Game # 1 & #2 Fall Season

Game #1- VS Riverdogs 
FINAL Mudcats 3 ~~ Riverdogs 6
Game #2- VS Thunder
FINAL Mudcats 10 ~~ Thunder 13


Going into Game #3 Mudcats 0-2-0


OK MUDCATS ! Time to hunker down, play tough & STAY FOCUSED !
Mudcat Nation, I know you must be feeling down and out & our players are up against a wall ~~ However, we have had great practices, HIT really great during our 2 games & the basics in the field are there! We will come full circle in time :-) Remember~ PROGRESS before PERFECTION ! Our Mudcat team is young and most likely trying to absorb all this baseball "stuff" !
The Riverdogs & Thunder made some amazing defensive plays at 3rd base, Shortstop on top of having GREAT at bat appearances !  
HIGHLIGHTS :-)
EVERY MUDCAT had at least a single hit against the Thunder ! " EVERY" being the key word !
Jay, Tino, Jackson, Caleb, Alex, Patrick, Ben EACH added an RBI to the run total !
At the bottom of the 4th Inning we were on fire with a 10-4 lead !
The Mudcat defense had "2" 3 up 3 down innings !
THESE are building blocks for success !
The 5th & 6th Innings did not prove so fun for our Mudcats ! The Thunder combined to add up a devastating 9 run rally !
It would be wrong of me not to mention our Cats just lost focus ! Errors, outs at bat & lack of determination seemed to creep in! Mudcats- don't forget
it is a T~E~A~M effort ! Your out at the plate or error in the field is part of the game but each Mudcat counts on you to be determined to correct the error or out and try again with even more determination ! NO tears for errors or OUT's ! Just when you collide with a helmet or take a baseball to the cheekbone ( BEN you are TOUGH~ I say we EYE BLACK only the left eye in honor of BEN the next game ~ LOL ) !
We left the field with injuries, black eyes, bloody noses and heavy hearts ! You gotta lose to appreciate winning !
LET's GO MUDCAT'S :-) I believe we can WIN ~ and if we don't ~~ Let's make the other team remember how tough , spirited, upbeat and determined we are !
  *****STAY FOCUSED MUDCAT NATION ~ we still have ALOT of baseball to play*****
2013 Mudcat THROWBACK INSPIRITION :-)
Click here   ~~    http://vimeo.com/67355505

Fall 2014 Mudcat Team Roster

Fall 2014 Mudcat Team
# 2 Jay Hale
# 3 Tino Ramirez
# 5 George Bolton
# 6 Sean Griffin
# 7 Ben Horton
# 8 Gabe Murray
#13 Caleb Rodriguez
# 15 Grey McMahon
# 25 Julio Vargas
# 33 Patrick Davis
# 34 Jackson Hood
# 55 Alex Nowak
Mudcat Coaching Staff
Coach Jamie Hale
Coach Brian Hood
Coach Jason Ramirez
Coach Johnny Vargas

September 3rd, 2014 Mudcat Scrimmage -VS- Bee's

September 3rd, 2014 Mudcat Scrimmage -VS- Bee's


It was AWESOME to know that this day we would get to see all our MUDCAT families & boy's in action on the baseball field !
Being a seasoned Mudcat Mom I LOVED seeing the returning Mom's, Dad's , brothers & sisters ! It was GREAT to be back at West Raleigh ! There seemed to be excitement in the air ! The NEW retaining wall & paved walkway near the bleachers was a great addition to NOWELL Field!
The funniest moment was not knowing which families were Mudcat's and which families were Bee's ! I think I changed bleacher sides twice before we all saw our Mudcat's come in and get ready in their dug-out !
We really did look sharp ! I will admit, I pre-judged the game outcome before the 1st pitch even took place. New Mudcat's, old Mudcat's with new positions and I assumed lots of jitters ! I will go on record and keep this next part brief ! "I WAS SO WRONG :-)"
Hey New Mudcat Coaching Staff :
Coach Jamie ~Coach Brian ~ Coach Jason & Coach Johnny ~~ YOU ALL HAVE DONE A FANTASTIC JOB developing this NEW Mudcat crew !


# 2 Jay Hale
# 3 Tino Ramirez
# 5 George Bolton
# 6 Sean Griffin
# 7 Ben Horton
# 8 Gabe Murray
#13 Caleb Rodriguez
# 15 Grey McMahon
# 25 Julio Vargas
# 33 Patrick Davis
# 34 Jackson Hood
# 55 Alex Nowak


AWSEOME LINE-UP! LAZERSHOW with the bat's on "FIRE" !
I would post the score- BUT at some point it was just run after run after run after run !
Defensively ~AWESOME 1st game effort !
If this is the PRE-GAME down low-- I can't wait to see the real deal beginning this Saturday !
I "BELIEVE" these "CATS" are going to be a force to be reckoned with !
I URGE each Mudcat family to look over the amazing history in pictures, stories & video on this Mudcat BLOG site !I just bet it will pump-up your "CAT" for Saturday's game !
http://vimeo.com/95521352

