The Bats jumped on the scoreboard early with a pair of quick runs, and seemed to ride that momentum throughout the rest of the game. Their defense--which finished second in the league to the Mudcats in fewest number of runs allowed--changed several innings, including quality plays in the third, fourth and fifth that limited the All Blacks to just three runs over that stretch despite a handful of hard-hit balls.
Offensively, the 'Cats were only marginally able to improve on Saturday's eight-hit performance, as they mustered nine against the Bats. The 17 hits over the last two games are fewer than the Mudcats had in five individual games this season. And while the late-game defense was stellar, there were too many errors in the early going, as the 'Cats committed six errors in the first four innings alone, leading directly to four of the five Bats runs.
The loss puts the Mudcats in the losers' bracket, and means the schedule going forward gets a little complicated. The next game will be Saturday at 1 p.m. against the loser of tomorrow night's Scrappers-Lookouts tilt. A win in that game would make it a two-game weekend, because the 'Cats would turn around and play Sunday at 3 p.m. The full tournament bracket can be found online here.
Tuesday's Mudcat scoring plays
Third inning
Channing swatted a perfectly placed triple with one-out in the third, then scored on Hayden's RBI single.
Score after three innings: Bats 3, Mudcats 1
Fourth inning
The Mudcats picked up a couple of two-out runs, as Asher reached on a grounder to the left side, and then Gavin lifted a home run to right field.
Score after four innings: Bats 5, Mudcats 3
Tuesday's Web Gems
- With a runner in scoring position and two outs in the first, Brenner stopped a hard shot to second and threw to first for the out.
- With a runner on first in the third, Jay cut off a ball deep in the left field corner and did an excellent job of holding the runner to just two bases and preventing a run from scoring. That turned out to be a run-saving play...
- ...Because on the next hitter, with two runners in scoring position and two down, Quenten stabbed a line drive in center to hold the Bats scoreless in the third.
- With a runner on second and one out in the sixth, Asher made a diving catch of a pop fly hit over his head at first base.
| Tuesday's line score | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | R | H |
| Bats | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 11 |
| Mudcats | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 9 |
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