Game 14: Bees 11, Mudcats 3

The Bees gave the Mudcats a taste of their own medicine on Saturday evening, playing airtight defense and cruising to an 11-3 win. The victory gave the Bees the top seed in the postseason tournament, which begins Monday, and sent the Mudcats to the second seed. The All Blacks will open tournament play on Tuesday night at 5:30 p.m. against the Bats.

The tone for a defensive battle was set early, as the Mudcats 1, 2 and 3 hitters were retired in order for the first time this season. The 'Cats also went scoreless in three straight innings for the first time this season, a streak that eventually stretched to four straight innings (the first four of the game) before the All Blacks broke through in the fifth with a pair of runs. By then, though, the hard-hitting Bees had already built a six-run lead, and the Mudcats--who mustered a season-low eight hits--could never get any closer.

Stay tuned for more information on tournament week practices. The next game will be Tuesday at 5:30 against the Bats, with pregame at 4:30. For the purposes of your Minor League tournament bracket projections, the final seedings are as follows:

1 Bees
2 Mudcats
3 Lookouts
4 Thunder
5 Bulls
6 Scrappers
7 Bats
8 Riverdogs

The full tournament bracket can be found online here.

Saturday's Mudcat scoring plays
Fifth inning
Gavin led off with a single, moved to second on Quenten's single, and scored on Colin's RBI single. Cameron drove in Quenten with a hard shot to third.
Score after four and a half innings: Bees 6, Mudcats 2

Sixth inning
Will led off with a double, and Hayden came through with an opposite-field RBI single.
Score after five and a half innings: Bees 11, Mudcats 2

Saturday's Web Gems

• Channing made a nice play in right-center in the first inning, running under a deep fly ball to make the catch.
• On the first batter of the second, Quenten glided to a hard liner and snagged it on the fly in center.
• Gavin made what was probably the defensive play of the year in the third, throwing his body completely horizontal to the ground to spear a sinking liner a breath before it hit the ground, then hopping up and firing to first to double off the runner. Thanks to Nacole, we even have video of this play, which was taken--as you will soon see--in the middle of a rainstorm:

Saturday's line score	1	2	3	4	5	6	R	H
Mudcats	0	0	0	0	2	1	3	8
Bees	0	1	3	2	5	X	11	14