Tournament Game #3 Mudcats -vs- Bulls

Tournament Game #3 Mudcats -vs- Bulls
ONCE A MUDCAT "ALWAYS" A MUDCAT !
If ever that phrase was special, it held true today ! This was the very last game for some of our MUDCATS on Nowell Field in ALL BLACK !
I guess it did not sink in for me until I realized it was the last game with my BLEACHER buddies too ! I love the support and encouragement we all give each other !
This game is a bit tough to write about ! I'll just touch on the highlights ! The first highlight didn't come from our CATS~ it was those BULLS ! Their bats were "HOT".
By the beginning of the 4th inning the score was Mudcats 1 - Bulls 7 :-(  Their homerun hitter blasted one heck of a shot with bases loaded up !
HOWEVER~~ The 4 inning was our inning ! WE OWNED the 4th INNING ! The Bulls added no runs and we put 4 runs on the scoreboard. Jay, Jackson & Braden would each get singles and Channing stepped up ! It was his moment in time~ The Hammer's 3rd & last homerun at NOWELL Field ! With our bases now emptied Cameron,Will, Trey & Marcus would each get singles. Trey's hit would bring in Cameron & Will. The Cat's would end this inning with 6 runs - Bulls 7 runs.
I can't tell a lie-- I felt some cardiac cat action about to happen ! ( Then again-- it was " HOT" on those bleachers) ! The 6th Inning was Come Back Cats type of excitement ! The Bulls would get two runs quickly bringing the score 6-9.
OK-- here we go, Jackson steps up & gets on 1st, Braden gets on Channing with one more RBI for the Cats and now our score is 7- 9 ! It's looking promising for some Mudcat magic as we had no outs ! BULLS~ BULLS~ BULLS~ just that quick made some amazing defensive plays and our season came to an end.
I don't know what to say now, they were deflated just as we all were ! I sorta wanted to cry- it just had not all sunk in yet! It's fun to watch them play, to catch up in the bleachers, to share facebook stories, pictures and connect in the one way we all know best " WE ARE A MUDCAT FAMILY" ! I think I speak for everyone when I say, deep down, even when "MY MUDCAT" is playing against "YOUR MUDCAT" up on those " BIG " fields-- I will secretly be cheering for "YOUR MUDCAT" to do great~ get that hit or make that catch ( as long as it's not MY MUDCATS hit ~ LOL ) ! I look forward to keeping in contact with each and every Mudcat family, continuing our support and love for West Raleigh Baseball and hopefully one day wearing the same team colors again !
ONCE A MUDCAT ALWAYS A MUDCAT !


In The Land O' Frost Minor League The Mudcats finished with 7 WINS 7 Losses ! Not to SHABBY !

Mudcats

14 games

7 wins

7 losses

0 ties

0.500 average

106 points for

104 points against

Tournament game #2 Mudcats -vs- Bees

Tournament game #2 Mudcats-vs-Bees


WEATHER: BEAUTIFUL
Pre-game PUMP-UP music: AWESOME
Pre-game WARM-UPS: Looking GREAT
WE BELIEVE came out loud and proud from left field !
Pledge of Allegiance ~ always special ~ CLICK HERE :-)https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10203818611576827&set=vb.1565964052&type=2&theater
Bleachers : PACKED-- full of parents, sisters, brothers, Aunts, Uncles, Grandparents, Old Mudcat players and even some Old Mudcat Coaches !
Time to play baseball !!
At the plate : The Mudcats really hit the baseball hard & ran the bases good ! 1st inning we were on fire !! Jay, Jackson, Braden ( RBI ) Cameron ( RBI ) Will & Trey would all get hits to get The Cats 2 runs .
2nd & 3rd inning we would have great hits by Braden, Cameron, Will ( 2 RBI's) to bring our run tally to 4 runs Cats and 3 runs Bees !
GAME SO FAR : LOOKING AWESOME ! Lots of fun, cheering & excitement !
4th Inning takes a turn for the bad for our Mudcats-- it seems that Bees player, you know the one who hits HOMERUNS, well, he hit one and our score took a BIG change. Mudcats 4 Bees 7  :-(
One awesome hit really mattered in this game!
We had some AWESOME Mudcat WEB-GEM defensive plays ! Jackson with important catches in the outfield, Will with solid plays at SS, Lefty at 1st, Nick & Jake in the outfield backing up plays & making catches,Trey in center field, Channing at 2nd, Big Red solid at 3rd, Tino hanging tough at the plate, Jay with smart plays at pitcher,  Marcus, Grey & Sean taking turns in the out field and cheering in the dug-out ! Really, a great team effort.
It was said, "Nerves keep you on your toes" ! I BELIEVE The cats were on their toes ! 


 " My Motto was to always keep swinging ! Whether I was in a slump, or feeling badly, or having trouble off the field. The ONLY thing to do was KEEP SWINGING !  Quote from the GREAT HANK AARON !
We get another game Mudcats " JUST KEEP SWINGING " !

Tournament Game #1 Mudcats-vs-Lookouts !

First Round Post Season Play Offs – Game 1

 

Mudcats v. Lookouts

 

You couldn’t ask for a more beautiful day to play baseball! The only thing that made it a better day was the awesome Mudcats 10-3 victory over the Lookouts!

 

This was a total team win.  EVERY player wearing a Mudcats jersey contributed to this win!  The Cats got stellar defense from Will, Channing, and Jay in the infield and great outfield support from Nic, Jackson, Trey and Marcus!

 

The Mudcats came out in the top of the first inning knowing they needed to put some big numbers up on the board and they did just that with 5 runs in the first!  Our bats continued to be hot throughout the whole game, connecting with the ball several more times throughout the game to drive in a total of 10 runs.  Gray “G-Mack” has found his rhythm with his walk up song and has been hitting great! 

 

Not much else to say about this game, other than the Mudcats hit great and played better defense than the Lookouts today to put a notch in the win column. 


Thank you Mudcat Mom "JESS" aka-- Trey's Mom for the game summary !

Game #14 Mudcats -vs- Bees

Game #14 Mudcats -VS- Bees


Did I really just put in it was GAME #14 ? This season has gone by way to fast !
We would end Game #14 losing to the Bees 4-9 and complete our regular season 7 "W" - 7 "L" ! This makes the upcoming tournament exciting ! 
We start off 0-0 ready for a brand new "mini" season !


