Game 2: Mudcats 6, Thunder 3

The Mudcats did it with defense in Tuesday night's 6-3 win, getting several run-saving plays in the field and a game-ending double play that left the Thunder's best hitter standing in the on-deck circle and the tying runs on base.

In a somewhat odd situation, the 'Cats didn't particularly play all that well--and weren't even that consistent on defense--but they did make the plays when they had to. They recorded two force outs at second from the outfield (a defensive emphasis that had been discussed before the game), got a couple of scoops at various bases in the infield, and then clinched the victory when Brenner and Gavin teamed up on a game-ending double play. The All Blacks also posted their first clean 1-2-3 inning of the season in the fourth, and they did it the hard way--going through the 3-4-5 hitters in the Thunder order.

Offensively, the spark came from the middle and bottom of the order, as Jackson and Cameron combined to drive in five of the Mudcats' six runs, and Brayden blasted one of the hardest-hit balls of the season in the fifth and turned it into a double.

A victory meant helmet stickers for everyone, and the Mudcats will get a fast chance to work on the things they need to improve, as the next practice is Wednesday night from 6:30-8 at Lexie Lane.

Tuesday's Mudcat scoring plays
Second inning
Luke led off with a line drive single back through the middle, and Channing reached on a hard grounder to third. Cameron picked up the first Mudcat RBI with a single through the left side, and then Jackson drove in a pair with a one-out single up the middle.
Score after two innings: Mudcats 3, Thunder 2

Third inning
Asher singled and then went to third on Gavin's single. Quenten brought the run home with a grounder back through the middle.
Score after three innings: Mudcats 4, Thunder 2

Fourth inning
Luke drilled a leadoff single, then hustled all the way around to third on Channing's hard-hit ball to third. With two on, Cameron came through again, this time with a single to left-center. Jackson picked up a big two-out RBI that provided a little breathing run, scoring Channing.
Score after four innings: Mudcats 6, Thunder 2

Tuesday's Web Gems

• Quenten turned in two solid plays in center field in the first inning, limiting what could have been a huge Thunder inning to just two runs. He snagged a fly ball for the inning's first out, then came in and speared a line drive for the second out of the frame.
• Another Thunder threat was snuffed in the second, as they had two runners on and two outs, but Brenner picked up a grounder at pitcher and threw to Asher at first, who scooped up the throw to end the inning and leave the Thunder scoreless in the second.
• Channing ending the third by doing exactly what the Mudcats had talked about before the game--charging in hard on a grounder to the outfield, picking it up cleanly and firing to second to get the force. 
• Suitably inspired, Colin duplicated the feat in the fifth, getting the first out of the inning by hustling in from center to stop a hot grounder. His throw was dug out by Luke on a very nice play to get the force at second.
• Gavin went into the hole in the sixth to stop a hot grounder and get the force at second in what turned out to be a big play, because every out was very precious in that final frame.
• The SportsCenter top 10 nominee of the night came on the game's final play. The Thunder's number-two hitter lifted a looping liner that looked like it might sneak over Brenner's head. But Double-B drifted back, made the catch, and fired to Gavin at second for the game-ending double play.

Tuesday's line score	1	2	3	4	5	6	R	H
Thunder	2	0	0	0	1	0	3	9
Mudcats	0	3	1	2	0	X	6	19

Game 1: Bulls 11, Mudcats 7

In a somewhat strange season opener, the Mudcats actually outhit the Bulls, 13-12, but fell victim to the long ball and fell 11-7 at a frigid Nowell Field.

The highlight reel plays of the game were the home runs, but Coach Sean emphasized after the game how the All Blacks had opened the door for a couple of those shots with mental errors that prolonged innings and gave the Bulls extra outs. That ended up being the story of the game, as the Bulls committed just one error and twice were able to retire the 'Cats in order. The homestanding Mudcats, meanwhile, committed eight errors as they worked through some opening-game jitters.

As a testament to the scrappiness of the All Blacks, despite the defensive struggles, they kept the game close throughout and very nearly brought the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the sixth.

