Sea Kittens softball returned to the diamond for its 13th season last Thursday night at Bowman Park. Six months had passed since the team’s last action, and the Cats all got a little bit older, but one would not have known judging by the way the team played from the get-go in opening night action. Sea Kittens(1-0, MSSC Thursday night play) pounced on SP Prairie Dogs (0-1) early and often, batting around on the Dogs in each of the game’s first three innings en route to a decisive 17-7 victory.
Visitors for the evening’s 8:30 PM nightcap, SP stirred up trouble early, loading the bases against Sea Kitten starting pitcher David “Zen Master” Rowe in the top of the first inning. But Rowe notched a big strikeout and with two outs induced a tapper in front of home plate. Catcher Laura Red Shoes Hewitt calmly gathered up the ball and with a click of her heels on the plate, ended the rally and sent the Prairie Dogs back to the bench with nary a run to show for their effort.
The bottom of the inning began with a flurry- four straight hits from the top of the Sea Kitten lineup plated two runs before the Prairie Dog pitched went high on his hind legs to make a great snag on a hot shot up the middle from Chil Hil Dugan. But as unlucky as that out was it was not enough to stop the Sea Kitten express. Aaron AaLo Lomax picked up his teamie with a two-run single, and three more hits pushed the Cats’ advantage to 6-0. All 11 Sea Kittens present batted before the Dogs shut down the first inning.
SP bit back in the top of the second, notching a run, but Sea Kittens peppered seven more hits in the second, sending all 11 hitters to the plate and scoring another six runs to push the lead to 12-1. Down but still doggedly trying to dig out of the hole, SP rallied for three in the third and threatened more, but a
baserunning snafu (i.e. falling down) led to an outfield assist for Dugan to Man-Aaron Jossart at third base, with a perfect relay from shortstop Slash Grutzik in the middle.
Still ahead 12-4, Sea Kittens played with the discomfort and urgency of a team that’s blown bigger leads.
“We haven’t had a ‘Sea Kitten Inning’ in a while,” grizzled old-timey manager Joe Hennessy mused after the game, “but I think deep down we all still worry that it’s part of the fabric of who we are.” This Cats bunch- at least on this night- would have none of that. Another seven-hit inning followed, and although only 10 hitters stepped into the box the effort was good for five more runs.
Now facing both a 17-4 deficit and rapidly approaching time cap, Prairie Dogs battled for three more runs, hitting the ball more sharply as the game progressed, but the late effort was not enough as Rowe and the Kitten defense closed the door in the fourth and final inning.
Results
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP Prairie Dogs | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 7 |
| Sea Kittens | 6 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 17 |
SP Prairie Dogs
| 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 |
Sea Kittens
| Player | AB | R | H | RBI | 2B | 3B | HR | BB | SF | IP | RA | WK | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alex The Puma Latzka | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jami “Roadrunner” Hauer | 4 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Stephen “Slash” Grutzik | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Joe Hennessy | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chill Hil Dugan | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Aaron “Aa-Lo” Lomax | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Man-Aaron Jossart | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mama Cat O’Brien | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Zen Master Rowe | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 3 |
| Red Shoes Hewitt | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sweet Thing Harkins | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 35 | 17 | 24 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 3 |
Salmon Snacks
- Jami for the first 4-4 night of 2023
- Alex for the Cats’ first quadruple of the year
- All the cats who just kept hitting
- Laura for ending a bases-loaded Prairie Dogs rally in the top of the 1st with a forceout at home
- Hilary for an outfield assist at 3B- through Stephen to AaJo
- Stephen for a rangy play up the middle in the 4th & a nice scoop by Erin at first to complete the play
- Dave for issuing zero walks in the first start of the season
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! You decide who’ll be awarded the first Great Fillet of 2023…
What's your pick for the Sea Kittens Great Fillet of the Game?
- Hilary-Stephen-Aaron throwing out a wayward runner laying down near, but not on, third base (71%, 5 Votes)
- Man-Aaron watching balls roll slowly along the third base line (29%, 2 Votes)
Total Voters: 7
Next Up
May the Fourth be with Sea Kittens as they duel with Roughneck Maulers (0-1) at 6:30 PM on Bowman Field 1. The Maulers played a tight game with Da Hittas, one of the preseason league favorites.
Game Notes
- The win was the Sea Kittens 5th consecutive Opening Day win; overall the Cats are 8-5 in their season debuts
- Dave is now 5-1 in his six Opening Day starts
- This was game #214 in Sea Kitten history
- This was only the third time in Sea Kitten history the team scored five or more runs in three consecutive innings. the other times: August 21, 2016 in the first four innings in a 23-2 Harmony Tournament win over Harmony Grits and October 5, 2016 in a win over Steal Your Base
- In collecting 24 hits in 35 at-bats, the Sea Kittens’ 0.686 batting average for the game was the 5th-best single-game mark in team history
- Jami, Alex, Man-Aaron, Erin, and Dave did not make any outs- it was the 3rd time five or more Cats accomplished that feat in a single game
- Erin is now 11-12 with a double and 9 RBI in April games in her career, and Jami is 8-10 with a double, 3 walks, and 9 runs scored