The air was thick with intensity at Lochwood Park, as the Green Mountain Rams battled the Lakewood Tigers Sunday afternoon. Both teams are driving to be in the League Championship game at the end of the month, and tensions were high from the first pitch.
Wyatt Featherston took the mound for the Rams, and the Tiger's batters were ready for action. The lead-off batter tagged Featherston for a triple, and set an impressive tone. The Tiger's number two batter, Matt Becker, smacked a single and drove in the run. Featherston then settled in to the game, and got the next three batters to hit balls that the Rams team's defense could easily handle. But not before the Tigers had tallied two marks on the board.
Austin Jones, the first batter for the Rams, hit a ball that was fielded by the Tiger's third baseman. Arley Anderson and Alex Haussmann also ground
ed out.
In the second inning, the Tigers kept up the pressure and scored another two runs off of Featherston. The Rams tried to answered the call in the bottom of the inning. Featherston smacked a ball to the Tiger's shortstop, and was thrown out at first. Next, Trevor Willson popped up a fly ball that was caught by the infield. It was the first time all season that the top of the Rams' order failed to produce a run.
The pressure was on the middle of the Rams' lineup to make something happen, and they responded beautifully to the call. Jacob Staley rattled the Tigers pitcher and drew a walk. Joe Anderson followed suit, putting two runners in scoring position. That set the stage for Benjamin McHugh, who has improved his batting skills with each consecutive game. With a powerful swing, B-Mac drove the ball down the third base line and far into the outfield. He put on the breaks at third base when coach Dave signaled him to stop. Ben Boyd drove McHugh home off a single, The inning ended with a score of Rams 3, Tigers 4.
But despite the Rams' best efforts, the Tigers bats refused to cool off. In the third inning, a combination of hits, walks, and some unfortunate fielding errors resulted in five more runs being scored -- the most scored against the 2008 Rams by any opponent to date.
At the bottom of the third, the top of the Rams order was ready to battle back. Jones smacked a single to get a base runner on board. AA drove him to second base, on a ball that was fielded by the Tigers. Next, A-Hauss hit a line drive far into left-center field. As he headed for second base, he collided with Tiger's firstbaseman and dropped to the ground. The umpire ruled interference after the play, and sent a dusty Haussmann to second. The only
bright spot: Jones scored off the hit.
Featherston's single drove Haussmann home, bringing the score to 5-9. But he was later tagged out attempting to steal home base. Willson and Staley both walked, but were stranded on base.
The top of the fourth saw the Ram's best defensive effort of the ball game. With a combination of strike outs and excellent fielding, the Rams held the Tigers to no runs.
McHugh led off the bottom of the inning for the Rams with a walk, and then he stole second and third base. GA also walked, as did outfielder Garret Storm. McHugh scored off the bat of Austin Jones, who grounded out. Arley Anderson demonstrated patience at the plate and also drew a walk. With the bases loaded, Haussmann smacked a line drive to the pitcher, who deftly fielded the ball. Only the G-Man dashed home to score the run.
The coaches reminded the batters that if the Rams were going to win the game, they needed to add three more runs to the tally. Featherston stepped up to the plate and drove the first pitch far into right-center. The Rams star watched the flight of the ball, then took off around the bases. He exchanged a high-five with on-deck hitter Trevor Willson, then hugged the rest of the team as they piled off the bench to congratulate him on his efforts. Next to the dugout, Featherston collapsed on the ground, reveling in his role as the hero. The Rams' attack continued with Willson, who hit a single, and Staley who drew a walk. Unfortunately, neither could complete the trip home.
In the top of the 5th inning, Featherston kept his composure for the Rams and succeeded in pitching his first full game. He struck out the first batter he faced, and walked the next two. The next two batters didn't have a prayer, though, as Featherston saved his best stuff for last and struck them both out.
Score: Rams 10, Tigers 9.
Wyatt Featherston took the mound for the Rams, and the Tiger's batters were ready for action. The lead-off batter tagged Featherston for a triple, and set an impressive tone. The Tiger's number two batter, Matt Becker, smacked a single and drove in the run. Featherston then settled in to the game, and got the next three batters to hit balls that the Rams team's defense could easily handle. But not before the Tigers had tallied two marks on the board.
Austin Jones, the first batter for the Rams, hit a ball that was fielded by the Tiger's third baseman. Arley Anderson and Alex Haussmann also ground
ed out.In the second inning, the Tigers kept up the pressure and scored another two runs off of Featherston. The Rams tried to answered the call in the bottom of the inning. Featherston smacked a ball to the Tiger's shortstop, and was thrown out at first. Next, Trevor Willson popped up a fly ball that was caught by the infield. It was the first time all season that the top of the Rams' order failed to produce a run.
The pressure was on the middle of the Rams' lineup to make something happen, and they responded beautifully to the call. Jacob Staley rattled the Tigers pitcher and drew a walk. Joe Anderson followed suit, putting two runners in scoring position. That set the stage for Benjamin McHugh, who has improved his batting skills with each consecutive game. With a powerful swing, B-Mac drove the ball down the third base line and far into the outfield. He put on the breaks at third base when coach Dave signaled him to stop. Ben Boyd drove McHugh home off a single, The inning ended with a score of Rams 3, Tigers 4.
But despite the Rams' best efforts, the Tigers bats refused to cool off. In the third inning, a combination of hits, walks, and some unfortunate fielding errors resulted in five more runs being scored -- the most scored against the 2008 Rams by any opponent to date.
At the bottom of the third, the top of the Rams order was ready to battle back. Jones smacked a single to get a base runner on board. AA drove him to second base, on a ball that was fielded by the Tigers. Next, A-Hauss hit a line drive far into left-center field. As he headed for second base, he collided with Tiger's firstbaseman and dropped to the ground. The umpire ruled interference after the play, and sent a dusty Haussmann to second. The only
bright spot: Jones scored off the hit.Featherston's single drove Haussmann home, bringing the score to 5-9. But he was later tagged out attempting to steal home base. Willson and Staley both walked, but were stranded on base.
The top of the fourth saw the Ram's best defensive effort of the ball game. With a combination of strike outs and excellent fielding, the Rams held the Tigers to no runs.
McHugh led off the bottom of the inning for the Rams with a walk, and then he stole second and third base. GA also walked, as did outfielder Garret Storm. McHugh scored off the bat of Austin Jones, who grounded out. Arley Anderson demonstrated patience at the plate and also drew a walk. With the bases loaded, Haussmann smacked a line drive to the pitcher, who deftly fielded the ball. Only the G-Man dashed home to score the run.
The coaches reminded the batters that if the Rams were going to win the game, they needed to add three more runs to the tally. Featherston stepped up to the plate and drove the first pitch far into right-center. The Rams star watched the flight of the ball, then took off around the bases. He exchanged a high-five with on-deck hitter Trevor Willson, then hugged the rest of the team as they piled off the bench to congratulate him on his efforts. Next to the dugout, Featherston collapsed on the ground, reveling in his role as the hero. The Rams' attack continued with Willson, who hit a single, and Staley who drew a walk. Unfortunately, neither could complete the trip home.
In the top of the 5th inning, Featherston kept his composure for the Rams and succeeded in pitching his first full game. He struck out the first batter he faced, and walked the next two. The next two batters didn't have a prayer, though, as Featherston saved his best stuff for last and struck them both out.
Score: Rams 10, Tigers 9.
No comments:
Post a Comment