Tuesday, November 10, 2009

November 8, 2009- West Sunset

What a day for a game. With the rain on Friday, the field was watered and ready to go by Sunday, and we had a plethora of players, some 25 raring to get another game in before the impending winter comes for real. The teams were a bit more broken up from last week, but the core of the home squad still had the old guard, of Greg, Tony, Brian, Lattig, and Johnny who started the game on the bump. A rough couple of innings, but Johnny settled down and started getting the outs he was pitching for.

Satch started for the visiting team, and the bowling the night before must have helped to zero in the eye hand coordination, because I was getting the ball just where I wanted. Vitali asked me at one point if I was getting squeezed by the catcher, and I was happy to say No, that I meant to put the ball just off the plate. Relying heavily on the changeup and the occasional fastball/slurve, Satch had some great sub- 9 pitch innings, which is a great feeling. Also I had some solid defense behind me, although with 13 guys, it was a complete crap shoot every inning as to who was where.

The game started off 2-0, progressed to 6-0, (although one of my own teammates apparently broke up my shut out when asked what the score was, saying it was 6-1). Then it was 6-4, on a bases clearing triple (misplayed sun ball…) then it was 8-4. Just when the homers would get a little something going, we would come back with a scorcher and take the lead back. Not too many errors seemed to be the motto of the team that would prevail, and as the sun set in the west, and the glare got bad, we kept the ball out of right, and on the ground.

With so many people, and everyone having a good time, we lost track of the score, and it was debatable whether it was 10-7 or 11-7 (I think it was 11, an rbi single past Greg to score Vitali, and then Noah and myself scored later), but we settled for 10-7. Noah came in for the long relief for the visitors, and did an amazing job with his slow curves and inside out pitches. The homers smelled comeback and sharpened their teeth, and with some well placed hits, we had a 1 run game on our hands.

Bottom of the ninth, the visitors knocked the ball down, got the outs we needed and secured the victory….but wait, it was still light, and we had a surplus of players, so we threw an extra inning in for fun, giving the homers another chance at glory, but home squad victory was not to be, and in the enveloping dark we bade farewell to another glorious baseball game.

Highlights:
• Tracy, a new guy, made an amazing catch in left field to rob Johnny of a sure triple, not bad for his first time out!
• Didn’t kill Greg with the comebacker, that was good
• We did some backing up this week, fundamentals….
• Tony was smooth as silk around the infield, with one bad hop exception
• Lattig taking my changeup deep, thanks god I claimed Mitch on my team early!
• Tony plugging Mitch on a 0-2 pitch, who wore it, then got a hit, stole two bases and then scored. That is what you get for getting Mitch agitated
• Nero had a two run double
• I kept Sean off balance all day, that was a nice feeling
• Zach played a solid right field in the sun, and had a monster hit to left
• Vitali with a ground ball up the middle, caught the ball while standing on second, then on to first for a double play, after hitting a triple in the first
• Vic, Ben and Elvin are quickly becoming reliable additions
• Nick Kinsey out for the first time in a while!
• Almost got Lattig on a tag up play at 2nd
• Elias being honest about not getting a runner at third, it is nice to see that truth above winning is still rampant in the MBC
• Chris had another great catch in short center field, after a long run from SS
* Johnny has a show this weekend with THE BARBARY COASTERS, Friday and Saturday! We also have a birthday show at the Elks lodge, come on by and wish Satch a happy birthday, I am 138 this year!

Stay away rain,

S. Paige

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