Storm blank A's

Storm started shorthanded against the A’s. They were eight men out on the field to start the game. Al took care of business, though, and set the A’s down in order using only five pitches. Storm then batted through the (very short) order in the first scoring five runs as Mills arrived just in time to bat.

Jeff showed up in the top of the 2nd to fill out the field and the A’s were blanked for the second inning in a row. Storm added six more runs in the bottom of the second inning on six consecutive hits. 

Storm slowed down slightly with three in the third and four in the fourth. The fourth was more interesting for the outs than the hits. Mills and Jeff were allegedly a false bottom since they were both only there because they showed up late, but they hit like a true false bottom. Mills struck out on a foul ball reviving the nickname Special K. Jeff then decided to do as Mills did and hit a foul ball on what would have been strike three, but the catcher took pity on him and caught the ball saving him the ignominy of having to make fun of himself in the writeup and finding a way to stick a K into his name (You use Thomas, and go to the nickname Thomas the TanK engine and capitalize the K there, but we don’t have to, because the catcher caught it). Interesting that the two late arrivals had similar experiences at the plate. Rene launched a home run, and the game was officially out of reach.

More notable than Storm’s offence was the defence. Al pitched a gem of a game, and there were some nice defensive plays made and Storm managed the extremely rare slo-pitch shut out. 

Storm    21  -   A's 0

Boxscore
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Total
A's	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Storm	5	6	3	4	0	3	x	21

Storm Hit & Run down Broadway

 Storm headed onto the field for the second night with their new jerseys that more closely resemble a Storm than the creamsicles of the old jerseys. The Storm winds blew early as General Mills hit a hard line drive that split the infielders. He snapped, crackled, and popped his way around the bases for an inside the park (not a) home run (anymore). Storm hadn’t frosted all their flakes yet, as they continued to rain down runs (pick a metaphor man!), to score the max six.

In the bottom of the inning, Captain Underpants returned to the mound after a long journey of self reflection in the mountains. Whether it was rust or an inability to shake off the after effects of Albertan beer, Captain underpants couldn’t find the strike zone and loaded the bases with nobody out. Suddenly something snapped (crackled and popped) for Captain Underpants, and he remembered the lessons he learned atop the Rockies and was able to get out of the inning with just one run scoring.

And that was pretty much that. Both teams decided they didn’t want to score as more runs were scored in the first inning than the next five innings combined. Storm would finally break through again in the seventh as Lance broke out of his slump and launched a Lancer Beam out of the park for a grand slam. That sealed the game.

Highlights:

Duran earned the nickname Big D (for his stellar defence in case there are any misunderstandings), when he made a beautiful over the shoulder catch after Ryan put one over his head. Duran made a sliding catch on Ryan’s next at bat (it might have been a catch and then slide). 

Also, Duran added to the highlight reel when he struck out swinging in his last at bat. He spun around twice like a figure skater attempting a double axel as he whiffed at the ball.

The Further Adventures of Sam I Am:

Sam managed to avoid any mishaps base-running, but had an adventure in right field as a couple of ground balls bounced off his legs instead of going into his glove. He has a bruise on his leg from one of them and a bruise on his ego from the other as a single turned into a triple.

Storm    13  -   Broadway 4

Boxscore
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Total
Storm	6	1	2	0	0	0	4	13
Broadway	1	0	1	0	0	2	0	4

Storm have a Surge of hits and runs

 Good day, ladies and gentlemen. Scoops Jockovitch, intrepid sports reporter here returning after lengthy hiatus in what some may call rehab and other would call prison.

This was a night that our Pylon-esque boys premiered the new Storm kit. Now with more blue and more venting! 

The evening was a truly tempestuous baseball clash filled with alliteration and accidental athletic abominations between the Surge and the Storm. It was a tale of two teams—one that surged early but was ultimately swept away by the gathering storm.

In the top of the first inning, the Surge surged, catching the Storm off guard and putting three runs on the scoreboard faster than you can say chartreuse hippopotamus ( My personal safe word) . The Storm, perhaps still in the calm before their own tempest, failed to make a splash, leaving the first inning score at Surge 3, Storm 0.

