Second games still haunt Storm

Game 1 - In which Duran returns in heartstopping fashion

Storm saw the return of two players for the first time since covid, with Duran coming off the IL and Greg coming back from… I don’t actually know why Greg missed the first two nights. Duran had been told it would be months before he could play competitive sports, but apparently softball doesn’t count and he was able to return just a few weeks later. 

His presence was felt immediately. He was apparently jealous of Craig and Bob hitting solo home runs, so in his first at bat he effortlessly knocked a ball over the right field fence. That would be Storm’s only run in the first. In the second, Rene led things off with a walk, which is good because he still can’t run. Leadoff walks always come back to haunt the pitcher, and Storm was able to put up three runs in the inning. The bottom of the third saw Broadway put up the max six, and after three, it was a too close for comfort 9-7.

Duran hit his second solo home run in the fourth. This time it was a line drive, and really, Duran’s solo home runs are Jeff’s fault. He should have been on base. Again, the solo home run was the only run of the inning. 

Storm put up three in the fifth and then had a solid sixth as they put up six led by home runs from Bob and Lance. Storm kept Broadway off the board in the fourth through sixth innings and took a 19-7 lead into the final frame. 

Storm exploded in the seventh stringing together a triple and back to back doubles to start the inning. It should be noted that one of these doubles was Duran running hard and turning what would normally be a single into a double. But he apparently only had enough energy for that run, because he only made it from second to third on Bob’s double. Storm would end up scoring 12 runs on 15 hits in the inning.

Notable box scores:

Duran - 5 for 6, 2 HR's, 5 runs, 3 RBI

Rene - 5 for 5, 4 runs, 4 RBI

Lance - 5 for 6, HR, 5 runs, 3 RBI

Craig - 4 for 5, 2 runs, 2 RBI

Bob 4 for 6, HR, 3 RBI, 3 runs

Joey - 4 for 6, 3 runs, 3 RBI

Cycle Watch: 

Jeff and Joey missed the home run.

Duran and Bob missed the triple.

Boxscore
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Total
Storm	1	3	5	1	3	6	12	31
Broadway	0	1	6	0	0	0	1	8

Game 2 - In which Joey comes to the plate as the tying run in Storm’s last at bat

After playing a strong first game, Storm started the second game well. Storm put up two runs in the first, and six in the second, while holding Broadway to one run in those innings. In the top of the third, Broadway mercied Storm to bring the score to 8-7. In the bottom of the third, Storm added four more runs to take a 12-7 lead. In the top of the fourth, Broadway threatened, with two on and two strong hitters coming up. Jeff walked Gord, who had hit a home run in his previous at bat, and got the pop up needed. It looked like the inning would end as Greg tracked the ball and made it through the swamp to get to the ball. The ball was actually in his glove for a second, before the swamp pulled Greg’s legs out from under him and he came down and the ball came loose. Broadway scored three, but Storm still had a 12-10 lead. 

Unfortunately, Storm stopped hitting. In the bottom of the fourth, Duran got a leadoff single, but the next three batters all got out. In the top of the fifth, Broadway scored six, taking a 16-12 lead. Storm was blanked again in the fifth, but Al and the Storm defense only gave up one run in the top of the sixth meaning Storm faced a manageable five run deficit. 

In the sixth inning they were playing against both Broadway and the clock. The first two batters got out, and things weren’t looking good. Jeff singled to left. Duran and Bob followed with singles of their own, and Craig got a double. Storm had scored two and had two on with Joey coming up representing the tying run. It was as if it had been scripted for a film. A two out rally leading to the face of the Storm franchise for the comeback. Joey took the first pitch for a strike, then knocked the second pitch well foul down the right field line. With two strikes Joey launched the next pitch a mile high, and for a second it looked like the game would be tied, but the ball sailed wide right, I mean foul. Mighty Joey had struck out. 

The game wasn’t over yet! Storm needed three quick outs and then three quick runs. They had eight minutes. Unfortunately, Storm couldn’t get three quick outs, and actually gave back the two runs they had scored in the bottom of the sixth. 

This marked another second game of a doubleheader where Storm simply ran out of steam. This was better, though. Storm led through four. Now they just have to get a few more good innings in.

Notable Boxscores:

Duran- 4 for 4, 3 runs

Jeff - 3 for 4, 3 runs, RBI

Bob - 2 for 3, 4 RBI

Craig -  3 for 4, 2 doubles, 2 RBI

Boxscore
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Total
Broadway	1	0	6	3	6	1	2	19
Storm	2	6	4	0	0	2	x	14

Storm Splits

Game 1 - In Which Storm Returns to Form

After a disappointing start to the season against the A’s, Storm looked much more like the team they’ve been in the past in the first game of the doubleheader. The defense was crisper, and the pitching was fantastic, as Storm allowed only one run in the first four innings, and eight runs in the whole game. 

Many Storm players returned to form at the plate as well. Joey hit two home runs and drove in five. Jeff, Lance, Brad, and Brian all had three hits. Craig, who was smacking home runs on the first night, had a productive first game of this doubleheader. He recorded five hits including a solo home run.