THE BEES ! What can I say-- they are pretty tough! The 1st inning was a tough one for our Cats ! The Bees would quickly put up 4 runs. Will had a great hit but we would end this inning with no runs.
The 2nd Inning had some "HOPE". Will would make a solid defensive play, Jackson & Cameron would combine for the 2nd out and Jackson would get the 3rd out with a nice catch outfield. Our turn to bat-- Trey would get on base with a great hit, Braden would follow up and Jay would get a hit w/ RBI bringing Trey in. Tino stepped up and had a great hit bringing in Braden for an RBI ! We would end this inning 2-5.
The 3rd inning would go QUICKLY ! 3 up & 3 down basically for both teams. Our 4th inning remained scoreless for the Bees as our defense again was very solid. Jackson would make a great catch in the outfield, Tino with a good play at home plate & Will with a great out to end the Bees chance for more runs.  Unfortunately ( insert sad face :-(  ) our Cats would also stay scoreless.
Our 5th inning would have great hits but those Bees just played some tough defense as well ! Jake,Braden, Jay & Nick would all have great at bats but no runs in the books for the inning.
6th inning ~~~~~~
Tino would hit a double, Grey, Sean Jackson would all combine with solid hits to bring in a few runs !
Time to re-focus, re-charge and get ready for the tournament !
Come on Cats-- step on that baseball field like you own it and make the other team step up to play our game ! It's MUDCAT TIME !!

Game # 13 Mudcats-vs-Scrappers

Game #13 Mudcats -vs- Scrappers
Baseball on a beautiful Saturday afternoon, with lots of fun, food, bounce houses, dunk tanks, fundraising, bald headed West Raleigh buddies running around is ALL fun BUT WINNING on top of it all makes this Baseballl Saturday even sweeter !
Truly this baseball Saturday was electrifying because the spirit of raising money for West Raleigh Baseball VS- Cancer ! It appears this may become an annual event here at our "home away from home" !
Our "CATS" sported Mo Hawks, Jay Hawks, Jack Hawks & Big Red Hawks, Lefty Hawks, Hammer Hawks, Nitro Hawks , Jake Hawks, Tin0 Hawks , Trey Hawks & Thrill Hawks! The pre-game photo session was intimidating ! They looked "FEIRCE" !
The Scrappers did not come on to the field at all intimidated! The Scrappers owned the first 3 innings! Jay Hawk got our first RBI of the game bringing in Braden in the 2nd inning. Scrappers were leading this rumble 1-4 at the bottom of the 3rd inning! 
The Mudcat "SISTERS" were playing the walk up music, fans cheering but our Cardiac Cats needed to get warmed up before the excitement started for them on the baseball field !
4th Inning ~~~~Will the " DRILL" drilled the ball to the outfield, Cameron singled, Channing put up 2 RBI's-- he actually HIT the EDWARD JONES sign on the fence ! Trey singled moving Channing to 2nd base and Jake added to the excitement with 2 MORE RBI's ! Trey got in our FIRST PICKLE and made it home. Nick got a single and Tino completed this inning with a RBI !
At some point there was so much excitement running the bases, hitting fences, challenging the Scrapper infield-- I just could not write down all the excitement this at bat had !
Tino held tough at catcher to get a pop-up out, Will & Cameron both took care of outs 2 & 3 to end this inning 6-4!
5th &6th inning ~~~ Sean started us off with a single followed by Marcus ! Action Jackson stepped up to the plate ( giving his Mom a -- your going to go bald too when I hit this homerun --look )! Thankfully today was NOT Jacksons day for a homerun but he did get a RBI bringing in Sean. Will would follow up bringing in Marcus & Jackson adding up a 2 RBI hit !
Our "CATS" all followed up innings 5 & 6 with some solid defense and we would end this battle MUDCATS 9- SCRAPPERS 4 !
SO much fun ! Web gems went to Will, Cameron & Tino for Defense and all Cats got a sticker for a big " TEAM WIN" team effort and team commitment to success on & off the baseball field !
One more regular season game to go ! Those Bee's better be ready for a Wednesday night battle with the Cats !

Game#12 Mudcats -vs- The Thunder

Game # 12 Mudcats -vs- The Thunder


I LOVE writing about a WIN ! Did I just give away the ending ? Well guess what I also get to write about ?? Our FIRST GRAND SLAM :-)


Yes, these days are so exciting ! Hard sometimes to look over at the other fields and imagine our Mudcats -- "OVER THERE" ! All grown up, getting their own Gatorade with their own money ( ok, that was dreaming ~ LOL ) and becoming Young Men ! Gezzz-- where did all that come from ! YES-- "REFLECTION" as the season winds down and tournament time approaches. I realize, it is VERY important to stay in the moment, stay grounded and focus ONLY on the very next game BUT I'm no longer the " PLAYER" , I'm the "Mom" !  I get to dream a little :-)


These boy's are so much fun! Seeing the rewards of practice, discipline, winning & loosing all pay off with a great hit, the walk up to the plate with confidence, a "web-gem" play or GRANDSLAM ! I LOVED seeing " Serious Sean" walk up to the plate with some swagger & confidence ! That was my favorite moment because the littlest Cats have really come into their own the past few weeks ! I hear, our Grey has started a new way to raise money for "VS- Cancer" -- to have money donated to NOT get shaved ! That's super creative :-) Oh & Marcus-- I love your walk up song !! "Every day I'm  Hustling"  ! LOL-- gotta love a good walk up song :-)


I bet you all would like some highlights from the game about now :-) Here you go !!


