Perfect in Roswell

Before Will’s Wednesday night travel team game in Roswell, I ran into the dad of one of his former teammates, whom I hadn’t seen in a while. His son plays on a team that has already played in four weekend tournaments, from Cumming to Morrow. He said the Will’s opponent that night had only lost one game last year, and that 1 – 0 loss game on a suicide squeeze play in the final inning.

The game started good. With one out three straight Titan batters walked. Batting cleanup, Will walked on a 3 – 1 count. Ritchie scored from third on a passed ball, and Audie and Will moved up a base. Will took third on an RBI groundout, and scored on a single to right center. The next batter beat out a swinging bunt, and though the Titans led 3 – 0, that would be all the hits they would manage that night. But for most of the game it appeared that would be enough offense to win the game.

Will was the starting pitcher, and he pitched perhaps the best he’s ever pitched. He threw three perfect innings, facing the minimum nine batters. He struck out three and only reached a full count on one batter, who had fouled several pitches off. One batter tried to bunt on him, but Will easily fielded it and threw the batter out to first. Will only needed to throw 30 pitches in the three innings, with innings of 13, 8, and nine pitches.

Unfortunately the other Titan pitchers didn’t fare so well. The next pitcher only got one out while throwing 29 pitches…walking three and giving up six runs in the 4th inning. In the 5th inning four batters walked and five got hits. Eight more runs scored, and the game was called on the run rule.

Will caught the next two innings, and the only reason bases were stolen were because of big leads and jumps, and pitches in the dirt. Will almost nailed one stealing second, but the runner slid under the tag. On the next pitch the runner tried to steal third, and Will’s perfect throw easily nailed the runner. Later a runner scored on a wild pitch, but Will ran down the ball and returned to the plate in time to tag out the runner trying to score from second.