Stockton Grizzlies - Long Eaton Storm
Grizzlies host Opening Day at The Den!
Stockton Grizzlies- 2 Long Eaton Storm - 15
Match report brought to you by Rugby Taekwondo Academy.
On Sunday 27th of April Stockton Grizzlies hosted Opening Day of the West Midland Baseball League at The Den against Long Eaton Storm.
Long Eaton Storm got off to a good start with a string of clever AB’s and the Grizzlies still finding their feet, which allowed Storm to put 4 runs onto the scoreboard before the Grizzlies started to make headway with some outs. Catcher Luke Johnson had to put in some early work behind the plate with a play at home to get the first out of the game, stopping Storm from putting more runs on the board. In true Grizzlies fashion it was time to live in the chaos with the second out of the inning coming from a rundown at third (shout out to probably every member of the infield- we finally pulled one off!) To finish off what seemed a long top of the inning, pitcher Lu Choy got his first strikeout of the season! We head into the bottom of inning 1 with Storm comfortably in the lead.
Centre fielder Ryan Mushinski was leading off for the Grizzlies and was obviously keen to get on base, aggressively attacking the first pitch he faced. Unfortunately he was met by a solid and polished Long Eaton defence, which proved to be a sign of what was to come. Yasu Ohno, who got another MVP (shock….) was up next, making solid contact for double. Ed Bird brought Ohno home, gracefully might I add, with a sacrifice fly deep in the outfield. Tally 1 up for the Blue and Orange. After another couple of solid at bats from the Grizzlies the inning was over due to continued stable defence from Storm. We go into the 2nd inning , 4-1 to the away team.
Although Grizzlies were making good contact, a smooth Storm defense gave them nothing to show for it in innings 2 and 3. Storm continued to chip away at The Den’s glorious home plate, despite some excellent glove work by outfielders Fin Jackson and Harrison Lowe. The deficit now sat at 7 runs. Storm 8-1 Grizzlies.
In the top of the 4th manager Rob Norris called for a pitching change, trying to mix up the pace from the mound with our very own Albie Waterton. Storm didn’t seem flustered however as they managed to put up another 4 runs on the scoreboard. On the flipside, The Grizzlies were still struggling to get their hits past a defense who have been accustomed to AAA baseball for the last season or so, with only 1 run being scored by Ed Bird who was brought home by Fin Jackson after some good heads-up baserunning.
This left the score at Storm 12 Grizzlies - 2.
The Grizzlies weren’t going to give up and Albie put on an amazing performance on the mound in inning 5 with a 3 up 3 down inning. No scores for either team it seems.
In the top of the 6th Storm managed to find their stride again and put another 3 runs on the board while keeping the Grizzlies bats at bay.
Going into the 7th inning The Grizzlies were facing a heavy differential with a score of 15-2.
Tough fight ahead for the Grizzlies and with a potential mercy rule looming, they needed to hold Storm to no runs and touch home plate 4 times themselves.
This is where our American side-arm slinger, John Lutz came in. From a consistent performance at first base, it was time to get that elbow into action.
Our resident cowboy decided the first player could trot to first, as he’s still on Nebraska time (the best time according to him) and wasn’t feeling strikes just yet. Lutz then found his arm and proceeded to wrangle the next batter with a clean strikeout. Following closely behind, Johnson threw down to catch the runner stealing second, his only thief caught that day. Maybe this pair should rodeo together more often….. One more out and they would end the inning with no new runs on the board, exactly what was needed. Storm's final batter stepped up to the plate and the clouds parted, making way for Yasu (the man, the myth, the legend) to rifle to first for a bang-bang play. It was time to make up some runs….
With a scoreless top of the inning, the question was- could The Grizzlies keep themselves in the game, or would Storm’s downpour of runs prior lead to an early trip to the bar?
That decision was quickly made with a 1-2-3 inning from Storm, all weak contact for the infielders to scoop up and send The Grizzlies packing.
In the 7th inning, the mercy rule came into effect with the score being 15-2 after a great showing from Storm. It was a really challenging game for the Grizzlies, facing excellent pitching combined with a productive offense. There were lots of positives to take from the performance and coach Rob Norris (in his trademark bucket hat) was pleased to get a run out with higher level competition, but appreciative that we have things to work on going into next week.
Onto next week where we travel to Stourbridge Titans, looking to get our first win on the board. Thank you to Long Eaton Storm for a good game and we look forward to the return fixture away later in the season!