The Thunder have come a long way baby ! WOW-- I predict they will be a team to be reckoned with very soon !
1st Inning ~~ I wish you could see my notes, they start off with Jackson getting a lead off double. Braden, Will & Channing loading up the bases Jake with a solid hit and somewhere in there a GRAND SLAM BY " Big Red" CAMERON !!!!! WoooHooo The Cats loaded up the bases and Cameron cleaned them off !! DEFENSE-- 1~2~3 OUT !!! Ending this amazing inning 4-0
2nd Inning ~~ This one went "PDQ" -- Pretty darn quick ! Free advertising for special Mudcat's  family :-) Jay played some solid defense-- cat like reflexes and we were all done ready for the 3rd Inning !
3rd & 4th Innings ~~~~ Sometimes it's just earlier to blend a few innings. These two went PDQ as well. Braden came home to bring the score 5-0. Channing had a RBI double 6-0. Jay, Tino & Grey had solid hits. TIME FOR SOME DEFENSE and "WOW" then those Thunder boomers came alive ending the 4 thinning 6-5 ! Yes, you read this correct-- Mudcats 6- The Thunder 5 !
5th Inning ~~~~~ #34 got us started, Braden moved Action Jackson to 3rd with a great hit. WILL the "THRILL" put a RBI in the books. We ended this at bat run count to 7 ! Defense held the Thunder scoreless :-) Just the way we like it.
6th Inning ~~~~~~ Jake starts off with a double~ Jay RBI double, Tino a single and G-Mack all teamed up to give the Cats 9 total runs !
GAME OVER MUDCATS WIN 9-6 ! STICKERS ALL AROUND ! Will , Jay & Sean would get an extra Mudcat sticker for solid defense and
Cameron would get a Web-gem sticker for ummmm-- oh yeah-- a GRANDSLAM :-)
See you " CATS" Saturday for some fun in the sun, a 1:30 baseball game, some new haircuts ~ LOL ~ dunking a few Coaches in the dunking tank ( I might take a throw or two ) some food, fellowship and most of all~~ SOME SERIOUS FUNDRAISING and support for , The Vs. Cancer Foundation !
P.S.S-- Channing, I missed BOTH your homerun's-- Miss Amanda needs a THREE PEET please :-)
Action Jackson~~ if you hit your first homerun Saturday-- Mommy will go bald with you :-)
Anyone else up for the challenge ??

Game#11 Mudcats -vs- Bats

Game #11 Mudcats -vs-Bats


Below is Mudcat Mom " Jessica" break down of the game ! THANK you Jess ! My favorite part of being apart of the MUDCAT team is the way we all pitch-in ( do you like the reference--" PITCH-IN ) and pinch hit for one another !

First, let me start of by saying that the Mudcat family is the best! Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers for my dad and for helping with Trey after the game. 

Secondly, what a game! Way to not give up Mudcats!

Mudcats batted first, but the Bats defense put them out three quick.  The Bats came to the plate next and put eight runs on the board.  The Cats played good defense, but the Bats were hitting into all the right gaps.  8-0.

 
Channing started the Cats off right in the second inning with a double to the fence. Just feet from another homerun!  Cameron stepped up with a RBI double and the Cats started hitting.  Jay drove Cameron home and Nic logged an RBI double brining Jay in to end the Mudcats at bat 8-3.  The Bats keep hitting well and scored two quick runs bringing the score 10-3.  Cameron, Trey, and Channing all played solid defense grabbing some hard hits for the three Mudcat outs in the second inning.

 
The Mudcats got some hits in the top of the third inning, but just couldn’t close the deal and bring any runners in.  Again, the Mudcats played great defense with Channing, Brayden, and Trey taking the Bats out 3 up, 3 out.  Still 12-3.

The fourth inning found the Mudcats bats coming alive! Channing, Cameron, Trey, and Nic all drove in runners and Jake made a great slide into home plate bringing the score 12-7.  Jake and Jay also had huge singles to keep the Cats alive.  Bottom of the fourth and the Bats scored two more runs, but again, the Mudcats played good defense with Jackson and Trey making good catches for some key outs.  

Gray and Marcus started off the fifth inning with some smashes into outfield to get on base.  Action Jackson logged an RBI brining Marcus in making it 14-8.  The magic number for the Bats must have been “2” because they drove in two more runners making it 16-8 before Will’s defense closed out the inning. 

Top of the sixth and Channing started it off with a bang! Literally, a smash over the scoreboard for a HOMERUN!! 16-9.  Unfortunately, I had to leave after this, but I heard that we had some more great hits, got some runners on and finished the inning with two more runs.  Final score Bats 16, Mudcats 11.

I must note that Tino did a great job catching and Jackson was all over the place on defense! 

Way to go guys!! Excellent work.  

 

 

Game # 10 Mudcats -vs-Bulls

Game #10
Mudcats -vs-Bulls
Way to go MUDCATS !


I was not in town this weekend for the game~~ I was SO SO excited to hear all about our MUDCAT win AND our FIRST MUDCAT HOMERUN !!!
Way to go Mudcats & Channing !
Mudcat's 6- Bulls 3 !! I love the " W" !


Kendall's Game day breakdown !
For the first time in Mudcat history the boys each choose a walk up song to play when they went to the plate. It seemed like the boys had a lot of fun. It pumped them up !Since we were home we fielded first. Will started us out with a throw from second to first. That got the first out of the inning and earned him a WEBGEM. Jay & Cameron came together and got a 2nd out at 3rd base. Then Nick shut the Bulls down when he caught a nice fly ball. Then the Cats were ready to bat. Bottom of the 1st, Braden hit the ball right to the first baseman. The Bulls first baseman struggled to get the ball and Brayden got on first. Channing stepped up to the plate and hit a double. Braden went home. Next our 3rd out came and the Bulls stepped up their game a little.
Our 2nd inning was a quick 1-2-3 with plays by Jay then Will then Brayden. Bottom of the 2nd a couple runs came to the scoreboard. Will hit a single, Jake got a single and Jay too. Nick stepped up to the plate and hit a triple. He also got Jay home then Tino got a single and sent Nick home.
In our 3rd inning , like I said earlier, the Bulls stepped up on their game but the Cats shut them down. Solid D. First Channing caught a flyball. Then Will made a nice catch at second. For the 3rd out the Bulls hit a hard fly ball. Channing called, "I got it" so his team mates let him catch it. The ball flew past the infield hardly then Channing dove backwards and did somethingkind of like a backwards dive and got the Bulls out. In the bottom of the 3rd the Bulls got a quick 1-2-3 out on the Cats.
4th inning came and we only made 2 outs. The Bulls did the rest. Time to bat. Up was Channing . He only had two more pitches left and SMACK he hit a HOMERUN !!! While he is running the bases the team waits for him at the plate to congratulate him. Everyone in the stands were cheering! MEANWHILE-- after that we got two quick outs. Jake hit a single, Jay a double, Tino hit a single too to bring Jay home. This inning was without a doubt the best inning so far for the MUDCATS.
In the 5th & 6th inning we got a quick 1-2-3 for both the Cats and the Bulls.
So we all can say that the Cats won 6-3 and the team did a little dancing all together ! This game was a lot of fun ! GO MUDCATS !
THANK YOU MUDCAT REPORTER , Kendall :-)

Game #9 Mudcats-vs- Riverdogs

Riverdogs vs. Mudcats – April 26, 2014

                               Coach always says, "defense wins games"!

