Mudcats Blank Thunder – Win Opening Round Game

May 16, 2009 – First Pitch at 3:00 PM – Weather was steamy

The Mudcats (14-0-1) were a little flat on offense in their opening round game against the Thunder (0-14). But solid defense led the way as the team advances to the second round in the winners bracket.

The boys faced three batters in the top of the 1st. After a line drive base hit by the Thunder to get the game rolling, Cade turned a fabulous F4-3 double play, getting the ball to Joseph before the breaking runner could get back. A 6-3 from Ryan to Joseph ended the inning.

Bottom of 1, Dane broke out the new Vendetta, railing one to the left field fence for two bases. Ryan then hustled to 1st, moving Dane to 3rd. Joseph slapped one up the middle, scoring Dane and moving Ryan to 3rd. Matt nearly put one out for a long single, scoring Ryan and moving Joseph to 3rd. Cade lined one to right-center and would get to 2nd as Matt ended up being tagged as he was waved to 3rd. After a P1 and a 3U, the Mudcats were up none to 3 in the 1st.

Great defense again in the 2nd inning. A line shot for a single was tracked down by Leyton in the outfield, who made an excellent throw into 2nd. Then after a K and an error, it was 1st and 2nd with 1-out. A 1-5 from Bags to Matt earned the out and kept runners to 1st and 2nd. Then a shot nearly going up the middle was snagged by Cade who ran to 2nd for the 4U.

Bottom of 2, the bats went cold on the Mudcats. Adam hit hard into a 6-3, Leyton had a base-hit up the middle, and Andrew grounded into a 5-4 fielder’s choice. No runs scored and it remained 0 to 3 Mudcats.

Top of the third started with two infield singles by the Thunder. With runners at 1st and 2nd with none out, the Mudcats staged an excellent defensive run, starting with a 5U by Matt to hold runners at 1st and 2nd. Then a P6 by Ryan and another great 4U by Cade, the Mudcats escaped allowing no runs.

Bottom of 3 was the best offensive inning of the game. Dane hit a sharp grounder to left center for a single, then was moved to 2nd on an infield single by Ryan. The double-train started after that, with back-to-back doubles by Joseph, Matt, Cade, Bags, and Luke. Adam and Tyler followed up with base hits, with Luke coming home for the 7th run of the inning, which ended on the 5 and 10 run rule. After 3, Mudcats were up no runs to 10.

Top of the 4th, Thunder did most of the work with 2 K’s, and then an F6 to Ryan closed it out. The Mudcats added 3 more in the bottom half as Andrew got things going with an infield hit to 3rd for a single. Jacob then advanced on a 1-6FC, and was moved to 2nd on another left-center tagged ball by Dane. Ryan doubled to left, scoring Jacob and moving Dane to 3rd. Then Joseph doubled to center, scoring Ryan. After 4 innings, the Mudcats were up no runs to 13.

Continued solid D in the 5th started with a great scoop by Joseph on a 6-3. Cade kept the show going on a 4-3. An infield hit and a K later, and the Mudcats were coming back up to bat. The boys added 1 in the bottom half, starting with a line drive to left center by Cade. Another Luke double moved Cade to 3rd, and a Tyler infield hit brought him home. Leyton added one more hit to the inning before it was over, Mudcats on top 0 to 14.

The Mudcats put the Thunder down in order in the 6th, on a 3U by Adam playing 1st, a fly to the outfield brought in by Matt, and then an F6 to Ryan.

The Mudcats shut out the Thunder and scored 14 runs in the win. Defense was so dominant, that the Thunder never had a base runner reach 3rd base. The Mudcats continue their winning streak into the playoffs, remaining in the winners bracket and advancing to their second round game against the Bulls.