Ding, Dong, Kvitch
"I hate this fucking all homers all the time bullshit getting shoved down our throats," exclaimed a particularly incensed Noèle Admiraal following a 4-2 loss to the visiting Wabijustians. The veteran knuckleballer had been called on in a higher-leverage situation than normal for her, as the bullpen was stretched strenuously thin in the previous 6-3 loss to Anthor. Léonard Herbert had been forced out after a four-run first inning that showcased an uncharacteristic lack of control over his sinker. Lia Lévêque had been having a dominant start, striking out eight through five innings, but had run a dangerously high pitch count to accomplish that. Additionally, two Wabijustians had just gotten the jump on her fastball, the only two times she'd given up hard contact, and both times they left the yard--once in the fourth and once in the fifth. With the game tied Admiraal came in and promptly gave up yet another home run to break the tie, before retiring the next six batters on a slew of strikeouts. That's relatively strange for her, even when the knuckler is dancing.
"They were chopping like a bunch of lumberjacks," Admiraal continued, "The first guy gets lucky, bam, not a fucking thing we can do about it." Thera Kolen would go on to give up a fourth solo home run in the eight, on a golf swing that scooped a splitter from below the zone and just barely dumped it over the short right-field wall. Ironically, the Mezi offense also came solely from the solo long ball, with Lies De Jonker and Evdokia Dircks going back-to-back in the second inning, but that would be the only blemishes the Wabijustian pitcher would allow. While the Mets forced through a fair few walks to put the pressure on, jam after jam was successfully navigated and the comeback would never come to fruition. The Mets sit at three points, joint-second with the Alpine Union side they defeated on the first match day--though the later have a game in hand. Not that that all really says anything; the competition is still young.