The Mudcats proved that today!  Excellent defense by the Cats to hold the Riverdogs off with a 4-2 win.

The first inning went by pretty quick for both dugouts with great defense by both teams.  Jackson made a great grab out left field to log the third out and bring the Cats up to bat.   The Riverdogs only scored one run in the first inning.  Brayden smashed out a double, but the Cats couldn’t bring him in and closed out the inning 1-0 Riverdogs.

 The Mudcats demonstrated their rock solid defense in the second inning with Cameron, Brayden and Jay all making great plays sending the Riverdogs up and out three.  The Mudcats started making some contact with the bat and ball, got a few runners on base, and Nic drove in the first Cats run and tying up the game 1-1.

Will sent the first two Riverdog batters back to the bench with two great grabs and then Channing and Brayden connected for the third out.  The Cats started getting some good hits in the third inning, but a good double play by the Riverdogs closed out the inning.

Top of the fourth inning and the Mudcats got three quick outs to retire the Riverdogs.  The Cats got a couple of runners on base and then Cameron drove the ball to deep centerfield for a two run RBI putting the Cats on top 3-1.  Jake stepped up big and drove in another run making the score at the end of the fourth 4-1, Cats on top.

Riverdogs came out strong in the fifth, scoring a run, but the Mudcats played good defense and held the Dogs to only one run.  The Cats didn’t score any in the fifth, but they knew they only had to play one more inning of good defense and they would come out with the victory.

And, they did just that! Channing and Brayden played solid defense and between the two, logged all three outs in the sixth inning to secure the Mudcats win!

 

Overall, all the boys hit well and played great defense to collect a great Mudcats team win! Go Cats!!!

Thank you Mudcat Mom , "JESSICA" ~ AKA, " Trey's MOM " , for the game day breakdown !

Looking forward to a weekend of WEST RALEIGH ~~ MUDCAT baseball ! Two games to play this weekend. Time to hunker down, win some games and get on a roll for the end of the season and TOURNAMENT TIME !

I feel a "RALLY " coming ! See you cat's on the field Saturday !

Game #8 Mudcats -vs- Lookouts

Game#8 Mudcats -vs- Lookouts


If you were at this game, you couldn't help but smell the sweet smell of Honeysuckle. Who knew NOWELL Field could "smell" so pretty !


1st, 2nd & 3rd Innings~~~
As I sum up the first 1/2 of our battle, you will see why I choose to blend the 3 innings all together ! Those Lookouts came out strong ! Most all our Cats got solid hit's but we never got a single one HOME ! We put runners on base, but left the ducks on the pond with no numbers on the scoreboard for the Mudcats ! Those Lookouts managed to do some damage as they racked up 10 runs by the end of the 3rd inning. Our Cat's played a GREAT 3rd inning of defense ! This inning we held the Lookouts scoreless ( yes-- that means all their runs came in the first two innings) . So, I will brag about the solid defense in the third inning.
*** The first 3 innings kinda stunk for us, but the honeysuckle was still smelling great ***
4th inning ~~~~
"THIS IS HOW WE DO IT" came out loud in a chant from the dug-out ! Braden started the Cats off with a 2 OUT rally ( yes-- that is exactly when the Mudcats start to come ALIVE) !
Trey moved Braden to 3rd, Channing loaded up the bases, Cameron drove in 2 RBI's and Will came up big with a RBI that gave our MUDCATS 3 runs ! We would end this inning 3-12.
5th inning ~~~~~
Braden had an AWESOME foul ball catch. I was a little slow with the BLOG update- so the pictures had already been posted, and I might add the pictures from this catch are really "AWESOME" ! This inning ended 3-15  :-( Did I mention the Honeysuckle smelled really pretty ;-)
6th inning ~~~~~~
OK, I began to wrap this one up as we had "2" outs ! It was not looking good for us!
You would think I would learn a lesson by now to actually get ready to take notes when we have TWO outs !
It was looking pretty bad as the score was 3-15 ~~ two outs and #34 got on base ~Braden had a great hit that moved Jackson to 3rd base~Trey's hit brings in our 4th run~ CHANNING clears the bases and brings our score to 7-15 ! HERE COME THOSE CARDIAC CATS !!!
" WHO LET The CATS OUT " was being yelled from the dug-out ! Cameron & Will would get hits but our score would end at~ MUDCATS 7  - Lookouts 15 !
The honeysuckle still smelled sweet BUT, the 6th inning offensive explosion, was a sweeter way to end this tough Mudcat loss !


Our next match will be against The Riverdogs! ( I'm going to predict we win this battle ) !
Stay tuned for this game re-cap !

Game # 7 Mudcats-VS- Bees !

Game # 7 Mudcats -vs- Bees


Maybe it was the Easter break that made me a little late on my game re-cap against "The Bees", but it could be I just don't enjoy writing as much about the tough losses :-(  I do agree, Win-Loose or Tie~~ A Mudcat game is "ALWAYS" a good time !
This game started off pretty "CHILLY" ! It's hard to remember that today as I sit and look outside at 75 degree weather ! The weather was cold and it took our Cats a long time to get warmed up against those Bees !
The Cats basically went down hard 1-2-3 / O-U-T all of the first 5 innings. It's not that our fielding was terrible-- just some over thrown balls combined with good Bees bats & base running. By the 5th inning we were down 0-4 !
The 6th inning gave us a little hope as we scored but we just couldn't pull out that Mudcat magic !


