Heartbreak at First: Triple Play Holds Off Furious Storm Comeback in 33-Run Thriller

Storm played a heartbreaking game against Triple Play Friday night. Brad struggled to find the strike zone through the first couple of innings, and there was a lot of traffic on the bases for Triple Play, but Storm was able to cause a traffic jam and minimize the damage, giving up only four runs in the two innings. Storm managed three in the first and trailed 4-3 after two innings.

Both offenses struggled through the middle frames as pitching and defense took centre stage. Storm scored one each in the third and fourth, and Triple Play got one in the third and put up a goose egg in the fourth. It was 5-5 heading into the open innings. Triple Play scored two in the top of the fourth, but Storm answered by doubling them up and took a 9-7 lead.

The last two innings started to look like a different game. An untimely bounce extended the top of the sixth and a three-run home run gave Triple Play the lead. Storm was unable to respond and trailed by one going into the final inning. Then the monkey started clanging his cymbals as circus music could be heard in the distance. A number of plays that Storm routinely makes didn’t get made, a questionable call at first base, and some timely hitting from Triple Play led to a massive seven run inning. Triple Play scored more runs in that inning than they had in the previous four innings to take a commanding eight run lead.

There was still some thunder in Storm’s bats, though, and they would not go quiet into that good night. A couple of hits set the table for Duran to feast on a Triple Play pitch and he knocked it out of the park, cutting the lead down to five. Now time was as much Storm’s adversary as the scoreboard. As the minutes ticked down Storm got two more singles followed by two outs. Down to their last out and with five minutes left on the clock, Sam tripled plating two more. Lance got on and as time was running out so was the umpire’s patience with the game as Shawn was called out on a very close play at first base to end the game, leaving Storm a single run short of a comeback. That was how the game ended. Not with a bang, but a whimper.

Standout Performances

• 1. Duran (OPS: 2.750)
  • The Impact: He was unequivocally the game's MVP.
  • The Stats: Went 3-for-4 with 2 doubles, 1 home run, 5 RBIs, and 3 runs scored. He accounted for nearly a third of the team's total runs batted in.
• 2. Tony (OPS: 2.500)
  • The Impact: Provided critical, high-damage protection in the batting order.
  • The Stats: Went 3-for-4 with 1 single, 1 double, 1 home run, 3 RBIs, and 1 run scored.
• 3. Rene (OPS: 2.000)
  • The Impact: Excellent table-setter out of the leadoff spot to kickstart the offense.
  • The Stats: Went 3-for-4 with 2 singles, 1 triple, 1 RBI, and 2 runs scored.

Line Score

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Final
Triple Play	1	3	1	0	2	3	7	17
Storm	3	0	1	1	4	0	7	16