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