Our game on the field was not a victory but our practices were looking good and our Cat's remained upbeat! 
Practice & Progress before PERFECTION !
As a Mudcat Family we sure have done some wonderful things off the field ! We teamed up and put together awesome basket of goodies for the Duke Children's Hospital! We filled a big tub full of coloring/activity books, goodies, baseball cards, puzzles, gift cards, and more. 
Via e-mail and phone calls we have teamed up to help each other out with rides to practices, games, and even support each others careers with leads and information that make a Mudcat Mom or Dad's life a little easier !
We began our Mudcat team VS- Cancer page and donations are coming in fast and furious to support our Mudcats effort to raise money to bring awareness & research for Children's Cancer ! Below is the current information if needed ! Don't forget to sign up your Mudcat to get shaved ( YES-- THAT MEANS GREY TOO :-) ) LOL
You see, we might not always put a "W" in our standings on the field but off the field, the support we show each other, we give our son's and Mudcat families is a great big "W" in the game of life !


Vs. Cancer- If you'd like to sign up to participate, here's the page: http://westraleighvscancer.weebly.com/shaving-sign-up.html

Good news, the Mudcats are half way to our goal! Way to go team! Here's where you can send folks to the page to donate: West Raleigh's fundraising page for Vs. Cancer Foundation

See you Cats Thursday night, under the lights and looking for a "W" against the Lookouts !

Game # 6 Mudcats -VS- Scrappers

Game #6 Mudcats -VS- Scrappers


~~Thank you Mudcat Mom" JESSICA" ! I appreciate the Blogging help :-)~~

Tough loss for the Mudcats today losing to the Scrappers 11-8.  The Cats’ bats came alive today, but some a couple poor decisions,   few throwing errors, and the Scrappers coming up with some big hits in the top of the 6^th, kept the Mudcats out of the winner’s column.

First Inning:

• The Mudcats’ defensive was solid as they held the Scrappers scoreless.  Not one Scrapper made it to 2^nd base. 
• The Cats’ couldn’t get their bats to connect with the ball and went down and out in three.

Second Inning:

• The Mudcats’ had some more great defense and while the Scrappers scored one run, the Cats’ held them to just four batters. 
• The Mudcats’ bats came alive in the second inning.  Started off by Channing with a solid single, Jake followed with a line drive single RBI driving Channing in and tying the score.  Marcus stayed on fire with a two run RBI double bringing in two more Cats’ runners making it 3-1. Trey stepped up to the plate with a big swing and drove in another Mudcat run and closing out the inning Cats on top 4-1.

Third Inning:

• Iron clad Mudcat defense shut the Scrappers down in the third inning with only one Scrapper reaching base.
• Mudcats stayed on fire at the plate this inning putting four runs on the board with solid hitting by  Jackson, Brayden and Cameron.  

Fourth Inning:

• This is “the inning” that the Mudcats’ focus came unglued and the Cats’ made a few poor decisions, had some wild throws, and a couple of missed opportunities to shut the Scrappers down.  This costs the Cats six runs, 5 unearned, before they closed it out.  
• The woes carried over to the Mudcats’ turn at plate they were not able to put any runs on the board.  Score at the end of the fourth: Scrappers 7, Mudcats 8.

Fifth Inning:

• Jay’s stellar defense helped the Cats get two quick outs and they stopped the Scrappers without any more runs.
• The Mudcats really needed to get some runs on the board, but despite more big hits from Brayden and Channing, and one controversial “out” call at home plate, the Cats didn’t get what they needed –runs.

Sixth Inning:

• Middle of the Scrappers batting order and more solid batting by the Scrappers and more errors by the Mudcats landed the Scrappers with a total of four runs bringing the total to 11 runs on the day.  Channing caught a hard fly ball to end the inning.
• Unfortunately, despite getting a few runners on base, the Cats couldn’t close the deal and logged the loss in the books.  Scrappers 11, Mudcats 8.

It was a tough day for the Mudcats, but the team learned some valuable lessons on the diamond today.  Baseball isn’t just about winning and losing, but learning from mistakes and improving daily.  Hopefully, they will be ready to take on the Bees on Wednesday!

Game #5Mudcats -VS- Thunder

Game #5 Mudcats -VS-Thunder


Some Friday night fun at Nowell Field !
What a great night for some baseball with our Mudcat family!
1st Inning ~
I do believe the THUNDER came out ready to play some baseball as well ! Their bats were alive and a few Mudcat fielding errors put 3 runs on the board quickly !
WOW- so we step up to the plate already down 3 runs in the 1st inning ! NO PROBLEM for our Cats ! Jay & Jackson get on base Brayden ( 1 RBI ) Channing ( 2 RBT's) Cameron smokes the ball ! Jake ( 1 RBI ) Marcus ( 1 RBI ) Sean gets on and Grey ( 2  RBI's- but they were called back and the inning over from a ball hitting a player- )! So-- end of the first inning 5-3 :-)
2nd inning ~~
Good fielding, smart throws & a web-gem catch from Channing and the Cats keep the Thunder to 3 runs !
Nick, Jay, Jackson, Channing and Brayden add up more hits & runs to bring the score to 7-3!
I "as BLOG" Mommy-- officially give CAMERON a, "FBHR" !
That would be, Foul Ball Home Run !
Let it be noted, I thought the score was 7-3, later on the scoreboard will go to 8-3, then 10-3- sometimes 14 maybe even 15 - 3. It just depended on the mood of the press box :-) LOL !  They actually had me confused and I was taking notes :-)
3rd inning ~~~
1-2-3 and we are back to the plate ! That's the way the Mudcat fans like it !
Trey gets on base to start us off, Tino puts a HURTING on the left field foul line then put it in play ! Sean gives us 2 RBI's , Nick & Jay also combine to bring the Mudcat lead to 10-3 !
"Don't hold me to that score" remember I previously referenced the scoreboard situation ;-)
If you were there- you surely feel my pain and share the funny in the score confusion !
4th inning ~~~~
Who are these MUDCATS ! WOW- some awesome fielding brings us up to the plate again real quick !
ok, here we go ~"Action"Jackson shows some hustle, Braden "Lefty" gets on ( CHANNING- Hammer- HAD A GREAT HIT but the THUNDER make a Web-Gem catch ) ! Cameron "Big Red" with a RBI, Jake "JAM" gets a Mudcat RBI, Marcus "The Mash-M& M" ( Jackson just made that up ) Trey "Mr. RBI" ( Jackson made that one up too ) Tino" Bambino  "Sean " SOOO Serious" AND Grey " G- Mac" ALL ADD UP and bring the score to 15-3 ( I think )
5th inning ~~~~~
DITTO the last inning !
Jay " Jay-bird" aka "Jay-Hawk" start this awesome inning off as his Mudcats follow-up with a 17-3 ( I think )  5th inning ending !
6th inning~~~~~~
"WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE" , played from the speakers as our Mudcats finished up this Friday night hitting fiesta !
I have that song stuck in my head, which is more my style, however I think The Mudcat song for tonight would be " HAPPY " !
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOWDb2TBYDg
                                                MUDCATS W~I~N   "19-3"  I think ;-)

