If you start me up.....
..... I'll never stop. (the offense? or this article?)
Had every intention to write this last night, but an 8 am tarp duty awaited. Great way to start the day.
For a game lasting 2:08, a lot happened and I hope I can remember it all.
The best part of the night, the offensive was finally rewarded with base hits for their line drives. As I wrote on Tuesday and Thursday, Hickory continued to hit the ball hard but had little to show for it. In the first two innings, it appeared as if the same script would repeat itself against Lakewood.
The Crawdads first batter, David Paisano, hit a rope that was caught by a leaping Jeremy Hamilton, who needed every one of his 6-foot one-inch frame to make the catch.
In the second inning, Hickory loaded the bases with one out, only to see Blue Claw pitcher Tyler Cloud strike out the 8th and 9th place hitters, Doug Hogan and Edward Martinez respectively.
The dam finally burst in the 3rd inning.
Paisano, eschewing the line drive, hit a ground ball just inside the bag at third for a stand up double. One out later, Eric Fry singles in Paisano and Mike Bianucci hit a screamer to left center for a double.
The coup de grace: Matt West broke the Crawdads nearly two week homerless streak with a no doubter shot to left to close a 4 run inning.
On the other side of the ledger Cliff Springston pretty well had his way with the Blue Claw lineup. He was perfect through three with only one hard hit liner to third.
Lakewood's first base runner, Anthony Gose, reached with one out in the 4th. Gose hit a grounder wide of first. Murphy fielded the ball cleanly, but when he went to make the underhand toss, Springston had not arrived to cover. Once the pitcher arrived, the rhythm of the play was clearly thrown off and Murphy's toss was past Springston, allowing Gose to reach.
This was one of those plays that under other circumstances may have been a hit (Gose seemed to beat Springston to the bag) and was originally scored as such. But, an inning later, with it being the only hit allowed, the play was changed to an error.
Then of course, after the scoring change, Lakewood responds with two hits and the 4th inning call becomes a moot point.
Despite the three errors on the board, including the one above, the defense was outstanding. In fact, continuing the 4th inning from Gose reaching: the next batter, Travis D'Arnaud hit a looping foul ball down the line. West sprinted back from his third base position and made the catch falling into the tarp. Gose, hoping to catch West napping, tagged and went to second. West alertly fired to second to double up Gose.
Back to Springston: Allowed 2 runs in the 5th, on three hits, but finished his 7 inning stint strong, throwing only throwing 70 pitches, striking out one and walking none. By my count, only 3 line outs, the remainders were ground balls or harmless fly balls
Cody Eppley was hit hard in his only inning of work-- a sprawling catch on the warning catch by Eric Fry to open up the inning wound up being huge as Lakewood scored a run, and could have had more, but perhaps the line drive curse that Hickory suffered under was passed on to the Blue Claws as they hit into a couple of tough outs.
Nevarez struck out the side in the 9th, allowing only a bloop single.
There was an ejection of Lakewood Blue Claw pitcher Esmelvin Jimenez, as home plate umpire Joel Myers felt that Jimenez was throwing at Bianucci..... on a curve ball. Apparenly an umpire who needed to be the focus of attention.
The win was needed, of course, but there is at time a focus issue on this team that is disturbing. Errors, of course, are a part of the game, and Hickory is clearly not a talented defensive team, but its other stuff that's happening is of concern.
Example: Edward Martinez picked up a hit in the 6th inning (incidently, the last Hickory safety of the night). He then proceeded to be picked off at first by the righthanded Tyler Cloud. Martinez never moved, as if frozen by a lefty at first..... this along with pitchers not covering first, or backing up third on a throw from the outfield, missing cut off men, throwing to the wrong base, etc.
There is obvious talent on the team, far superior to the 52-87 Pirate infested debacle of 2008, but there is talent on the other teams as well. The NWL season of 2008 is over and its time to get moving for this season.
Had every intention to write this last night, but an 8 am tarp duty awaited. Great way to start the day.
For a game lasting 2:08, a lot happened and I hope I can remember it all.
The best part of the night, the offensive was finally rewarded with base hits for their line drives. As I wrote on Tuesday and Thursday, Hickory continued to hit the ball hard but had little to show for it. In the first two innings, it appeared as if the same script would repeat itself against Lakewood.
The Crawdads first batter, David Paisano, hit a rope that was caught by a leaping Jeremy Hamilton, who needed every one of his 6-foot one-inch frame to make the catch.
In the second inning, Hickory loaded the bases with one out, only to see Blue Claw pitcher Tyler Cloud strike out the 8th and 9th place hitters, Doug Hogan and Edward Martinez respectively.
The dam finally burst in the 3rd inning.
Paisano, eschewing the line drive, hit a ground ball just inside the bag at third for a stand up double. One out later, Eric Fry singles in Paisano and Mike Bianucci hit a screamer to left center for a double.
The coup de grace: Matt West broke the Crawdads nearly two week homerless streak with a no doubter shot to left to close a 4 run inning.
On the other side of the ledger Cliff Springston pretty well had his way with the Blue Claw lineup. He was perfect through three with only one hard hit liner to third.
Lakewood's first base runner, Anthony Gose, reached with one out in the 4th. Gose hit a grounder wide of first. Murphy fielded the ball cleanly, but when he went to make the underhand toss, Springston had not arrived to cover. Once the pitcher arrived, the rhythm of the play was clearly thrown off and Murphy's toss was past Springston, allowing Gose to reach.
This was one of those plays that under other circumstances may have been a hit (Gose seemed to beat Springston to the bag) and was originally scored as such. But, an inning later, with it being the only hit allowed, the play was changed to an error.
Then of course, after the scoring change, Lakewood responds with two hits and the 4th inning call becomes a moot point.
Despite the three errors on the board, including the one above, the defense was outstanding. In fact, continuing the 4th inning from Gose reaching: the next batter, Travis D'Arnaud hit a looping foul ball down the line. West sprinted back from his third base position and made the catch falling into the tarp. Gose, hoping to catch West napping, tagged and went to second. West alertly fired to second to double up Gose.
Back to Springston: Allowed 2 runs in the 5th, on three hits, but finished his 7 inning stint strong, throwing only throwing 70 pitches, striking out one and walking none. By my count, only 3 line outs, the remainders were ground balls or harmless fly balls
Cody Eppley was hit hard in his only inning of work-- a sprawling catch on the warning catch by Eric Fry to open up the inning wound up being huge as Lakewood scored a run, and could have had more, but perhaps the line drive curse that Hickory suffered under was passed on to the Blue Claws as they hit into a couple of tough outs.
Nevarez struck out the side in the 9th, allowing only a bloop single.
There was an ejection of Lakewood Blue Claw pitcher Esmelvin Jimenez, as home plate umpire Joel Myers felt that Jimenez was throwing at Bianucci..... on a curve ball. Apparenly an umpire who needed to be the focus of attention.
The win was needed, of course, but there is at time a focus issue on this team that is disturbing. Errors, of course, are a part of the game, and Hickory is clearly not a talented defensive team, but its other stuff that's happening is of concern.
Example: Edward Martinez picked up a hit in the 6th inning (incidently, the last Hickory safety of the night). He then proceeded to be picked off at first by the righthanded Tyler Cloud. Martinez never moved, as if frozen by a lefty at first..... this along with pitchers not covering first, or backing up third on a throw from the outfield, missing cut off men, throwing to the wrong base, etc.
There is obvious talent on the team, far superior to the 52-87 Pirate infested debacle of 2008, but there is talent on the other teams as well. The NWL season of 2008 is over and its time to get moving for this season.
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