Dev Team Friendly vs Northants
The Stockton Grizzlies were finally able to kick off their season on Bank Holiday Monday, splitting a doubleheader of friendlies against the Northants Centurions in Northampton.
In Game 1, the Grizzlies started out fast in the 1st inning, with First Baseman Lucy Brearly driving in lead-off Tom Kerr with an RBI Single, before Pitcher Albie Waterton drove in Brearley with another single. Waterton took to the mound in the bottom half of the inning, allowing the first two runners on base before retiring the next three batters in order (2 K’s).
The Grizzlies were able to extend their lead in the second, with Right Fielder Antony Hodgkinson driving Left Fielder Harrison Lowe with a single, before Brearley forced in Hodgkinson, with 3rd Baseman Stuart Shearsby taking advantage of a Centurions error to give Stockton a 5-0 lead going into the bottom of the 2nd.
Pitcher Waterton continued to impress, striking out another 2 batters, and the Grizzlies bats remained hot, with another RBI single from Hodgkinson drove in Waterton adding to a Bases-Loaded Walk from Kerr to put Left Fielder Rob Cumming (Subbed in for Harrison Lowe in the 2nd Inning) across the plate. The shutout ended in the 3rd inning, thanks to the work of Centurions Catcher Conor MacGregor, but Waterton (3IP, 1H, 1ER, 6K) finished well, striking out yet another 2 batters in the inning to put the Grizzlies well in command heading into the 4th inning.
The Grizzlies, thanks to Cumming with a groundout RBI, were able to get another run on the board, but the Centurions were quick to jump on reliever Craig Auden (Subbed in for Albie Waterton in the 4th Inning), adding the max of 5 runs in the bottom of the 4th thanks to an RBI Double from MacGregor, a RBI Single from 1st Baseman Andrew Moody and a 2 RBI single from Centre Fielder Ian Hitchcock make it an 8-6 game going into the final inning.
The Grizzlies went big in their final inning, putting 5 runs across, mostly thanks to a 3-run Home Run over left field from Centre Fielder Humphrey Willshire, along with an RBI Double from Kerr and an RBI Single from 2nd Baseman Liam Murphy. However, it wasn’t to be, as the Centurions again got onto Auden, with reliever Jack Betts and Hitchcock, combined with a couple errors, driving in the winning runs, finishing with a 2 RBI Single from Hitchcock to clinch the game for the Centurions.
Development Manager Tom Kerr said: 'After what has felt like a long spring with limited baseball, it was great to see so many Grizzlies take the field in our first set of development fixtures. From my perspective, there was a lot to be proud of in Game 1 from everyone who took to the field, as well as some great learning opportunities to take. In particular how hard it can be to close out a game! Great job team!'
Game 2 started in much the same way, with the Grizzlies gettin out to an early lead, thanks to a Bases-Loaded walk Rob Cumming and a 2 RBI single from Debutant Ryan Mushinski giving an early buffer to Game 2 starter Lu Choy. Choy was able to take advantage, with only Moody being able to cross the plate thanks to a single from Centurions Catcher Louis Bojko, sending the game into the second inning with the Grizzlies 3-1 up.
1st Baseman Emma Eggleton was able to get on base thanks to a throwing error, and was eventually driven in by Catcher Octavio Leon with a single, before Leon himself was driven in by 2nd Baseman Carlos Niño. The Centurions were able to fight back, with Shortstop Betts, Right Fielder Daniel Zake and 3rd Baseman Hitchcock all crossing the plate, but Choy was able to strike out 2 batters to end the inning with the Grizzlies still leading 5-4.
The 3rd inning was a tight affair, with neither Centurions Pitcher Simon Shaw or Choy giving up a run. But the Grizzlies were able to take advantage of a pitching change in the 4th inning, with 2 consecutive groundout RBIs for Cumming and Mushinski being followed up by an RBI single for Choy to extend the Grizzlies advantage to 8-4 going into the bottom of the 4th. Niño took the ball for the 4th, and, while giving up a walk and an error, good fielding from the Grizzlies led to them getting out the inning with no further damage.
In the last inning, the Grizzlies were again able to hop on a pitching change, with 6 runs (CF Yasu Ohno, C Leon, SS Niño, P Mushinski, RF Willshire and 2B Choy) crossing the plate. Mushinski took the ball for the last inning, and, while the lead-off batter Shaw was able to cross the plate to give the Centurions a bit of hope, back-to-back strikeouts and a groundout gave the Grizzlies victory and splitting the day’s doubleheader.
Game 2 Manager Yasu Ohno said: 'Overall everyone played really well. The highlight for the game for me was great combination defence by Luke & Carlos, along with great debuts for Carlos and Ryan and a good return on the mound for Lu, who utilised his fast and breaking ball combination to shut the door early. That was proper baseball and I'm looking forward to seeing more this season.'
All in all, it was a great day of baseball, and a great way to kick off the season for the Grizzlies after several weather-related delays. Many thanks to our Match Report Sponsors, Rugby Taekwon-do Academy, who return to sponsor our Match Reports throughout the year
