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 ~~

Game #2 Mudcats -vs- Bats

March 31st, 2014 Mudcats -vs- Bats


As the days have passed my smile still stays stuck in a position of happiness & pride! I have looked over and shared the pictures 100 times ! If we didn't win another single game this season, for this Mudcat Mom-- I would still feel all warm and fuzzy inside when I look back over game #2 of the 2014 season!
Yes, I'm a product of the 80's hair-band era, and a song just keeps coming to mind ! As sung by a band that even today still can draw a crowd, AEROSMITH sings a lyric I feel applies to the practices, scrimmage games and the first two games of our season !  The song is, "DREAM ON" and the lyric I am referring to say's, " You got to lose to know how to win"  ~~"you know it's true, all the things you do come back to you " !  DREAM ON ! 


This game was NO DREAM ! Parts of it even seemed like a nightmare.  Before I begin the breakdown of the game let me make note of the superior pre-game music prepared by Kendall and the announcing of our game( despite the speaker system sounding like an episode of Charlie Brown - Peanuts) by Kendall & Ben ! Mudcat brothers & sisters add to the experience!
I LOVED seeing the players looking tough with the eye black on ! We look sharp in all black & red and oh so grown-up with the eye black !


1st inning ~
The Cats came out looking sharp in the field ! Some infield/ outfield player positions changes were made and the changes proved to be very much a part of our success. We held the Bats scoreless as we took the plate.
Jay & Jackson start us off with base hits as Braydon moved our Cats around the bases. We had SOLID hits but those Bats held strong and kept us scoreless the 1st inning as well.


2nd inning ~~
The Bats came out slugging ! Quickly the got two runs on us.
Will & Jake both got on base with hits. Trey stepped up with a foul ball that would be caught by the Bats 1st base player. This guy got 3 outs on us from foul ball catches !  Again our cats had great hits by Marcus, Nick, Tino & Grey but the Bat's were in perfect sink to keep us scoreless at the bottom of the 2nd.


3rd inning~~~
HOMERUN over center field ! I don't care what team you cheer for- homeruns on NOWELL are cool ! But :-(  insert sad face-- it was not a Mudcat ! This homerun put the Bats up 0-6 ! OMGoodness-- how in the world are we going to catch up " DREAM ON" right !
Grey had a heck of a web-gem hit AND the Bats had a heck of a web-gem catch !
Bottom of the 3rd ~Mudcats scoreless~ 0-6 !


4th & 5th inning ~~~~~
Would you be shocked if I told you the Bats came out H-O-T again ! Well they did, BOTH INNINGS, but so did our Cats. We made some key outs in the outfield (Trey-- good playing out there ) and kept errors to a minimum !
MUDCAT BATS came alive for our turn up to bat. In the two innings Jackson & Channing got on as Will drove in Jackson and Jake drove in Channing :-) Our Mudcat rally began !
Nick had a great hit but some Bat magic locked in the out. Tino battled hard at the plate and our 5th inning ended 2-7 !


6th inning ~~~~~~
I apologize for the lack of description and rush through the 4th & 5th innings BUT I know the ending to this story and I think I am getting excited all over again ! I just want to get to the good part ! Well, it was all good. Defense was good, batting was great but that Bat homerun really put us in a hole and they too were playing solid defense.
WeLcOmE BaCk WILL THE THRILL ! I'm so sorry you were sick "but" some extra rest and TLC did your game some good ! Your defensive effort, along with the entire team,  kept the Bats scoreless this inning !
OK ~ so it's now the bottom of the 6th inning, Jay & Jackson have had solid hits but got out by good Bats defense. Ok, so maybe I did start packing up some, started thinking about an after game hotdog and 100 other various Mommy things.My thoughts were like this, "well-- they played good- they just had that one bad inning, we will get them next time, 0-2, no big deal, were young, we will get our chance, I'm just glad it's not Jackson up to bat now with 2 outs ( LOL )"  ect ect ect...
**Then a crack of the bat came, Braden gets a great on base hit ! I was really happy for Braden( you know he has played a great game) but we did have two outs on us and we were down 5 runs ) Some one said- "hummm-- maybe this will be a CARDIAC CAT GAME like last year" ! WOW-- what a prediction that was !
Channing follows up- then Cameron then Will then Jake THEN~ TREY~ THEN MARCUS MARCUS MARCUS ties it all up !
I had to dig back in my purse and get back out my pen !
I look up and see 7-7-7 " HOME 7 ( 7th Inning ) Visitor 7 ! OMGOODNESS we just came ALIVE :-) Yes, this inning the Cats became a team, they cheered for each other, held it together, made clutch plays that made the 7th inning possible!
DREAM ON ! All they worked for, all the cold practices, scrimmages, ALL the 1st game lessons of a painful loss~ all came down to some solid defense in the 7th inning that left those hot Bats bats "cold"( that made sense right )  !!! We were now H-O-T !
My name is Action Jacksons Mom and you know what I got~~ what do you got~~ I got a team that's hotter than hot !
TINO "Bambino",  steps up and gets on base, Grey "G-man" delivers a base hit, Jay- Bird hits a single & Action Jackson remains cool, collective(ok, not really-- he was jumping all over the place on the way to hit) and brings "TINO HOME" !
MUDCAT NATION erupts with pride , I am positive I cried! I felt such a sense of joy for each and every player, coach, parent, brother, sister, Grandma ( GiGi) Grandpa and Mudcat family  !
It was a unified effort all coming together at one time for VICTORY!
All the practices( on the field or in an indoor facility), talks, scrimmages, game #1 loss developed into " NO QUITING IN THECATS"  !
" You got to lose to know how to win"  ~~"you know it's true, all the things you do come back to you " !  DREAM ON ! 


P.S. Hey Coach Robb-- this MVP sticker goes out to you ! Great pitching-- get that arm iced up for three in a row :-)


                               CATS WIN 8-7 Cats win 8-7 Cats win 8-7 Cats win 8-7
                                        DID I mention, Cats win 8-7 :-)

So this is what it feels like...

To step to the plate at the bottom of the 6th, down 5 runs, with 2 outs and bases loaded, and hit a clutch double!

To hit a big time single that brings in the tying run and get tackled by your coach at first

To hold the opposing team scoreless at the top of the 7th and know you have a chance to take the plate and WIN

 To be up on the fence cheering because you want to be there, not because your teammate told you to "get on the fence"

To cheer as loud as you can for the player next to you

To step to the plate knowing this is your chance to get the game winning RBI...and do it!!

To get carried off the field by your teammates when you score the game winning run

To rush the mound when you just won a game where you were down 5 runs in the bottom of the 6th, and fought your way back to WIN!