Tournament game 4: Bees 10, Mudcats 7

An incredibly fun season came to an end Thursday night at Nowell Field, as the Bees scored eight runs in the first two innings and held off the Mudcats in the late innings for a 10-7 win. The win advances the Bees to the championship round against the Riverdogs.

The first three innings were fairly uncharacteristic, as the 'Cats picked up just three hits the first time through the order and had some lapses in the field. But trailing 8-0 after three, Coach Sean challenged them to give a quality effort over the final three innings and see what happens. The defense responded by allowing just four hitters to come to the plate in the fourth, and then the offense chipped away at the deficit with three runs in the bottom of the inning. That set the stage for a furious sixth-inning rally, as the All Blacks eventually brought the tying run to the plate, prompting even the Bees head coach, who was very gracious in victory, to tell the 'Cats after the game, "I was trying to tell my team I wasn't worried, but I was worried!"

Several team events remain, including Tuesday's closing ceremonies at 7 p.m. and Wednesday's final team party. In the meantime, tonight marked the final game in the Minor League for the eight-year-olds. They are:

Christopher: As Coach Sean said after Thursday's game, Christopher was always one of the loudest Mudcats in the dugout. Even a midseason wrist injury couldn't slow down his enthusiasm for baseball, and he continued to be a vital part of the team--even when he didn't have to be.

Noah: A two-season Mudcat, Noah showed rapid improvement over his two seasons in the all black uniforms. His bat turned into a weapon in the middle of the order, and he picked up some key hits in the second half of the season. He earned a spot at catcher and usually filled that role in the first two innings, where he was stellar behind the plate.

Donovan: Moved to leadoff midway through the season, his ferocious bat speed and tremendous footspeed on the bases were the primary catalysts for the Mudcat offense. In his first year with the Mudcats, he was among the team leaders in runs scored, hits, and doubles.

Charley: A three-year Mudcat, Charley settled in at third base this season and was very consistent on defense. His experience in the league was invaluable to the younger players--no matter what happened, Charley could always explain the play or provide some insight into what was happening. Charley led the team in RBI and hits this season.

Bryce: In his first year with the Mudcats, Bryce solidified the first base position and made himself into one of the best players in the league at that position. He caught fire offensively over the last month, and reached base in seven of his last nine trips to the plate. He was consistently one of the most vocal Mudcats in the field and always a supportive teammate.

Brady: Originally, I was convinced that Brady was part of Coach Mike's master plan to turn Asher into an NC State fan. It turned out, thought, that Brady was a natural on the diamond. His line drive stroke was essential to the top half of the All Blacks order, and he developed into a solid second baseman with tremendous range. In 18 games of standing in the dugout, I never heard him say one negative word to a teammate.

Gabe: It is hard to imagine the Mudcats without Gabe on the team. Not just because I'm not sure who will keep the field in pristine condition, but because he was always the most eager to be part of everything that was going on at the field. Play pickle? Gabe is there. Play wall ball? Yep. Buying drinks for the whole team? Sure. It sums him up that when the Bees needed to borrow a chest protector during Thursday's game, it was Gabe who wanted to be the one to hand-deliver it to them each inning, and to recover it from them after three outs. He also was one of the 'Cats most consistent hitters all season, finishing among the team leaders in batting average and hits.

We also lose three coaches after this season. They are:

Coach Andy: In his one and only season with the Mudcats, Coach Andy had a Dimaggio-esque record of always being the first person at the field. By the final month of the season, Asher would always scour the parking lot to see if, by chance, we beat Coach Andy and Bryce to the field. It never happened. In addition to his tireless work at practices, before games, and occasionally in the third-base coaching box, Coach Andy was also one of the centerpieces of the rowdy fans down the first base line, where they could safely talk about important issues such as why the coaches kept messing up all the time.

Coach Tom: I think Coach Tom would take this as the highest possible compliment, which is exactly how it is meant--on most nights, I think he may have had more fun at the baseball field than anyone over the age of eight. Good for a positive word for anyone who was feeling a little down, Coach Tom at one time or another called everyone on the roster, "My favorite Mudcat." A little-known fact about Coach Tom: he has a greater collection of baseball tools and toys than anyone in America. No matter what hitting problem you are having, Coach Tom probably has a gadget that can help solve the problem--and he'll likely be even more excited than you are when that work translates to the field in the next game.