Storm also welcomed two players who played their first games of the season. They both looked like they were playing in midseason form, not playing their first games in 667 days. Dave was brilliant on defense, making beautiful backhand plays at both first and second, and making a nice stretch to pick a throw from third out of the dirt. Rene was swinging the bat like he’s been in training the entire layoff. He hit a home run on his first swing of the season. He hit a second home run later in the game. He also made a beautiful running catch on a foul ball. This was a little costly as he came up limping, but he hit his second home run after the play, so it didn’t affect his offense.

The game wasn’t perfect for Storm. The home run out derby officially started as Bob knocked a solo home run out. Al was apparently reminiscing about the days he had his bike, and was dreaming of riding around lakes when strike three bounced off the centre front of the mat. 

Overall, Storm looked like the team that has had so much success over the past few years.

Boxscore
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Total
Storm	3	1	6	0	8	1	2	21
Hanet	0	0	1	0	4	2	1	8

Game 2 - In Which Storm Decides it’s Easier to Use the Mercy Rule than Actually get Three Outs

The headline pretty much says it all. Storm looked like a different team than in the first game. Balls bounced off people, went through people. Strange events started happening early. In the bottom of the first, Joey was flummoxed by the new pitcher for Hanet and let two pitches bounce off the mat. Then he took an incredibly awkward swing, chopping the ball into the ground foul on the first base side for his first strike out of the season.

Craig made a nice play picking up a ground ball in the outfield and gunning out a runner at second. He made a great attempt on another play. A ball was hit high and hard into the gap between Craig and Bob. Craig closed the gap quickly. TOO quickly. He ended up overrunning the ball slightly and reaching back over his head to try to catch the ball. The ball just missed his glove and his momentum took him to the ground. Instead of running after the ball, he put his head down in the grass and stayed there. Rumour has it, he started weeping into the ground, but this writer was too far away to verify this claim. 

Bob was a triple short of the cycle, but he only got to bat three times. Joey left him stranded in the on deck circle to end the game. Craig was also a triple short of the cycle, and he also only got to bat three times. He would have batted after Bob. But he didn’t. Because the game ended. 

Storm is going to need to find a way to maintain their stamina through both games of doubleheaders as they proceed in the season!

Boxscore
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Total
Hanet	4	6	6	6	5	x	x	27
Storm	6	4	2	4	0	x	x	15

On the Field Again!!!

 

Winter can be a hard time for baseball fans and those who enjoy playing recreational slo-pitch. It is a long dark period with very little light. But winter, followed by a season lost to covid, followed by another winter, followed by a delayed start to the season, well, that’s like the Winter from Game of Thrones. Except without the Night’s Watch, dragons, and a plucky female assassin to help you ward off the White Walkers.

661 days after their last playoff game (thanks Joey for doing the math), Storm finally took to the field. There was bound to be some rust after such a long layoff, and it certainly showed up throughout the evening.

Game 1

In the top of the first, Kevin was in a very generous mood, and when a high fly ball was hit to him, he volleyed it over the fence for a four-base award to the A’s. Storm didn’t let it get them down as they responded with four straight singles to start their first at bats of the season. Al knocked in two on a double and the Storm ended the first up 3-2.

Mike started the second with Storm’s first strikeout of the season, but Jeff hit a two out triple and was cashed in by Bob as Storm was able to add another run to their lead.

Craig led off the third with a solo home run (with Duran out of the lineup, solo shots were free for the taking!). Storm held onto a 5-4 lead after three.

The A’s put up four runs in the top of the fourth. That was also the inning where Storm forgot they were playing slo-pitch and started hitting like they were up against Jacob deGrom. Storm put up zeroes in the fourth through sixth innings, going down in order in the fourth and fifth. Managing just two baserunners in three innings is not how you win in slo-pitch.

Jeff pitched a scoreless fifth, but then seemed to forget it was a game, and treated the sixth more like batting practice as the A’s notched six runs.  The inning only ended because of a home run out.

The A’s had a big lead in the seventh, but Storm remembered how to hit, and started chipping away at the lead, until the A’s called in a time limit rule with two outs. It was a frustrating end to the game, but it saved Brad the indignity of being the third out and going 0 for 4, so there’s that.

Boxscore
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Total
A’s	2	0	2	4	0	6	1	15
Storm	3	1	1	0	0	0	4	9

Game 2

Storm was looking for revenge and to get back at the A’s in game 2, but, things didn’t quite work out. Storm was blanked in five out of seven innings in slo-pitch. It really must have been Jacob deGrom hurling for the A’s, especially in the sixth inning when Lance and Kevin struck out. Storm only managed runs in the third and fourth innings, where Storm managed the maximum six, leaning heavily on Craig’s three run homeruns in each inning.

There was plenty of rust on both sides of the ball for the opener for Storm, but there are plenty of games ahead, and it was great being out playing ball again.

Interesting note: The last time Storm lost a season opener was 2013. The last time Storm lost the first two games of the season was… sometime before 2008, but the team’s google calendar with results only goes back to 2008, and I don’t get paid enough to find the season records before then.

Boxscore
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Total
Storm	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	12
A’s	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	21