"We learned two valuable lessons tonight," Coach Andrew told the team after field cleanup duties were completed. "The first is to never give up. The second is to always stay focused."
That second point will be the topic of a more extensive post later this week. The first point was illustrated when the Thunder built a 10-1 lead in the top of the third. At that point, even the coaching staff was wondering if perhaps playing three games in three days might be a little too much to ask of a team of elementary schoolers.
Even then, the rally didn't begin immediately. In fact, trailing 10-1 in the bottom of the third, the Mudcats had two outs and no runs in. This was especially distressing because GM Jenn had a giant bucket of gum and had promised a piece for every player in every inning won by the All Blacks. The Thunder had already taken the first, with the two teams tying in the second. It looked like the third would be another no-gum inning.
Until, that is, the Mudcats came roaring back with nine unanswered runs over the next two innings, a stretch that saw seven different Mudcats cross the plate. The last three of those runs came in the fourth, tying the score at 10 and causing Jim Nantz to divert his attention from Butler-UConn pregame preparation to check The Ocho to see what was happening in Mudcats-Thunder. The vision that greeted him was a dugout full of Mudcats chomping on some crazy kind of gum that turned their mouths blue.
"There was a point in the middle of that game where it felt like we gave up," Coach Andrew said. "We lost our focus. But we came back."
Coach Andrew then brought up the famous old saying, "It's not over until the lady sings," which apparently came out of the same cliche book that contains the renowned sayings, "A picture is worth words," and "Caught between a rock and a place."
There was no singing on Monday, but there was also not quite enough scoring in the final two innings. Despite the Thunder win (sparked largely by former Mudcat Tyler Key), the entire squad earned back their sticker from Sunday (a loss so disheartening it wasn't covered by the blog) and earned a second sticker for Monday's effort, which included nine of the 10 Mudcat runs being scored with two outs.
There will be no practice and no game on Tuesday. There will be no practice and no game on Wednesday. There will be no practice and no game on Thursday. Parents and players experiencing withdrawal symptoms are advised to call 888-NEED-WRB, then go out into the yard and practice the haka. Depending on the proximity of your neighbors, the haka should only be practiced after dark.
Practice resumes Friday ("We we we so excited") at Kentwood at 5. Check back on the blog later this week for the Coach Andrew-assigned examination of what happens to the Mudcat record when you remove the dreaded one bad inning from each game.
To get you through the week, make sure to check the great game photos from Gabe's Mom (yes, her legal name) from the Saturday and Sunday games, plus Drew's party on Sunday.
Saturday's Mudcat scoring plays
Second inning
Christopher and Anthony led off the frame with back-to-back singles. Christopher moved to third on JJ's fielder's choice, which erased Anthony at second. Gabe picked up the evening's first RBI with a fielder's choice.
Score after two innings: Thunder 4, Mudcats 1
Third inning
Brenner started a one-out rally by continuing his red-hot hitting and reaching first, then moving to second on a single by Hayes. Smiley was retired on a ground ball to the pitcher, but an error in the Thunder infield scored Brenner. Charley lined a single to center, and then Zach crushed a run-scoring double. With runners on second and third, Christopher singled through the left side to bring in Charley, and then Anthony's opposite-field double scored two more. A Thunder misplay in the infield brought in the sixth Mudcat run of the inning, completing the biggest single-inning rally of the season so far.
Score after three innings: Thunder 10, Mudcats 7
Fourth inning
With an incredulous Nowell Field crowd on their feet, the All Blacks climbed all the way out of the 10-1 hole. Gavin singled to open the inning, and then a furious two-out rally began with Brenner roping a single down the third base line. Hayes picked up his third hit of the game with a single that scored Gavin, and then Smiley tied the game with an epic, nine-pitch at-bat that culminated in a two-run single.
Score after four innings: Thunder 10, Mudcats 10
Saturday's Web Gems
- Gavin picked up an outfield assist, gunning down a Thunder runner for a force at second.
- Zach started an inning-ending double play in the third base, grabbing a grounder, stepping on second and firing to first to complete the play.
- Zach made a diving stab of a pop fly in foul ground in the fourth inning.
- The Mudcats picked up back-to-back catches in the outfield in the fifth; the first by Charley and the second by JJ.
- Without having ever practiced the play, the Mudcats ended the Thunder sixth with a rundown that started with Brenner getting the ball in quickly from the outfield and Zach chasing down the runner.
| Saturday's line score | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | R | H |
| Thunder | 3 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 13 | 19 |
| Mudcats | 0 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 17 |
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