The next item on the Mudcat calendar is practice Sunday night at 5, but stay tuned in case the weather does not cooperate. The next game is Tuesday night at 5:30.

Saturday's Mudcat scoring plays
First inning
Brenner led off the season with a double. Asher singled, and then Gavin drove in Brenner with a single. Quenten picked up another RBI single, and then Luke recorded a two-out RBI that tied the score.
Score after one inning: Mudcats 3, Bulls 3

Fourth inning
Asher led off with a single to left and moved to third on Gavin's double to left-center. Colin drove in Asher with a single, and then Luke and Channing smacked back-to-back RBI singles.
Score after two innings: Bulls 8, Mudcats 6

Sixth inning
With one out, Brenner singled. Asher singled to put two on and none out for Gavin, who followed by crushing a ball to deep center that nearly cleared the fence. With no outs, the runners had to hold, but Brenner still managed to sprint home on the play.
Score after six innings: Bulls 11, Mudcats 7

Saturday's Web Gems

• The Mudcats turned in a web gem on the second batter of the season, as after a grounder in the infield, Asher recovered an errant throw quickly. The Bulls runner got too adventurous and headed for second, where Gavin was alertly covering. Asher fired to Gavin, who slapped the tag down to record the out.
• Luke ranged far to his left to scoop up a grounder in the hole between first and second, then scrambled to his feet and beat the hitter to the bag.
• In the fifth, the leadoff Bulls hitter reached. The next batter ripped a shot back through the middle that Brenner somehow dug out to get the first out. Then, with the runner straying too far from first, he fired to Asher, who used every bit of his overwhelming height to get the stretch and complete the double play.

Saturday's line score	1	2	3	4	5	6	R	H
Bulls	3	1	4	0	0	3	11	12
Mudcats	3	0	0	3	0	1	7	13

Practice #8

If it's cloudy, drizzly and 40 degrees, that can only mean one thing--it's a Mudcat practice day. The 'Cats practiced on Ephesus Church field on a chilly Monday night. Before you read about the 90-minute practice (and 20-minute birthday party), make sure you check out the photos from Saturday's scrimmage.

Practice began with infield, outfield and hitting stations. For some reason, several parents chose to watch from the warmth of their cars.

After stations, the Mudcats spent an extended practice period on game situations, both for the benefit of the defense and for baserunners who may have to repeat some of those same situations in Saturday's season opener against the Lookouts. Of course, the primary reason for doing game situations was for Coach Sean to get practice hitting bombs.

A quick baserunning review capped practice...or so we thought. That's when it was time for things to really start getting fun, as each player had brought a cherished birthday gift for Coach Sean. Words probably can't describe it, but this photo might give you an idea:

After all the presents were opened, the only remaining question was who had more fun: Coach Sean or the kids.

Practice #6

I'm not sure how, but we are already two-thirds of the way through our preseason practices. Wednesday's practice included a visit from a member of the witness protection program. There is a rumor it might have been Coach Sean in disguise, but there is no way a very sick Coach Sean would come out to the frozen tundra of Nowell Field in his condition.

Practice began with throwing and catching drills, and the players were reminded that they need to be doing some throwing and catching at home if at all possible. We also worked on some baserunning scenarios, including running hard through the bag at first, going from home to second, and going from first to third and picking up the third base coach while rounding second.

The Mudcats split into two groups for infield/outfield drills, then finished the field portion of practice with some game situations. Channing, Quenten and Jackson clearly won the coin flip, because they got to be runners and keep warm on the first series of plays; they later switched and moved to defense while Jay, Brayden and Hayden tore up the basepaths. Both Jackson and Channing made nice plays in the outfield during the game situations.

Practice ended in the cage, which made up for being cold by being dark, so you couldn't actually see if your fingers had frostbite.

Our next practice is Friday night from 5-7, and we will start off on the field, which means there won't be anyone on the field ahead of us, so please be early if you possibly can (we realize getting there at 5 p.m. in work traffic is a challenge).

By the way, make sure you turn in your raffle money. Unless, that is, you're saving your money for this raffle. Go ahead, you need to read that story. You read it right: an Illinois Little League is raffling an assault rifle. The money quote is from the league commissioner, who says, "We could've went with a basic shotgun or something simple."