But the tides began to turn in the second inning. The Storm managed to muster a solitary run, chipping away at the Surge's early lead, while the Surge's bats went silent. It was a harbinger of the hurricane that was to come. By the end of the second inning, the score stood at Surge 3, Storm 1.

Then came the third inning, and with it, a veritable deluge. The Storm unleashed a torrent of runs, tallying up the max six in a single inning, leaving the Surge's defense looking like a sieve in a downpour. The Surge managed to respond with two runs of their own, but it was clear that the tide had turned. As the third inning closed, the scoreboard read Surge 5, Storm 7.

The fourth, fifth, and sixth innings saw the Storm transform from a drizzle into a full-blown monsoon. With an unrelenting offensive onslaught, they piled on eleven more runs, leaving the Surge scrambling for cover. The Surge, despite their best efforts, could only add two more runs to their total.

And so, as the rain of runs came to a close, and by close we mean the baffling decision of the Surge to call the game with 2 outs and 2 strikes on the final batter, thereby sending the handful of runs that the Storm had scored in the 7th into oblivion.

The final score was a sobering sight for Surge fans: Surge 7, Storm 18. The Storm's batters had indeed weathered the storm and come out on top, proving that sometimes the best defense is a good offense.

Before bidding adieu, a quick note on the play(s) of one Sam I. Am. Ranging from the inability to stand still and let an out come to him, to chopping down that tallest branch of the pitching tree and ending the night with running (walking) into the most confusing double-play ever seen. It was a special night indeed.

In the end, it was a game where the Surge started with a flash of brilliance but were ultimately washed away by the relentless, thunderous performance of the Storm. Until next time, this is Scoops Jockovitch reminding you that in the world of sports, as in life, sometimes you're the surge, and sometimes you're the Storm.

Storm    18   -   Surge 7

Boxscore
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Total
Surge	3	0	2	0	2	0	x	7
Storm	0	1	6	5	2	4	x	18

Storm settles for tie against Falcons

 The first innings of the second game of double headers have been causing Storm trouble. Friday, Broadway scored six runs without  an out. The order the teams played switched, and this time the Falcons scored six runs in the top of the first. That was actually more runs than the Falcons would score for the rest of the game. They were too busy using Jeff as target practice to actually score runs. 

The game was a seesaw event. The Falcons led 8-7 after two, Storm led 9-8 after 3, it was 9-9 after 4, The Falcons led 10-9 after 5. Storm managed to take the lead by scoring two runs in the bottom of the sixth to lead 11-10. If they could just put up a zero, the game would be over. Unfortunately, one run squeaked across the plate. No big deal, though. It’s slo-pitch, and Storm had the top of the order coming up. With the go ahead run at third base with one out, it looked certain that Storm would be able to take the lead. Rene, however, popped up in the infield. Lancer Beam became the last hope for Storm, but he hit a ground ball to third to end the game. A tie. 11-11. Relatively low scoring for two hard hitting teams in slo-pitch.

Falcon's    11   -   Storm 11

Boxscore
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Total
Falcons	6	2	0	1	0	1	1	11
Storm	3	4	2	0	0	2	0	11

Storm wins encore against Broadway

After giving up 9 runs before recording an out on Friday, Storm was thrilled to only give up 3 runs in the first inning against Broadway on Sunday. It looked like the selfish solos were a trend that would continue as Mills launched one to start the game. Lance knocked a 2 run home run, and then Bob knocked another solo home run, continuing Storm’s unfortunate selfish streak, but at least Broadway had hit one so it wasn’t an out. Storm scored six and led 6-3 after the first.

The next three innings were low scoring. Storm broke the game open in the 5th with a six run inning. Duran and Joey hit back to back triples and Sam knocked a massive homer. Storm won 18-8

Storm    18  -   Broadway 8

Boxscore
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Total
Broadway	3	0	2	0	1	2	0	8
Storm	6	2	1	1	6	2	x	18