3/29/16
WF West 4, Tumwater 3
(Tumwater, WA) The league opener for both teams was no doubt more sloppy than either coach would like but both teams would settle in for the final 3 and half innings. Tumwater would take the lead in the bottom of the 1st when Austin Pullar would get on 1st on an error on Bearcat 2nd baseman Drew Forgione. Pullar would steal 2nd with 2 out when the ball would get away from catcher Kolby Steen. Pullar took off for 3rd and Steen over-threw 3rd baseman Dakota Hawkins and Pullar would score and Tumwater was up 1-0 after 1.
In the 2nd inning, Brody Holcomb would walk followed by a single by Steen. After a popped up bunt attempt, Hunter Fuchs would get hit by a pitch and the bases were loaded with 1 down. A come-backer from Tyson Gurerrero to T-Bird pitcher Logan Chase would make the easy force out at home for the 2nd out. Chase then plunked Elijah Johnson forcing in the tying run as Steen would score and Johnson would get the RBI and it was tied 1-1 heading into the bottom of the 2nd.
The T-Birds would waste little time in answering and re-take the lead in the bottom of the 2nd. Jacob Crawford got on board on an error. After a strikeout, Jackson Davis would single and Michael Wager would get hit by a pitch by Bearcat starting pitcher Jacob Cleary and the bases were loaded. Andrew Pullar then ripped a 2 RBI single scoring Crawford and Trayton Rodriguez who came in to run for Davis and it was 3-1 Tumwater.
That lead would be short lived as the Bearcats would score 3 but literally had the tying and go ahead runs given to them on a miscommunication by the T-Bird defense. This all happened with 2 outs and 1 on 1st. Steen would get his 2nd hit and move Holcomb to 2nd. Forgione would then knock in Holcomb with an RBI single leaving runners on the corners with 2 out.
That should have been it as Hunter Fuchs popped up a sky high infield fly but the defense did not talk with each other and the ball would land in the infield untouched between the 2nd baseman, short-stop and pitcher. With 2 outs the runners were off on the hit and Steen scored easily from 3rd but Forgione streaked around the bases and scored from 1st what turned out to be the winning run.
The T-Birds had a great chance to tie the game in the bottom of the 3rd but with 1 out and Noah Sirkel on 3rd base Fucha would haunt the T-Birds again. Jacob Dardano lifted a high fly to fairly deep left field and Fuchs easily made the catch but Sirkel was ready with the tag-up and took off for home when Fuchs gunned a strike to catcher Kolby Steen who applied the tag and got Sirkel at the plate denying Tumnwater the tying run. This play would also earn our Proactive Physical Therapy Play of the Game.
After that, the pitchers and defense took over for a shut out giving the win to the Bearcats. Cleary would go the distance for the win while Chase left after 4 and took the loss. One highlight for the T-Birds was reliever Nathan Walter who pitched nearly a perfect 3 innings in relief.
The Bearcats are now 1-0 in league play and 3-2 overall while the T-Birds drop to 0-1 and 3-1 overall. Our Tommy Lowe of the Greene Realty Group Players of the Game went to Kolby Steen for WF West and Nathan Walter for Tumwater.
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