The storyline for the offense was summed up in one very simple stat: for the entire game, the Mudcats had more strikeouts (5) than base hits (4), and did not notch a clean hit after the first inning. After two razor-thin margins in the previous two games, the bats didn't seem to wake up for the early start.
"We lost two games in a row where we competed at the highest level," Coach Andrew told the team in the postgame meeting. "But just because we lost two in a row doesn't mean we can come out uninspired like we did today."
For one inning, it looked like the good guys had indeed brought their hitting shoes. After the Scrappers plated three runs in the top of the first, the Mudcats bounced back with a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning, with one driven in by Christopher and one by the red-hot (apologies to Anthony) Hayes.
From there, however, the bats went silent, and the Mudcats did not get a ball out of the infield after Hayes's RBI single. The emotion seemed to leak out of the dugout in proportion to the offensive struggles.
"It started in the cage before the game," Coach Andrew said. "We just didn't look very inspired. I didn't see that desire to win the game. We've got to know we can win."
No stickers were awarded, with Coach Andrew explaining that the goal for the next game is to earn a team sticker because of a complete and inspired effort. He closed with three simple questions for his players:
Do you know you can win?
Are you confident in yourselves?
Are you tough?
Sunday's practice has been moved from the West Raleigh field to the Hegeman Hitting Wonderland at 1408 Jenks Carpenter Rd.
Saturday's Mudcat scoring plays
First inning
Smiley jump-started the offense with a line-drive double. Drew advanced him to third with an infield single, and then Christopher drove in the first run of the half-inning with a fielder's choice. After Anthony singled, Hayes drove in Christopher with a single to center.
Score after one inning: Scrappers 3, Mudcats 2
Saturday's Web Gems
- LB notched an outfield assist when he recorded a force at second base from center field in the second inning.
- Several Mudcats played well at unfamiliar positions in the final three innings. Anthony nearly made a diving stop in left-center, Drew made a solid play at third, and Hayes made a good play at second.
| Saturday's line score | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | R | H |
| Scrappers | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 14 | 21 |
| Mudcats | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
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