THE ROCKET REPORT
GREAT GAME FOR THOSE WHO HATE PITCHING
GREAT GAME FOR THOSE WHO HATE PITCHING
Tundra Falls- Evidently, the umpires only got the notice that they should call pitches the hit the corner as a strike for one game. Last night, in a match featuring nations that have a combined 5 World Baseball Classic championships, the umpires did their best to make sure both starting pitchers only threw the ball down the center of the plate. Sarah Brayton was livid, and would eventually have the same fate that Jessica Brasfield had earlier in the competition. We’ll get into that in more detail in a bit. Qazox starter Eric Shoppach (assuming) kept his cool a little better, but he too suffered the wrath of an umpiring crew that wanted to be the show. Eventually, Newmanistan pulled the game out, by the score of 10-9 as the Empire’s record book for runs allowed continues to be re-written. The 9 runs scored by Qazox thru 9 innings were the most a Newmanistan had ever given up. And didn’t it seem like we already said that one already during this Classic?
The umpiring crew targeted Shoppach first. After he retired Stacie Meadows on a ground out, he walked Danielle Scott, with the 2-2 pitch clearly hitting the inside corner. Scott should have been gone, but on the pitch that followed, she was put on base. A pair of singles by Meghan Butler and Natalie “The Better” Monroe made it 1-0 in favor of the home team. Shoppach did catch a break though to get out of the inning as Adele Grahame made a nice catch on a liner, and since the hit and run was on, easily doubled up Butler by simply stepping on the bag. The Rockets though, were able to put a couple more on the board in the second inning. Jessica Sorenson had singled with one away and advanced on a sacrifice, but then Stacie Meadows was walked. Again, perhaps a questionable call on the 3-2 pitch. The next batter, Danielle Scott drove them both in by ripping a double off the left field wall to make it 3-0. Shoppach was aggravated with the umpire and had some words with him after eventually getting out of the inning.
Up to this point, Sarah Brayton had a smooth start, only allowing one baserunner through three, but then things fell apart. Jason Tyson flew out to left to start the inning, but then the Pheonix were able to load the bases. A pair of singles by Dyana Garski and Chad Savoy followed by a walk to George Rabbinski set the Pheonix up in good position, but Brayton was not happy about not getting a called strike three on a 1-2 pitch that replays clearly showed hitting the outside corner. Diane Riggles then tied the game up with one swing of the bat, a double down the right field line, and Brayton was flipping out at the umpire. She had Riggles 0-2, but on two clear strikes, did not get the call. Distracted, she got a bit sloppy, and served up a fat one to Grant Calvin, who singled in Riggles to give Qazox the 4-3 lead. Adele Graham singled to put runners on first and second, and a sacrifice from Shoppach moved them over. Then came the play. Brayton had Mike Stiller 1-2 and clearly struck him out on a curve over the corner, but didn’t get the call. Again, same pitch, didn’t get the call. Next pitch, she went in a little bit to get more of the plate, and Stiller smacked it into the right centerfield gap to bring in the runners and make it 6-3. And then, we saw a very mad Sarah Brayton. She slammed her glove to the mound and charged the umpire, and yelled as loud as she could. We could hear it up here in press box, but her comments are not suitable to print due to explicit language. She carried on for a few minutes after she was ejected, and the Tundra Falls faithful began to throw things on the field, causing an additional 15 minutes. Coach Christina Sanders went out to plead her pitchers case as well, and it ended up in her also getting tossed; this being now the second time in three games. The delay could have helped cool Qazox down, but even the reliever, Cassie Herrick, had words with the umpire before she began. “He only allowed me six warmup pitches once I took the mound,” she says in case people wondered what got her going. She did get the Rockets out of the jam, and went on to pitch three strong innings.
The Rockets were able to bounce back in the bottom of the inning to cut the lead to 6-5, and this time Eric Shoppach got himself tossed. The man behind the plate was consistently horrendous all game long, and Shoppach also found himself on the wrong end of the stick when he appeared to get out of a bases loaded jam. Newmanistan had loaded the bases thanks to two singles (from Kristen Wheeler and Courtney Weinman), and a walk to Rachel Cuyler with two away. He appeared to strike Jessica Sorenson out on a slider over the corner, but Jessica, having caught Brayton, knew how inconsistent the umpire was being and laid off a pitch she probably would hacked at. It should have been strike three, but was instead ball three. On the next pitch, Jessica singled up the middle, driving in the two runs. Once out of the inning Shoppach approached the umpire and also argued and got himself tossed. Shoppach received a standing ovation from the fans in Tundra Falls, and they were not doing so sarcastically, but instead seemed to applaud the fact that the umpire had to hear another player scream at him. Qazox manager David Dell also argued. (OOC: Don’t want to go over your permission request so I’ll leave it there if you want him tossed or not too).
Ambidextrous reliever Ryan Batiste came in for the fifth inning, but his ability to pitch from both sides of the rubber did not confuse the ladies in the sky blue and white. Stacie Meadows led the inning off with a infield single, and stole a pair of bases, and then was brought in a sac fly by Danielle Scott that tied up the score. Batiste was able to get Meghan Butler to line out sharply to first, but then got himself into trouble, allowing consecutive singles to Natalie Monroe and Kristen Wheeler. Courtney Weinman then came up and doubled to right to score the runners and put Newmanistan back in front 8-6. Qazox tried to keep Batiste in for another inning, but he would be victimized again in the 6th as Stacie Meadows hit a 2-out RBI single to score Jessica Sorenson who didn’t even attempt a swing while she was the plate, and walked. It looked like Newmanistan started to get control of the game, and Erica Darby was brought in to relieve Cassie Herrick, who had been masterful. But Darby would struggle, walking the leadoff batter Jason Tyson, and then later surrendering an RBI double to Chad Savoy. The Pheonix closed to within one an a Rabbinski single, but Darby did get out of the inning with the lead still intact at 9-8. Kristen Collins came in to get the save, but an Adele Grahame double with two away signalled trouble. Pinch hitter Juanita Sanchez tied the game with an RBI single.
Then the fun started, and strangely the umpire decided that he would give the pitchers the corner again. Rockets batters found out the hard way when they were up, but Michelle Harrison, who entered the game in the 10th inning, made the most of it. Michelle would pitch the final four innings of the ballgame, and end up getting the win. That was possible thanks to the big hit from Rachel Cuyler, a two-out RBI double that scored Kristen Wheeler, who had singled earlier in the inning. Harrison finished off Qazox in the bottom of the 13th, and overall, only allowed one base runner (a Riggles single) in her four innings of work. This wild affair will conclude the first half of qualifying, and Newmanistan is a strong 4-1. The three game homestand continues tomorrow against Virabia, and on the hill for Newmanistan will be 20-year old Brittany Castelli, who will make her WBC debut. When asked if she was excited to make this start, Brittany summed up all of our thoughts very well, “I was more excited when I thought umpires were going to call what should be a strike, a strike.”
(OOC: That’s right: I just RP’d a 10-9 game and didn’t have single HR in it!)
