On this day… May 23, 2012
Seahorse Gallop Delivers Kittens
The Sea Kittens (3-0) outpaced Silver Eagle South Side Badgers (1-2) 13-12 last night, dashing to victory in dramatic fashion. Tom “Seahorse” Cichosz blooped a double into left field with 2 outs in the bottom of the 7th, plating Gretchen Hansen and Katherine Cutis ahead of him, and dashed home when the left fielder’s throw bounced past the cutoff man and to the backstop. The Seahorse finished his game – winning gallop with a leap up onto the chain-link backstop and a mighty, guttural, Sea Kitten roar.
Things looked tough for the Kittens early, as a 7-run Badger 2nd put them at a 9-3 advantage over the home team. The Kittens kept clawing, and got two runs back in the bottom of the frame. After the teams traded runs in the 3rd, the Badgers pushed their advantage back to 5 runs in the 4th, and carried that 11-6 lead to the bottom of the 5th. A one-out double by Josh Ghena- his second of three in the game- gave the Kittens a much-needed runner, but a lineout by Gretchen Hansen to SS left him at 2nd with 2 out. Kyle Magyera delivered the first clutch hit- a double, and Katherine Curtis followed with a solid single to put the Kittens back within striking distance. The teams again traded runs in the 6th, but the Kitten defense steadied in the 7th, setting the stage for the rousing comeback.
Again Ghena started the Kitten rally with a 1-out double, and scored on a sharp base hit by Hansen. Magyera singled, putting Kittens on first and second. Curtis grounded into a fielder’s choice for the inning’s second out, but Hansen snuck to 3rd on the play. Cichosz stepped to the plate. After taking the first pitch for a strike, The Seahorse blooped a double into left field. Curtis’ superb baserunning saw her score easily to tie the game. A bobble by the left fielder allowed the alert Seahorse to dig for third. When the throw to the infield squirted to the backstop, he made his daring dash for the plate without hesitation, winning the race by a stride and the game for the Kits.
Next up for the Kits are Magnetic Monopoles (2-1). A win would secure the Sea Kittens’ first-ever playoff berth, but the game figures to be a battle. The two teams squared off in pre-season and appeared evenly matched. Defense will be the key for the Kittens in the game.
{box score will be appended}
SS Badgers 2 7 1 1 0 1 0 – 12
Sea Kittens 3 2 1 0 2 1 4 – 13
5/23/2012
2B- Josh 3 (4), Kyle 2 (2); Tom (1),
Aaron (2); 3B- Kyle (1); HR- none;
BB- Josh (1), Dave (1), Aaron (1);
SF- Tom (1), Aaron (1)
Dave 7.0 IP, 12 RA