Game #4 Mudcats -vs- Riverdogs

Game #4 Mudcats -vs- Riverdogs
April 6th, 2014


This pre-game weather started off a little chilly ! It sure was nice to settle into the bleachers and watch some baseball. For todays BOLG report, I just may summarize a little bit !


1st Inning & 2nd Inning ~~
The Mudcats hit pretty solid both innings. Jackson started off the game with a single, Braden, Channing, Trey & Marcus came up big with solid hits and RBI's !
On the field we made some good throws but key errors and solid hitting by the Riverdogs gave them the lead ended this inning 3-4.


3rd Inning ~~~
Grey got the Mudcats started, Action put one in center and Braden singles but our cats would not put any points on the scoreboard.
Our DEFENSE really shined this inning ! Jake & Braden played solid for our first out and Jake & Will would combine for the 3rd out ! It was a quick inning with solid throws and smart defense !


4th Inning ~~~~
Jake got us started with a double ( 2 OUT rally) ~ Trey doubled and brought Jake home to even the score 4-4 .
Will, Braden and Jackson made smart plays and throws but those Riverdogs really hit that baseball hard to right field !


5th Inning ~~~~~
Tino started off the inning with a great hit taking him to 3rd base.
This innings NOTABLE O-U-T or should I say O-U-C-H WOW what a stretch came from Channing ! WOW Channing-- what a great OUT and effort you gave at first ! When you made that out, a collective ouch came from the bleachers, but you did it effortlessly !


6th Inning ~~~~~~
Rally caps got started ! Our Cats didn't give up ! Jackson, Braden, Channing worked the bats and ran the bases to bring the score 5-10. Cameron had a BOMB to the outfield but a WEB-GEM of a catch got him out.
Mudcats 5 - Riverdogs 10  :-(


Stomach bugs, allergies, sniffles all played a part in some loss of energy by our Cats. Every game is a learning experience, 1bad inning really held us back!
WEB-GEM stickers went out for defense to Jake, Channing and Braden !


Let's put this one in the books as a learning experience :-)
See you " C~A~T~S" Friday night for some under the lights fun !

Game #3 Mudcats - VS- Bulls

Game #3Mudcats -vs- Bulls
April 5th, 2014


What a BEAUTIFUL day ! It was great to begin the walk to the field and see some familiar old Mudcat family faces ! Coach Sean &Coach Adam former Mudcat Coaches, Gavin & Asher former Mudcat teammates who have moved up in the league and Fall Mudcat players Sam, Finn & Moose ! You see, once a Mudcat ~~ "ALWAYS" a Mudcat !


Today's Bleacher report comes from our Mudcat Mom , " Jessica" AKA ~ Trey #14's Mom ! 

What a beautiful spring day in Carolina! Makes me think of beaches, BBQ, and baseball! The Mudcats put on a great show at Nowell Field wrangling the Bulls with an 11 - 5 victory.

The Mudcats were the visiting team today so they started off batting. 

First Inning:

• Getting things going was Jay “Jaybird” Hale.  Jay got a solid hit and tried to turn out a double only to be thrown out at 2^nd by a mere inch.  Action Jackson followed with a good hit, and just missed beating the throw to 1^st.  With two outs, Brayden came to the plate and popped out to center for the third out.
• Defensively, the Cats went 3 up and 3 out in the bottom of the first.  In center field, Trey caught a one hop grounder and made a rocket throw to Brayden at 1^st for the first out.  Shortstop Will caught a pop up for the second out and Jake made a great catch on a pop fly to collect the third out. 

Second Inning:

• Top of the second inning and Cameron “Big Red” came to the plate to start off the Cats with a hard hit single to center.  Will “The Thrill” advanced Cameron to second with a single.  Next, Jake got the RBI, brining Cameron home but, unfortunately, Jake and Will got out.  With no runners on base and two outs, next to the plate was Trey.  He cracked a single up the middle to keep the Cats alive.  Marcus “M&M” came alive today at bat and smashed a single, putting two Cats on base.  Up to bat, Nic “Nitro” pulled out a solid single RBI to bring in Trey, making it 2-0.    This brought Tino “the Bambino” to the plate.  Tino swung hard, but 3 strikes closed out the inning for the Mudcats.
• Bulls up to bat now with the score 2-0.  The first Bull hit a hard line drive to Cameron, who made a great stop, but the Bull player edged out the throw by a hair to get on 1^st.  Trey grabbed an outfield fly for the first out brining the next Bull player to the plate.  Trey snagged another one hop hit to the outfield and connected with Jake at 2^nd for the second out.  A lone Bulls runner was on 1^st with two outs.  The bottom of the second closed out with a Bull’s player striking out.