Coach Mike: Asher was drafted onto the Mudcats in the fall of 2010. When GM Jenn was telling me about the coaching staff, she said, "One of our coaches is a huge State fan." We live in Chapel Hill, where they have not invented State fans yet, but I grew up in Cary, so I thought I remembered something about State fans. The very first day I met Coach Mike, he said, "Did Marvin Austin give you those blue shorts as a gift?" I was wondering what we had gotten ourselves into. What he taught both Asher and me is that it is possible to hate everything about Carolina (except Woody Durham) and still be a great guy. I secretly think Coach Mike has a little Carolina in him, and I think he secretly thinks I have a little State in me. Maybe that is true on both sides. I just know I feel very lucky that no matter who he cheers for in his spare time, that he coached Asher and all the rest of the Mudcats for two years.

One of Coach Mike's greatest achievements is that he somehow persuaded Team Photographer Tonya to put up with him. We probably take it for granted that after every game, there are going to be terrific photos on the blog. Just so you know, that's not the case for any other team. She somehow managed to juggle taking care of a big kid--not Gabe or Luke, but Coach Mike--with also being at the West Raleigh field virtually every night to watch Gabe and Luke, all while taking great pictures.

Now that the season is over, it's probably OK to reveal some Mudcat secrets. For example, remember those high-level strategy talks held by the 'Cats in the corner of the outfield before each game? You probably thought that was about making defensive plays and getting good swings, right? Well, not exactly. This is how I'm going to remember the 2012 Mudcats, although some of the questionable dancing by a certain #10 makes me question what his mother has been teaching him.


Thursday's Mudcat scoring plays
Fourth inning
The offense awoke in the fourth, as Donovan ignited the rally with a one-out single. After a fielder's choice, the 'Cats put three two-out runs on the board, capped with an RBI single from Brady that scored Bryce.
Score after four innings: Bees 8, Mudcats 3


Sixth inning
With the dugout gaining confidence with every hitter, the Mudcats threw a major scare into the Bees with a sixth-inning rally. Ben started it off with a leadoff single, the second of his two hits on the night. With one out, Channing drove in Ben with a single. Donovan ripped a single to left, then moved to second on Charley's single. With the bases loaded, Bryce picked up two RBI with a hard-hit single to left. Brady completed the scoring with a hard-to-handle drive to the shortstop.
Final score: Bees 10, Mudcats 7

Thursday's Web Gems

• Donovan made a leaping catch in left-center to rub a Bee of extra bases in the second inning.
• Will made a terrific snag of a fly ball in right-center to help the 'Cats hold the Bees scoreless in the third and keep the game within range.
• Noah made a tough play look easy leading off the fifth, snagging a fly ball down the line.
• On the very next hitter, Bryce made a diving stop of a hard line drive that looked headed down the first base line for a double. 

Thursday's line score	1	2	3	4	5	6	R	H
Bees	4	4	0	0	2	0	10	17
Mudcats	0	0	0	3	0	4	7	12

It's the Bees

The Bees defeated the Lookouts, 10-2, on Tuesday night. That means the Bees advance to face the Mudcats on Wednesday at 5:30. Pregame begins at 4:30. The winner advances to the championship round against the Riverdogs.

Tournament game 3: Riverdogs 11, Mudcats 1

The Mudcats suffered their first loss of the postseason Monday, falling 11-1 to the Riverdogs.

The 'Cats stayed close through two innings, as some solid defense limited the 'Dogs to just three runs in the first two innings. But the Riverdog defense was also making virtually every play--in fact, they played an errorless game, a major factor in holding the Mudcats to just six hits and one run. The big inning was the third, when the Riverdogs smacked a pair of home runs (they finished with three in the game) and plated six runs.

Coach Sean emphasized focus and effort to the team after the game. "Every time you leave the field, I want everyone to feel like they gave their best effort," he told them.

The loss means the next game is Wednesday night at 5:30 against the winner of Tuesday night's Lookouts-Bees game. Pregame on Wednesday begins at 4:30.

As a reminder, the postseason bracket is available here.

