On paper, the Iron Pigs at 0-4 seemed an unlikely candidate to spoil the Red Wings' bid for a perfect regular season. But baseball games aren't played on paper. What counts is how you swing the bat, throw the ball, catch the ball, and run the bases. The Iron Pigs showed up at Newman ready to do all of that--and do it well.
The Red Wings would have to begin the game with only eight players. Four more were expected to arrive after they finished up a soccer tryout. They would eventually trot down the hill at Newman with an inning and a half left to play, but for most of this one, the Wings would have to play a man down.
Top of the first, the Iron Pigs came out swinging and loaded the bases with three consecutive singles. A fourth single brought in a run, but Wings starting pitcher Parker would settle in to retire the next three batters, two with a backwards K and one at the plate to end the inning and save a second run. Catcher Noah was alert and in position to make the catch and get the force. Parker did well to limit the damage to one run.
Alex led off for the Wings and ripped one up the third base line. It was a hard shot, but the third baseman made a nice grab and threw across the diamond to get Alex by half a step at first. Two batters later Parker singled up the middle. One on and two out for Sam. The slugger was swinging for the Newman Woods and got a good chunk of one, but the Pigs' pitcher got a glove on it to end the inning. 1-0, Pigs.
The Pigs put two on in the top of the second, but once again Parker battled, retiring the next three batters to nail the inning shut. He had some good infield support from Alex at second base, who scooped and stepped on the bag to get the force at second for out number two.
Alejandro worked a full-count walk in the bottom of the second with two outs. Ken showed good patience and battled to a full count as well but went down swinging at a tough shoulder-high fastball. Still 1-0, Pigs.
Parker pitched to two batters in the third, the last one going down looking at a searing fastball. That would be the end of Parker's outing. It was a good night for the young hurler: 4 Ks while allowing only one run to cross the plate. His mechanics were consistent through more than 60 pitches and he had great velocity.
Josh came out of the bullpen (first base, actually) to relieve Parker and quickly went to work on the middle of the Iron Pigs' order. He got one to ground softly to short and another to ground softly to the mound. Josh charged it. Noah called for the throw home, which was right on target, and Noah was able to lay down the tag. Inning over.
The Pigs did manage to get one in, though. 2-0, Pigs after two and a half.
The Wings were back to the top of the order in the third. Alex led off and was hit by a pitch. He would score on a double launched by Sam to deep right field. 2-1, Pigs.
Josh returned to the hill for the fourth to face one batter, who he promptly retired on a ground ball to short. Noah came in from second base to relieve Josh and proceeded to pound the zone. He helped his own cause, securing the second out of the inning by tagging a runner half way between third and home. A heads-up play.
The Wings sent Alex in to get the last out of the inning, which he recorded striking out the second batter he faced with three pitches. The Pigs scored twice in the inning before Alex shut the lights out. 4-1, Pigs.
The Wings went down in order in their half of the fourth. Alex took the hill again in the fifth and struck out one before he would give the ball and the game over to Will. It was a solid inning-plus of relief for Alex who struck out two, killed the Iron Pigs rally, and kept the game within reach. The Pigs were up 4-1 when he exited, but it could easily have become a much larger deficit.
The umpire asked Will how many warm-up pitches he needed. "I don't need any," he replied. He was ready, fresh off the soccer pitch where, just moments before, he had been baffling defenders with his crafty footwork. Now, he would try to baffle the Iron Pigs with his humming four-seamer. Will got right down to business and closed out the fifth, retiring the only two batters he faced with impressive efficiency.
The Wings added a run in the bottom of the fifth. Tom walked. Will singled up the middle moving Tom to third. Tom saw the ball had not returned to the pitcher and he took advantage, making a sudden break for home. The throw was not in time and Tom was safe. Very alert baserunning. 4-2, Pigs.
Will retired the side in order in the sixth and brought the Wings to their final at-bat.
With two outs in the bottom of the sixth, Drew dug in. He had been taking beautiful swings all evening--now, he just needed something to drive. After taking a couple of monster swings, he settled down and took three balls in a row. The game was down to the last strike. The Wings' dugout was chanting "J.D! J.D!" Drew looked over and gave a confident smile.
The 3-2 pitch was a good one--good velocity and about chest-high. It was a must-swing situation and Drew took a good swipe at it. Unfortunately, he did not manage to connect this time. Soon, though, this guy's going to knock the cover off of a pitch like that. Just a matter of time.
Final: Iron Pigs 5, Red Wings 2.
Perfect seasons don't happen in baseball. It's just not that kind of game. On any given Wednesday evening, an 8th place team can beat a 1st place team. That's what's great about it.
The eight players who started this game fought hard, stayed focused, and played some very good baseball. As a team, we played better tonight than we have during some of our rather lopsided victories. We didn't end up on top this time, but that's the way it goes. There's still a whole lot of baseball to play this season.
The game ball went to Alex, who recorded some critical outs during the fourth and fifth innings to keep the game close. He also made key contributions at the plate with a single and a run scored.
Our Habit Award went to Josh and Noah. Josh for stepping towards the target on his throw to the plate, and Noah for calling for the ball. They combined to get the out at home, saving a run and getting the Wings out of a difficult third inning.
The Red Wings take on the Rockhounds next, this Friday at Eliot. See you there!
