Rams Bounce Back with Win Against Ralston Valley

The smile on first baseman Trevor Willson's face said it all as he rounded the bases in the 4th inning. Willson, who struggled at the plate last game, found his swing and launched a majestic home run that cleared Lochwood Park. The Rams went on to beat the Ralston Valley Cardinals, 8-7.

"That was a monster hit," said Willson's gleeful teammate Alex Haussmann. "I mean, that ball went all the way to the parking lot and literally hit a car."

The game started with brilliant pitching from ace Jacob Staley, who looked like a one-man show through the first several innings. Staley struck out the first batter he faced, and then smothered a hot grounder to the pitcher to get the out at first. Next, he struck out the third Cardinal he faced.

Staley quickly grabbed his bat and became the lead-off hitter for the Rams. He hit a single, and was driven home on a hard-hit ball by Haussmann. Catcher Joe Anderson drew a walk, and shortstop Wyatt Featherson took the plate. Featherston sent Haussmann home, for a first inning score of 2-0.

In the second and third innings, the pitchers were in charge. The Ram's Staley retired the six Cardinal batters in order, but the Cardinals pitcher dealt the Rams a similar fate. Four of the next seven batters struck out, while second baseman Arley Anderson hit a hot grounder that was fielded by the pitcher, Staley hit his second single, and Haussmann popped up a fly in the infield.

The Cardinals finally got a runner on base in the fourth inning, but the Rams made a sweet play with two base runners threatening. Catcher Joe Anderson threw a bullet to Benjamin Boyd at third base to tag the lead runner out, and end the inning.

The Rams bats got hot in the fourth, as Featherston smashed his second single of the game. That's when Willson hit his tape-measure home run. Austin Jones followed with a single, and eventually scored on a suicide-squeeze off of the bunt of Garrett Storm. Outfielder Benjamin McHugh drew a walk but was stranded at the end of the inning. Score Rams 5, Cardinals 0

The Cardinals scored two runs in the fifth inning. But the Rams kept the pressure on. Haussmann hit his second single and Anderson drew another walk. Haussmann stole home on an overthrow to the catcher, and Featherston completed a perfect day with a single down the middle and sent Anderson home. Score 8-2.

Despite being down six runs, the Cardinals didn't give up. They quickly loaded the bases, signaling it was time to change pitchers. Closer Colton Faubion took the mound to get the final two outs. He struck the first batter out, but facing the heart of the Cardinal's lineup proved to be quite a challenge. Their cleanup batter hit a dart that ricocheted against Featherston's legs, and the base runner crashed in to Boyd at third. But true to his cool and collected style, Faubion kept his composure and struck the final batter out. Score Rams 8, Cardinals 7.

Bulldogs Hand Rams First Loss in Extra Innings

In a game that could have gone either way, the GM Rams lost their first game of the season against the Brighton Bulldogs in a score of 8 to 9.

"This was a tough game, " said Coach Les Willson. "You all tried hard an made some good plays, but the game exposed some weaknesses that we'll be working on in practice."

The first inning saw Alex Haussmann hitting a single, and scoring a run for the Rams, off the bat of Wyatt Featherston. But getting more base runners home proved difficult, and the Rams left Featherston stranded on third.

Right-handed pitcher Jacob Staley worked efficiently through the Bulldogs lineup with a number of strikeouts, pop ups, and ground-ball outs. The Rams sported strong defensive plays by Austin Jones in right field, Arley Anderson at second base, Trevor Willson at first, and Ben McHugh catching a fly ball in deep leftfield that kept the game close.

In the second through fourth innings, the Rams sprayed hits across the field including a singles by Jones, Boyd, Staley, Haussmann and Joe Anderson, and a monster double by Featherston.

In the top of the fifth, the Bulldogs's bats got hot and they tied the game. Relief pitcher Colton Faubion took the mound from Staley to get the final out. At the bottom of the fifth, Anderson drove in Haussmann from second base to retake the lead. Then, the Bulldogs pitcher made a circus catch of a steamer blasted by Featherston and made a double-play to end the inning. Rams 6, Bulldogs 5.

The Bulldogs kept up the pressure and scored three runs in the top of the sixth, bringing the score to Rams 6, Bulldogs 8.

With the game on the line, Jones came up to bat and hit a seeing-eye single to keep the Rams alive. Ben Boyd also smashed a single and drove Jones to third. That set up the tying run for Garrett Storm. With a smooth swing of the bat, he sent both Jones and Boyd home, tying the game at 8-8, and forcing extra innings.

In the seventh inning, the Bulldogs brought what proved to be the winning run home. The Rams batters were unable to pull out the win, and the game ended with the final score Rams 8, Bulldogs 9.