 

 

Sea Kittens Great Fillet of the Game

You didn’t have to see it to believe it- vote here for the final Great Fillet of 2025.  Jami won the penultimate Great Fillet with her stop of a blistering one-hopper to second base on the first pitch of the Cats’ regular-season finale.

Next Up

As of press time, it’s 26 weeks until Sea Kitten softball returns for season #16!  Block off Thursday April 23, 2026! (And maybe April 16, too?)

Potential 2026 milestones include:  Sea Kittens’ 300th game (currently 280)!  With 43 games played, Kendra is poised to to become the 19th person to reach 50, and Stephen (86) has his sights on becoming the 12th player with 100 games played with the Cats.  Erin’s next game will be her 250th.   Could Jami (136) and Alex (131) pass the 15o mark? Also within reach:  Erin’s 900th plate appearance (892), Jami (496),  Alex (484), and Laura’s (481) 500th Sea Kittens plate appearances- Megan (55) and Josh (176) also in reach of PA milestones.  Joe (934) will have to get through the whole year to get to 1,000 Sea Kittens career plate appearances.  Dan (297) could score career run #300 and Joe (496) can pass 500 career RBI.  Joe (583) could reach 600 career hits, and Alex (288) 300 hits.  All these reasons and more to tune in come April!

Could David top Stephen’s mark for fastest-player-to-100 hits?  Stephen reached the milestone in 41 games played; David sits at 83 hits in 31 games.  David notched hit #50 in is 18th game, just ahead of Stephen’s pace (50 in 20 games).  Neither reached the 50-hit mark as fast as Andy “Mercury” Stephens, who ripped his 50th in just 17 games played.  Mercury was 54-for-68 (0.794) in his meteoric and brief 18-game Sea Kittens career.  He is also responsible for the Cats’ contractual ban on Ultimate Frisbee.

Roster notes and transactions

TBA 

Game Notes

• This was the Cats’ first loss to Hot Pitches, in 13 head-to-head games played.  Sea Kittens now hold an 11-1-1 advantage in the series, but were 1-1-1 vs. HP in 2025.
• Sea Kittens hadn’t been held to 1 or fewer runs in 5 innings since that dreadful hot day on Field 2, July 27, 2023 vs. Da Hittas.  It was only the 3rd time in the Cats last 173 games an opponent held them to one run through five innings.
• Last time there were 15 Sea Kittens in a single game?  Game 3- June 16, 2010, a 7-3 loss to Spending Cheese.
  • Curiously- in 4 games where there were 14 batters, the Cats scored 15, 15, 15, and 5 runs.
• Sea Kittens finished 13-7-2 overall in 2025, with 277 runs scored and 201 runs allowed.
• Through 15 years, Sea Kittens are 157-119-4.    
• Final 2025 rain-out tally was 4- exactly the same as 2021, 2023, and 2024.  Incredibly there was only one rainout in 2022!
• Stephen finished 2025 with his 86-game hitting streak intact.
• Jami’s 0.682 batting average was the second-highest Fall BA for a Sea Kitten woman ever- only behind her 2022 0.762 mark.
  • She also made the Sea Kittens single-season lists with 11 runs scored and 15 hits.
• Emalie’s 0.625 BA is 4th-best Fall batting average all-time, and Megan ((0.583) and Kendra (0.500) made the list, too.
• Dan’s 0.833 was 5th-best Fall mark ever.
• David posted an 0.800 batting average in fall ball, and made the Cats’ single-season lists with 7 doubles and 10 extra-base hits.
• Braden etched his name into the books for the first time with a nice 0.750 mark this Fall
• David narrowly missed a poetic opening & closing- he had the second hit of the season for the Cats back in April, and the last one in October.
  • It may come as no surprise, but Sea Kittens’ Poet Laureate Man-Aaron Jossart has the only two truly poetic openings-and-closings:
    • In 2012, Man-Aaron had the Cats’ first hit of the year, and made the Cats’ final out in their final game.
    • In 2018, Man-Aaron had both the first hit and last hit for the Cats.

Updated single-season record lists here

Fall season batting average leaders