Monday's Mudcat scoring plays
Fourth inning
Even on a day when the 'Cats got just one run, it--as usual--came with two outs. With two down, Donovan, Gavin and Brady strung together three straight singles to put the All Blacks on the board. Of the Mudcats' 23 runs in the postseason, 13 have come with two outs.
Score after three and a half innings: Riverdogs 9, Mudcats 1

Monday's Web Gems

• While straddling the foul line, Colin made a nifty catch of a line drive in left field in the first inning and foreshadowed a day that saw Coach Sean describe him as "being all over the place." He also spent time at pitcher, where he helped combine to make six of the game's 15 outs from the pitcher position.
• Brenner cleanly picked up a one-hop rocket to right-center in the fifth and immediately fired it into second, holding the Riverdog leadoff man to a single.
• Charley made a pair of catches of hard line drives in left-center in the fifth, short-circuiting what would have been a very big Riverdog inning.

Monday's line score	1	2	3	4	5	6	R	H
Mudcats	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	6
Riverdogs	1	2	6	0	2	X	11	15

Tournament game 2: Mudcats 18, Lookouts 9

The Mudcats broke out the most potent offense of the season, smashing a season-high 23 hits and getting at least one hit from every player in the batting order on the way to an 18-9 win over the Lookouts. The victory keeps the All Blacks in the winner's bracket and advances them to a game against the Riverdogs on Monday at 5:30.

The day got off to an inauspicious beginning when Coach Sean took a ball off the spine in pregame BP, then took another one off the skull. You may notice him with some new equipment on Monday. Not surprisingly, he played through it, and may have pitched one of his best games. Do we have any volunteers to hit the ball off him on Monday?

The 'Cats showed some immediate resiliency when the Lookouts scored four quick runs in the top of the first. Undeterred, the Mudcats answered with four of their own, highlighted by Gavin's opposite field two-run home run. That was just the start of a hailstorm of offense, with runs in four of the five offensive innings. And, as Coach Mike pointed out after the game, the hits came from up and down the order. The top half of the order scored nine runs, and the bottom half of the order added an additional nine. Three of the four scoring frames were ignited by a leadoff hitter in the bottom half of the order.

Astute observers may have noticed a suspicious looking man attempting to make a covert cell phone call in the outfield in the late innings. The reason became clear as soon as the two teams shook hands, as Gabe shouted, "See Coach Mike for your Cook-Out milkshake!" That's right, Coach Mike was making good on his previous promise, and the 'Cats were the envy of every team in West Raleigh when a box full of milkshakes were delivered.

Coach Sean has been so busy awarding himself stickers for toughness that he is now totally out of them, so none were handed out on Saturday. However, he promised to try and replenish his supply before Monday night. Pregame for the Riverdogs game starts at 4:30.

As a reminder, the postseason bracket is available here.

Saturday's Mudcat scoring plays
First inning
Donovan led off by smoking a double, and then Gavin--on his way to a 3-for-3, 3 RBI day--crushed an opposite-field two-run home run. Brady and Charley followed with back-to-back singles. Bryce doubled in Brady, and then Gabe's fielder's choice scored Charley and tied the score.
Score after one inning: Mudcats 4, Lookouts 4


Second inning
Brenner got it started with a one-out single, then moved to second on Will's single. A fielder's choice from Channing put two runners in scoring position for Donovan, who promptly scored both of them with a single up the middle. Gavin's single to left scored Donovan.
Score after two innings: Mudcats 7, Lookouts 4


Fourth inning
Only the 10-run rule stopped the 'Cats from fully batting around. Colin picked up the first of his two hits with a hard-hit single to center. Noah drove in Colin with a double to left. Ben's tough to handle grounder put runners on the corners, and then Brenner picked up an RBI with a fielder's choice. Will singled, putting runners at the corners again, and Channing singled in Ben. With two down, Gavin singled, and then Brady roped a two-run single back up the middle. Charley, Bryce and Gabe strung together three straight RBI singles to activate the 10-run rule. Five of the eight runs in the frame crossed the plate with two outs.
Score after four innings: Mudcats 15, Lookouts 5

Fifth inning
Asher reached on an error, then scored on Colin's line drive to right-center. Noah cracked another hard hit ball to center, and then Brenner and Will picked up RBI singles to complete the Mudcat scoring.
Score after five innings: Mudcats 18, Lookouts 5