No way--don't go simple with your Little League gun raffle!

Practice #5

First of all, make sure to check out the photos from Friday night.

For the second straight day, the Mudcats had to struggle through practice without Coach Sean, who has now missed the first two practices of his Mudcats career and has broken his Lou Gehrig-like streak of perfect attendance. Without the fearless leader, the 'Cats started off Saturday in the cage, getting in some hitting before taking the field. While the All Blacks were in the cage, Coach Jamie threw the first 400 of what would ultimately be an 850-pitch afternoon.

After a quick warmup period on the field, the Mudcats finished their throwing and catching period with a relay game. Still sore from Friday night's push-ups, Coach Adam wisely chose to supervise the drill rather than participate. He nominated Coach Brett to participate, thrilling the team that learned they would have Coach Brett instead of Coach Adam. Not surprisingly, that team won the relay competition, overcoming a phenomenal diving play by Jay that forced a third and deciding relay.

The middle part of practice was split into infield and outfield drills. Then, after the Mudcats had turned in their second straight solid practice, they split into three squads and finished with an intrasquad scrimmage highlighted by Channing's bomb deep into the outfield and some heads-up baserunning by Jackson and Jay.

The Mudcats now have a lengthy time off until the next practice on Wednesday. Players (and their parents!) are reminded to please practice at home as much as possible to enable us to continue to make progress during the week.

Practice #4

The Mudcats had to struggle through practice Friday night without an ailing Coach Sean, who was at home very sick. Practice began with a quick baserunning review and then moved to a throwing relay competition. The teams were fairly evenly matched--except for the unfortunate squad that got stuck with Coach Adam. Needless to say, that team lost the best-of-three competition and had to do 15 push-ups.

After Coach Adam finished his push-ups, which barely took him a second longer than 22 minutes, the Mudcats split into two groups. Half the team worked on fly balls and outfield drills, while the other group worked on infield play and making solid throws around the diamond.

Then, for the first time this spring, the entire team took infield/outfield together and worked on some game situations, as they tried to retire the speedy trio of Jay, Jackson and Brayden. That threesome made it very difficult to get outs, but the defense did make some nice plays, including a sweet grab in right-center from Brenner.

The 'Cats finished practice in the cages, and for the overall two hour effort, Coach Adam--who was still breathing hard from his 15 push-ups--deemed it the best practice of the season so far.

The All Blacks will be back on the field Saturday afternoon from 1:30-3:30, and will be in the cage first. The forecast is calling for sunny and 60...is that allowed on a Mudcats practice day?

Practice #2

First, make sure you check the right-hand side of the page for today's photo gallery from practice. Thanks to Erin for all her great photos.

Today's practice was pushed back from 9 to 9:30 to take advantage of the dramatic warmup from 31 degrees to 33 degrees. By the time the Mudcats took the field, it felt almost tropical.

There was a heavy emphasis today on some basic baseball fundamentals: throwing and catching. It might sound simple, but it's the foundation of almost everything we'll do. The first throwing game included the losing team having to do 10 push-ups. Colin, who was a member of the winning team, is so ripped he decided to do the push-ups with the losing squad just to make sure he didn't lose any muscle.

After the throwing contest, the All Blacks split into two groups, and half worked on infield drills while the other half worked on outfield drills. Each group rotated to each station, and Coach Brett is at home right now icing his arm after throwing dozens of towering pop-ups.

The on-field portion of practice ended with a basic drill emphasizing good throwing and catching form. Coach Sean reinforced that whenever a player is catching a baseball, he should be moving towards the ball instead of away from it. He also encouraged the players to practice at home as much as they can--even if that just means grabbing a tennis ball and throwing it off a wall (only after getting parental permission to find a suitable wall, of course).

Practice concluded with a hitting session in the cages, with top hand, bottom hand and two-hand work off the tee, plus front toss and live pitching in the cage. The next Mudcat practice is Tuesday at 5:00. Expect it to either: A. Snow B. Rain C. Be below freezing or D. All of the above.