The Value of One Inning

In the wake of Monday's 13-10 loss to the Thunder, Coach Andrew identified one of the game's lessons this way: "It shows us we have to stay focused. There was a point in that game where we lost our focus, they started scoring some runs and it felt like we gave up."

He was referring to the six-run third inning posted by the Thunder, a frame that proved to be pivotal on the way to a 13-10 Mudcat defeat. More than just that one game, though, the big inning has been a Mudcat thorn since the fall.

In the 19 games played in the fall 2010 and spring 2011 season, the All Blacks have allowed 13 opponent innings with at least five runs. Not coincidentally, 12 of those innings have come in Mudcat defeats. More to the point, if those big innings had been removed from the game, six of the Mudcat losses would have turned into wins.

Of course, you can't always prevent a team from stringing together hits in coach-pitch baseball. It's not like you can go to the bullpen and bring in a fresh arm. But look at it another way: in eight of the Mudcat losses last fall and this spring, simply holding the opponent to half the runs they scored in their biggest inning would have resulted in a different outcome. That's not asking for a shutout. That's just, for example, holding the Thunder to three runs in Monday's third inning rather than six.

"In baseball," Coach Andrew reminded the Mudcats, "there's no clock. Time doesn't run out. So you have to be able to maintain that focus every time you go out on that field."

After a three-day break, the Mudcats hit the practice field again tomorrow night at 5 p.m. at Kentwood, followed by an 11:30 a.m. game on Saturday (preceded by team pictures at 10 a.m., so make sure to bring plenty of beads and trinkets to purchase the vast amount of stuff that will be available with your favorite player's picture on it).