Saturday's Web Gems

• Donovan decided to defer his traditional first-inning catch in the outfield to the second inning, racing in to make a grab after the leadoff Lookout had reached in the second.
• Two batters later, with runners on first and second, Charley scooped up a ground ball at third, stepped on third to get the force, and threw to Brady at second to convert the inning-ending double play.
• A huge momentum-building play ended the third. With one run already in, former Mudcat Ben Penchuk picked up the third of his three hits on the day on a bullet to shortstop. Gavin knocked it down and threw to first too late to get the speedy runner. The Lookouts tried to score their runner from third, and Bryce alertly came up firing from first base. Ben threw off his catcher's helmet, got into position in front of the plate, received the throw and made the tag to end the inning.
• Gavin went deep in the hole between short and third in the fourth to pick up a grounder, and then Bryce made a long stretch to nab the runner by a quarter of a step.
• Gavin made two very similar plays in the fifth and the sixth, racing back onto the edge of the outfield grass to haul in a pair of difficult pop flies.
• Brady made back-to-back tough plays in the sixth. Each ball was hit hard, and he had to range to his right at second base. He knocked down both balls and got force outs at second base on each one to thwart a potential Lookouts rally.

Saturday's line score	1	2	3	4	5	6	R	H
Lookouts	4	0	1	0	0	4	9	12
Mudcats	4	3	0	8	3	X	18	23

Tournament game 1: Mudcats 4, Bulls 1

Playing under foreboding skies and dodging raindrops after a one-hour rain delay, the Mudcats won their tournament opener on Thursday night, edging the Bulls 4-1 in a defensive battle. The game featured a series of highlight reel plays from the All Blacks defense that kept the Bulls off the scoreboard until the fifth. The victory avenged an earlier loss to the Bulls and moved the 'Cats into Saturday's 3 p.m. winner's bracket matchup with the Lookouts at 3 p.m.

After a pair of nearly 30-minute delays, during which the Mudcats sat quietly under the shelter, both teams played stellar defense through the first three innings. The Bulls did manage to get three baserunners in the top of the first, and had runners on second and third with two outs, but Bryce caught a pop fly to end the threat. Stellar 'Cat defense resulted in the Bulls getting just one more runner as far as second base for the rest of the game, and that came on a line drive home run in the fifth. The All Blacks very nearly played flawless defense, as even the rare miscue was erased by a solid play from a teammate, as when Ben picked up a wayward throw to first in the fifth and hosed the overaggressive runner at second base.

To keep up with all the tournament possibilities, use the West Raleigh bracket that is being updated after each game. Saturday's pregame begins at 2 p.m.

Thursday's Mudcat scoring plays
Fourth inning
The only Mudcat runs of the game came in the fourth, and they all came with two outs. Donovan legged out a single and moved to second on a fielder's choice. With two down, Brady lofted a fly ball towards first that couldn't be handled, and Donovan hustled all the way around to score. Charley crushed a triple to left, scoring Brady, and then scored on Bryce's double. Gabe finished the scoring with a single to left.
Score after four innings: Mudcats 4, Bulls 0

Thursday's Web Gems

• Donovan continued his pattern of making a big early play in the outfield, snagging a first-inning line drive to hold the Bulls scoreless in the opening frame.
• Brady showed heart by taking a tumble at the bottom of the first and getting up gingerly, but then recovering in time to record the first out of the second inning on a pop fly to second.
• Gavin stayed with a grounder that had been redirected off a glove with two outs in the second, came up with the ball, and fired a good throw to first to end the inning.
• Ben pounced on a ball that was tapped in front of the plate and fired to first to record the rare 2-3 putout. 
• Gabe hustled in from pitcher to make a diving catch of a fly ball with one out in the fourth.
• Ben did a terrific job of backing up first base on the third hitter of the fifth. That put him into position to grab an errant throw and fire a rocket to second, where Brady did a solid job of receiving the throw and then putting the tag on the runner trying to advance from first to second.

Thursday's line score	1	2	3	4	5	6	R	H
Bulls	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	4
Mudcats	0	0	0	4	0	X	4	7

Tournament opener tomorrow

Today's previously forecast bad weather never materialized in the West Raleigh area, and tonight's tournament game was played as scheduled. That means the Mudcats will indeed play the Bulls on Thursday at 5:30 p.m., with pregame at 4:30.

The Bulls-Mudcats winner plays the Lookouts (8-7 winners over the Bees) on Saturday at 3. The Mudcats-Bulls loser plays the Bees on Saturday at 11.

Hold on just a second

Never mind that earlier post. It looks like West Raleigh has done the sensible thing and simply rescheduled tonight's rainout for Friday rather than shifting all games. That means, at the moment, that the Mudcats are still slated to play at 5:30 on Thursday, with pregame at 4:30.

However, with the weather being uncertain, further rainouts and schedule adjustments are possible. Keep an eye on your email and the blog for more details.