The first game is at 10:00am and we were the visitors so our "A" lineup would be playing (we set a lineup and it goes continuous -- so if the last out is the number 7 hitter in this game, the number 8 hitter would leadoff in game 2....etc....) -- we were going against a nifty lefty -- throws an OK fastpitch but throws a nice curveball to keep the hitters off balance. Our first batters did not reach base so I dug into the batters' box and took a 1-1 pitch out to deep left field and glided into 2nd base with a double. That felt good.....the swing (which I have been working on with my baseball coach) felt very fluid. I was stranded at 2nd when Terry flew out to left field. It was a good game we finally took a lead by scoring in the 4th inning and we were up 1-0. The "Horse Racers" were on the board. "The Warriors" scored the next run and tied it up 1-1. We added 3 runs in the top of the 6th and made it 4-1. They clawed back and got 2 in the bottom of the sixth to make it 4-3. We went quietly in the 7th and the Warriors plated a run in the bottom of the 7th to tie the game at 4-4. We once again could not get any momentum going and headed into the bottom of the 8th and the Warriors had the bases loaded with one out (winning run on third), which was the same situation in the 7th inning, but this time a grounder to short was enough to get the winning run home. We end up losing in extra frames 5-4. A very good game -- we fell short on offense and made a couple defensive lapses (which is basically very common at camp) but they played well and so did we and we came up short.
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| This picture was taken by the camp's "facebook page" team -- cup adjustment... |
Hitting Stats: 1 for 2, BB, 2B
The afternoon game was a matchup between the Horse Racers and The SOB's. I got the call to pitch in this matchup -- the weather had warmed up into the low 80's just as forecast. I felt real good on the mound and after 2 innings we were locked up in a scoreless game. The Horse Racers put up a run in the bottom of the third to give us a 1-0 lead. As a pitcher you would like to get some run support, but in the back of my mind I felt that one run should be enough. I walked in the first inning and then I helped us get our 2nd run in the 4th inning via a sacrifice fly. Racers up 2-0. I breeze through the fifth and sixth innings - going 1-2-3 in the sixth mixing in pitches and getting solid defense behind me. In the bottom of the sixth I led off the inning - with a 2-1 count I was ready for a good pitch to hit and I got it. I laced a beautiful line drive shot to dead centerfield -- I knew I was going to get a triple so I was hustling it all the way and the cut off throw was booted so I was able to round third and ease into home plate and we were up 3-0. We went on to score 2 more runs and made it 5-0 going into the top of the 7th inning. I end up walking the first guy I face (ridiculous!) and my coach Frank Viola heads out to the mound. "It's a 0-0 game, pitch like it" -- I get the next 2 batters out and then walked the next batter (after he fouled off 4 'full count' pitches, nice AB Tarron). The next batter is first pitch swinging and grounds out short to 2nd for the fielders choice and I secure the complete game shutout. The Racers get the "W".
Pitching stats (unofficial): 7 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 3 K's, CG, SO
Hitting stats: 1 for 1, bb, run, triple, sac fly, 2 RBI's
No injuries -- my legs were definitely feeling a little like jello after running the bases and pitching into the 7th inning -- so some stretching will be in store this evening and we will be back for two games tomorrow. Same bad time -- Same bad place.
--PB
~~ "You can observe a lot just by watching." - Yogi Berra ~~
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