Third Inning:

            With the Cats finally getting their bats hot, we were all hoping for some big hits and some runs on the scoreboard this inning and the Mudcats delivered!

• Grey got things going with a strong hit, but a good Bull’s defensive play got him out at 1^st.  Back at the top of the order, Jay fought off a series of foul balls and got a solid hit, but like G-Mack, the ball beat him to the bag by a step.  Two batters up and down and the Cats once again found them self in 2 out territory.  Chants from the dug out of “2 out rally” could be heard throughout Nowell.  But, third time’s a charm as Jackson hit a line drive, dug deep, and beat the throw to first for a single.  Brayden took the plate and crushed the ball.  What looked like a single turned into a double and Jackson scored, due to some good base running and some Bull’s throwing errors. Cameron stepped to the plate, and again, smashed out a single RBI.  Score – 4-0 Mudcats with 2 outs.  I think we got a RALLY GOING ON!!!  Back at the plate Will smacked a hard single to right field, putting runners on 1^st and 2^nd.  Nic singled in Cameron and notched the RBI.  With Nic on 1^st, Trey stepped to the plate and hit a solid line drive up the middle of the field, but a nice defensive play got the out at 2^nd to bring the inning to an end.  Top of the third – Mudcats 5, Bulls 0.
• Bottom of the third and the first Bull up strikes out for the out.  Next Bull batter hit a line drive to Will.  Will made a great scope and throw to Brayden at 1^st to record the second out of the inning.  A couple Bull hits on base, but Jake made a great infield grab and threw the runner out at 1^st for the last out.  Again, solid Mudcat defense held the Bulls scoreless. 
   
   
  Fourth Inning:
   

• Marcus stepped to the plate full of confidence and ripped another single right between 1^st and 2^nd base.  Next up, Nic made contact with the ball to center field for a single putting two Cats on base with no outs.  Looking for redemption, Tino hit a short infield fly to load the bases with no outs.  With a HUGE hit to left center, Grey singled for an RBI and Marcus danced with home plate for the run.  But, the Bulls quickly recovered Grey’s hit and tagged Tino out at second.  With only one out, Jay stepped to the plate for an infield hit to bring in Nic for a run on the board.  7-0 Mudcats.  Up next was Jackson, crushing an outfield fly, and Grey ran in for another score and keeping runners at 1^st and 2^nd with one out.  Brayden popped out for the inning’s second out.   Big Red, hitting solid on the day, logged another single and RBI dispatching Jay home and making the score 9-0.  With runners on 1^st and 2^nd, and two outs, a situation the Cats have found themselves in several times already in this young season, Will, coming up big again, cranking one out to center field to load the bases.  Jake hit a single to bring in the 10^th Mudcat run and causing the inning to be over due to the 5 run rule.  Good to see the Cats bats getting hot! Cats went through twelve hitters in the top of the fourth!
• Knowing that they needed to stay sharp, as anything can happen in West Raleigh baseball on Nowell Field, the Cats came up big in the field defensively.  Will had a huge stop, connecting with Jake at 2^nd for the first out.  A Bull hit to outfield was quickly scooped up by Nic and he made a perfect throw to 2^nd base for the second out.  After a hit to left field and some scrambling, Cats got the ball to Cameron at 3^rd, where he held on tight and got the tag on the runner for the third out.
   
  Fifth Inning:
   

• With a 10-0 lead, Trey blipped a ball up 3^rd base line and pulled out a double with some good base running.  Marcus smashed out yet another hard hitting single, then Nic grabbed an RBI with a single, driving Trey home for another Cat run, but we got an out at 2^nd.  Tino stepped up big with a single advancing Nic to 2^nd. Grey’s bat joined with the ball for a single, but Tino got caught sliding into 2^nd for the out brining up Jay with two outs.  Jay swung hard, but went down logging the third out.
• Let’s go defense was the cheer from the crowd as the Cats took to the field.  The Bulls started off with a double then the next batter hit one to Jackson who grabbed the pop up for the first out. But, Bulls #44 connected with the ball in a special way and sent it sailing over the right center field fence for a 2 run homerun!!! Even though it’s not your team, it still is awesome to see a kid hit a homerun!  Go #44!!  A Bull’s hit to first was nicely fielded by Brayden for the second out, but the Bulls managed to score one more run before Will scooped up a line drive and stepped on the 2^nd base bag for the final out of the inning. 11-3 Mudcats.

Sixth Inning:

• Top of the 6^th! Let’s go Mudcats.  Action  Jackson to the plate, but he just couldn’t get enough zip on the ball as it was popped up to 2^nd and caught for the out.  Brayden ripped a hard line drive to center field and tried to turn the double and was tagged out at 2^nd.  Two outs in the top of the 6^th.  Knowing anything can happen in the bottom of the 6^th, as evident by the Mudcats victory just days prior, Cameron stepped to the plate and engaged in pitching battle with Coach Rob.  But, he found his pitch, and once again, put the ball at the fence and got on 1^st.  Will got a solid single to land him 1^st and Cameron on 2^nd.  Jake stepped up and hit a single up 3^rd base line but, Cameron was tagged out by the Bulls third baseman.
• The final at bat! First Bull’s batter struck out and knowing the Cats only needed two outs to seal the deal was nerve racking.  The next batter got on 1^st, but like they had been doing all day, Will and Jake got the 2^nd out when Will grabbed a line drive to short stop and threw to Jake.  Two Bull runs scored making it 11-5.  Needing just one more out, Trey grabbed an outfield pop fly to end the game.  Mudcats win!

Solid win by the Mudcats.  You can see all the hard work they are putting into practice is starting to pay off.  Marcus and Grey are making big hits and Will and Jake making routine outs between short stop and second base.  Every player on the team is really stepping up and making big plays.  Way to go MUDCATS!! Let’s get ready for the Riverdogs!! 

Best ~

Jessica

Thank you Jessica ! I will see you all Sunday ~~