3/3/13 West Sunset

Thanks to Jonathan "That's good financial advice" Tiemann for this weeks write up.  Sounds like a good time was had by all, dislocated fingers and all.... 

Here's a summary from yesterday's game.  I'm afraid you missed a good one.

Spring Training may be in the air, but Spring wasn't much in evidence on Sunday at West Sunset.  The day was cool - plenty of jackets and sweatshirts on the bench, and a few on the field.  It was overcast, too - a welcome relief for us outfielders, since we were mostly able to see the ball for a change.  We started out a perfect nine on nine, and by the time the stragglers finished arriving we had eleven to a side, with Doc in his accustomed spot behind the plate.

Johnny Bartlett took the bump for the home team, and Greg started for the visitors.  The game started with a bang, as Duane led off with a drive up the gap.  He had an easy triple, and wanted more, but Johnny took the relay and threw him out at the plate.  The play went something like 8-6-1-2.  We managed a couple of runs anyway, for an early lead.  The homers' bats came alive too, though, and our outfielders had plenty of work, mostly fielding hits.  By the sixth inning the homers had a solid lead.  Meanwhile, Johnny gave way to Sean, and then to Will, while Carter took over for the visitors.  

The visitors' fortunes turned in about the seventh, when Carter led off with a drive over Paul's head in center field.  By the time Paul was able to run it down, Carter was already around second, and he was able to complete the circuit for a rare MBC home run.  We put up a crooked number in the inning, and after seven the visitors led, 11-10.  The seesaw game had just about everybody's juices flowing, but while it was more competitive in spirit than most, it also retained the atmosphere that keeps us all coming back to Mission Baseball. 

In the eighth the visitors strung together several hits, including a two-out, bases-loaded single, to extend the lead to 13-10, and after we held the homers in the bottom of the frame, we were liking our chances.  But we went quietly in our half of the ninth, and the home team battled back with three in their half to send the game into extra innings.  Lattig put his spikes back on, and we went to the tenth. 

Lattig and Jimmy led off the tenth with singles, and I thought I had one too when I lined the ball into center, but Mitch was playing shallow, and he was able to force Jimmy at second, Mike going to third.  Bob plated Mike with a sacrifice fly, which Loren caught in foul ground in right, and we ended up settling for the one run.  Paul led off the home tenth with a single, and John McGrath forced him at second.  We liked our chances again when Greg gunned John out trying to steal second, but the home side pushed across a two-out equalizer, and we went to the eleventh.  In that frame, Duane and Carter led off with hits, and we had runners on second and third, with nobody out.  Elvin knocked Duane in with a high bounding ball, and Carter went to third.  Jay hit a shot to third that looked like it would bring us an insurance run, but Johnny made a nice stop and a perfect throw home, and Tim applied the tag for the second out.  Jay ended up stranded at first, so we went to the bottom of the eleventh, again trying to defend a one-run lead.  This time, we recorded two quick outs, but the homers kept battling, and had the tying run on base when Sean came to the plate with two down.  Carter got Sean, though, on a fly ball to right, and we finally had the game by a tally of 15-14.

Highlights -

• Carter's home run, of course, which also earned him fraternal bragging rights, since he hit if off Will

• Jen lined a clean single over second base - You have an average now!

• Daniel laid out and nearly caught a sinking line drive in right center.  It was the effort of the year, and almost the catch of the year.

• Nobody hit Bob, but Will did manage to get Jay in the ribs with a fastball. 

• It seemed like there was a good deal of umpiring by committee, with Doc, the catchers, and the hitters negotiating over the calls.  It worked out just fine, but made it even harder than usual to figure out what the count was sometimes

• Greg dislocated a finger diving back into third on a pickoff attempt, but calmly relocated it himself.  That was before he threw McGrath out stealing.

• Best line of the day - Bob was saying that if Loren hit a screamer to third with his composite bat he might kill the third baseman, and Paul calmly replied, "Well, he's had a good life."

• A high foul ball to the parking lot caused some concern when, after what seemed like an unusually long time, it produced a metallic thunk.  Near as we can tell, it pinballed around in the trees for a while and then bounced in the bed of Will's truck.

• Johnny still has a good inventory of the new MBC T-shirts.  They look even better in person than in the picture.