Comeback Falls Short

The Warriors almost staged a dramatic comeback last night in the unfriendly confines of Shaw Park. Our opponents played well…time after time we hit the ball to them, and they made the catch. We put the ball in play 17 times, and they only made two errors.

Under tough circumstances, there were many bright spots. It’s always tough to pitch on the road, with a mound and a different plate umpire’s strike zone unfamiliar and with holes.

Curtis pitched a fine 15 pitch scoreless first inning, throwing more strikes than balls. With a full count to their dangerous number three hitter, Curtis’ first inning walk turned out good, particularly when he then struck out the cleanup hitter to end the inning. Two of Curtis’ second inning walks also came on full counts, and the only hit he allowed was an infield roller that shortstop Will tried to sling over to first. The only second-inning ball not caught was a grounder that took a bad hop on third-baseman Jake. Curtis fell victim to the plate umpire’s interpretation not only of the strike zone, but also of the “batter gives himself up on a dropped third strike rule.” Curtis seemed to hesitate before taking off for first, inducing the catcher to throw to first, allowing David to race home with a run.

Will relieved in a tough spot and pitched well. Two of his four walks were on full counts, and he struck out three, not allowing a run in 2-1/3 innings. He also threw more strikes than balls. Will hit two nice line drives, one foul and another deep in the gap. Rumor is both would’ve cleared the fence had he been swinging a metal bat instead of wood. He almost made a spectacular play at short, and he also did a good job catching.

Josiah earned his turn on the mound with an impressive performance in last Thursday’s intersquad game. Last night he continued to pitch well, facing the top of the Shaw Park order. He struck out the last batter to end a rally. Josiah hit the ball both times, collecting an RBI when he beat out a fumbled grounder to first. He then stole second and later scored on Michael’s single. Josiah also caught a tough popup at third.

At the plate we put the bat on the ball. Corey led off the game with a swinging bunt hit, stole second, advanced to third, and scored on David’s line drive. Corey did a great job blocking pitches with runners on base in the second, and later ran down a ball in deep right-center to hold the batter at third.

Clay’s strong throw came real close to nailing a base-stealer at second, and he also blocked several pitches in the dirt. At first base he made a smart play on a roller down the line for an out, reminding the coaches of the slick-fielding Adam LaRoche. Clay had a big smile on his face after that play.

David hit the ball hard both times up to bat. He raced to third on his RBI single to right field when he alertly noticed no one was covering the base. Pinch-running, he set a wonderful example at third base, not risking making an out at home on a passed ball, instead waiting for the right scoring opportunity. In the field he wisely held on to a cutoff throw, running the ball in the pitcher instead of risking a throw.

Jake drilled a single to left and alertly raced to second. He made a nice first-inning running catch in centerfield, and made a good stretch at first for the inning-ending putout.

Andrew singled to start the 6th inning rally. Playing third base for the first time all year, he made a fine catch and throw for the second out in the first inning. He also did a fine job catching Will in the third. Andrew made an exciting putout at first base by quickly picking up the ball, a play you rarely see successfully executed. Andrew’s fine play last night could’ve been because he wore my belt!

John Fulton nearly beat out a grounder to short, and walked and scored in the sixth. He had two putouts in the second, including a tough catch of a popup in the outfield grass.

Nick walked and scored in the sixth, and hung in tough even when striking out. Playing third base for only the second time, he easily converted a tough grounder into an out at first, with a strong, accurate throw.

Christian hit the ball sharply both times…once the pitcher had to make a tough play to get him out. His sixth-inning groundout drove home Nick. Christian had a putout playing first, and caught a high, deep fly ball in left.

Michael had yet another RBI hit to keep the 6th inning rally going, and also reached on a walk. I’ll check, but he must be among the team leaders in RBI hits.

Russell walked twice, both times on full counts after hanging tough, fouling off several pitches. He also hung tough behind the plate after the first pitch of the inning was foul tipped off his ribs. Russell also out-sprinted Jake to win their 5th inning race around the field.

Joey hung tough at the plate and fell victim to the umpire’s changing strike zone. He shined in several aspects of the game, as he also completed his Algebra homework in the dugout, putting him ahead of his teammates in that department.

Thomas arrived late and was immediately inserted into the game on short notice. Despite a hurting leg, he raced to first on a dropped third strike, only to be called out by the ump citing the “giving himself up” rule…though he didn’t leave the batters box. In right field he made a smart play that might’ve gone unnoticed. When the hitter drove a one hopper right to him, Thomas quickly threw to first to try and throw out the batter. The throw wasn’t in time, but it was an alert play that can sometimes nail a batter who doesn’t hustle. Thomas also pitched well in last Thursday’s scrimmage, despite his legs hurting him then.

I’m enjoying working with these young men, and appreciate the help by all the dads (and moms). Coaches McElwain, Ellis, White, Hamil, and Bartlett are five of the finest coaches at Mt. Paran, and we’re fortunate to have them working with the team.