The TPLL Giants thumped the Mill Valley Cubs 15-2 at Alto Field yesterday to open the season with two victories. The game was called at the end of the fifth inning due to the umpire's apparent fear that Giants hitters were endangering low flying birds. Ryan Dudgeon's near grand slam in the top of the fifth encouraged an extremely liberal interpretation of the strike zone in the following inning.
Jeffrey Koltoff set the tone on the hill for the G-Men by limiting the Cubs to two runs on three swings. He went 3 2/3 innings before leaving the game amid much cheering from the Cubs players. Trenton Francis then took the hill and showed the Cubs they had nothing to cheer about, shutting them down for 1 1/3 innings and getting the final out on the famous "mystery strike." Older fans in the stands were comparing this strike to the "phantom punch" thrown in Ali-Liston II.
Chaz Louks had the play of the day. Playing third, he covered the bag on a steal, snagged tough throw and applied the tag to the runner who was sliding hard into the bag. Despite being spiked in the leg (and drawing blood), he stayed in the game and completed the inning.
The Giants batted around in the fifth, sending 17 men to the plate and scoring 11 runs. Oliver Krill led the Gigantes going 3-3 with a walk, four runs scored and too many stolen bases to keep track of. Trenton Francis hit two more deep shots, collecting another double and the season's first triple. Ethan Terrell went 2-2 with a walk and a sacrifice fly, knocking in three. Matthew Oscodar also collected two hits, knocking in one.
Unfortunately, there is no photographic record of the game. Midway through the Giants half of the fifth, the official scorekeeper's calculator exploded from overuse counting the Giants runs. Although no one was injured, the official photographer's camera was completely destroyed.
No comments:
Post a Comment