Wendell (Keenan’s dad) has noticed that White Rock would try to make an impression on the Hastings All-Stars during their infield warm-up, then quickly leave the diamond and dugout to avoid watching us. Today, Hastings practiced hard and left for behind the dugout. He enjoyed seeing Hastings show the same respect to White Rock.
For those who don’t really know, this game is first place vs second place. The winner advances to the final game, and the loser plays the winner of the third vs fourth game. Well this could be the beginning of the end, or the beginning of the beginning…it’s all up to fate (for those who believe in it), hard work, the umpires, strategy etc. Let’s have faith that all of those are in our favour. Here we go!
It’s the top of the 1st inning, and Taylor is up to bat. For some reason, we are Visitors again. Taylor starts off the game with a double, and the Hastings spectators are cheering the loudest I have heard so far in this tournament. Ryan gets the first out by a throw to first base. Robbey then gets intentionally walked to get a man on first and second. A nice hit by Anthony down the third base line brings Taylor home. Josh is up next with Robbey and Anthony on second and third. Josh gets out by a catch from the White Rock first baseman. An out at first is the last out, so a run in from Robbey doesn’t count.
The bottom of the 1st inning begins with Keenan pitching well, and the score 1-0. A good hit from White Rock gets him to first base. Keenan strikes out White Rock for the first out. A play at second by Ryan gets the second out on a base hit from WR. (WR= White Rock) Keenan strikes out the last WR player for the last out. Keenan ends the inning with 15 pitches.
It’s the top of 2 and Christian starts off with a strikeout for the first out. Shota is up next, and after two fouls he hits the ball straight to the third baseman who then loosely throws it to first for the second out. Three strikes to Ian brings us to the bottom of the 2nd.
The bottom of the 2nd starts off with the “homerun hitter” up to bat, but Keenan keeps his game face on. WR gets a double on a hit to the fence. A base hit from WR brings a player to first, and Hastings gets the first batter on base out at third for the first out. Waterman from the White Rock team is up next, I only remember him because he always jumps twice before stepping into the batters box. A bad hop at second allows WR to get on first and third. A hit from WR ties up the score, and Ryan gets a guy out at second for the 2nd out, but gets injured as well. Next, a base hit advances WR to 3rd, and they are now at the top of their batting order. A pop fly to Ian cancels out a run from WR and it’s now the next inning.
The top of the 3rd inning starts off with the top of our batting order, Taylor, but he soon strikes out against the tough WR pitcher. Ryan strikes out for the second out. There is a pitching change right before Robbey bats, and a meeting and a warm-up from WR which delays the game a short while. Hastings hasn’t stopped cheering since the game began. Robbey gets a base on balls, which brings Anthony up next. Robbey then steals second and Anthony strikes out for the 3rd out.
It’s now the bottom of the 3rd at 3:56 pm, and I’m afraid the heat is going to melt my laptop. Keenan strikes out WR for the 1st out. It’s a base on balls for WR, and he steals second. A pop fly caught by Shota gets the 2nd out. A great double down the 1st baseline brings in a run for WR. The score is now 2-1, and Keenan strikes out the last batter.
It’s the top of the 4th inning, and the dedicated fans re-apply sunscreen and wipe the sweat off their faces while sitting in the bleachers. Josh gets a base hit to start it off, and Keenan strikes out after for the first out. Katie gets a base hit to right field to get on second, and Josh gets out by a hot box. An incredible hit to the outfield by Shota advancing him to third brings in Katie to tie up the score. Tama (Shota’s mom) shows her enthusiasm by screaming “Yeah Shota!! He’s my son!!”. Another great base hit by Taz brings Shota home to bring the score to 3-2. Taylor advances Taz to second with a base hit. A nice hit by Scott is unfortunately caught by short stop for the last out.
The bottom of the 4th inning brings in Anthony for an injured Ryan. A failed catch at second base brings WR to first base, and a good play gets a batter out at first. At this point there are two outs. Keenan is pitches well and ends the inning with no runs on no hits for WR.
It’s now the top of the 5th, and the onions are beginning to smell really good. It’s a perfect summer day, and the music here at Joe Martin field is just the thing everyone needs. Robbey pops up to right field for the first out, and a pop fly catch in the outfield gets Anthony out as well. Another fast-reflexes catch by WR ends the inning.
In the bottom of the 5th, Keenan continues to pitch amazingly, and he is well past 60. Vito now brings in Anthony for Keenan after one of his best games. Anthony’s mom, Theresa created a noise maker out of a coin and a water bottle, and now the Hastings spectators have another tool for making sound. Anthony starts off with great pitching, but a WR batter has just got a double. WR has just got a base hit, and there is a man on 3rd and 1st. A hit to a WR batter has just loaded the bases. There is one out. A steal to home from WR has now tied up the score to 3-3. Oh crap. The WR batter has just gotten an out of the park home run to bring the score to 6-3, and there is now two outs. A discouraged Anthony is now being talked to by Vito, and he brings in Ryan for pitcher. WR has just got a double, and a pop fly catch by Taylor ends the inning.
The top of the 6th brings Keenan up to bat, and a new pitcher for WR. I have now put on my rally hat. It’s a walk for Keenan to start off the inning, and he quickly steals second. Christian strikes out for the first out, and the pitcher hits Shota for a walk. There is now a man on 1st and 2nd. Ian walks to make the bases loaded. WR now decides to change their pitcher, and there is a slight pause in the game for the new pitcher to warm-up. Taylor is now up to bat, and a short hit from him brings in a run to make the score 6-4. A base hit from Ryan brings in another run and another out. The score is 6-5 with Robbey up to bat. He gets a base on balls after a nerve-racking full count. The bases are loaded… and Katie slides home to tie the score!!!! Anthony strikes out to bring it to the bottom of the 6th.
I can’t breathe here in the bottom of the 6th, and a freaky 6-6-6 is on the scoreboard. Ryan is still pitching, and the Hastings supporters are sweating double due to nerves and the heat. Thank goodness there is a slight breeze today. A double by WR starts off the inning. Vito now switches up Ryan for Robbey to pitch. There are no outs, one man on second, and WR up to bat here in the bottom of the 6th. An incredible play by Robbey gets WR out at third. There is a man on 1st base. A hit in the outfield brings WR on 2nd and 3rd. Both hits to the outfield have bounced out of the field. Robbey has just struck out WR for the second out! Robbey has just purposely walked a heavy hitter, and the bases are now loaded. Vito has now brought Robbey out, and Taylor is now pitching. A hit to the batter walks WR, and that’s the ballgame. Hastings played extremely well, and will now play in the semi-finals.
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