The first game of the semis against Queensland saw the big gun pitchers come out. Frothing at the mouth. Like moustachioed fast bowlers, pitchers grunt, snort and kick dust. Pamplona style.
The heat was also similar. We were a toasty 40 degrees plus, with a breath of wind. Like a guest at a dinner party for the Royal family.
We batted first and our first four batters were struck out. Looking like Tarzan, but swinging like Jane (ouch!). Their pitcher was outstanding really. Dean Frew, James, Ben Hunt and Dan Myrmell at the start of our second innings all swung and departed none the wiser. We could not get near him. Our timing and judgement was out. Brad Simon started for us on the mound and returned fire with fire. A shoot out of sorts. Two bulls butting their significant heads.
However, with a welcome and perhaps unexpected Queensland pitching change, suddenly the tide turned. A pitching change can be like a new pair of undies. A bit tighter or a bit more tense. Sometimes too comfortable. Knowing when to change them is the secret.
Thankfully, soon Jordan Lindsay towered one to centre right for a double. Dean Frew got on base with another timely infield fumble. James had an early disappointment with a fly ball to centre field. Not having played or hit for two days was showing. He played as designated hitter today.
The crack in James' bat had now expanded down the barrel. Avoid Easton bats if you can - they are a sad joke. That is four of these "new" bats that have broken. Some bloke in Bali must be recycling them with bamboo and painting them with frog excrement as we speak. James has had more bats than Adam West.
Our team slowly relaxed into the game, but the pressure was relentless. Our A-game was required, but seemed quite distant. The bench was looked to with hope and optimism. Like a new girlfriend - or boyfriend (not that there is anything wrong with that...). The crowd remained still and umbrella laden. A steaming pasta of an afternoon. Morris was summonsed at 4-3 down.
In the infield, we disappointed. Morris suffered unfairly as a pass ball beyond the catcher then a couple of ground ball errors suddenly propelled Queensland to the front, 8-4. Like an Origin team from north of the border(s), they know no surrender. Blake Morris did grandly, but needed friends. Like a school principal.
Ben Tsui also hit a mammoth home run over left field. He is an unassuming lad who has made right field his own. He is used to things travelling a long distance having grown up in Cronulla. A home run is one such experience.
Then enter Sam Gulieri. Sam hails from the Ryde area and is an absolute enigma. Some days sensational; some days his dad would have liked to have locked him in the car. He is a gangly gilded youth. He smiles out of both corners of his mouth and throws his head back like he owns a rollercoaster.
But today something special descended on Diamond 1. Sam was brilliant. He threw fast. Threw six strike outs, no less. He remained positive and he was balanced and reserved. His change up was like a new car. It purred and whistled with rythmn. He dazzled and perplexed, confounded and amazed. The large crowd cheered him on. Text messages to his parents at the U/14 titles flew at his fast ball's pace. Sam really impacted at the right time and we drew level at 8-8 with some consistent hitting.
Ultimately we got to a 10-8 lead - fighting and scrapping - perhaps making it harder than it needed to be. The ruthless Ryan Hore closed out the game with precision. He has stamped himself as a class pitcher at key times so far for us.
Leaving the stadium, there were whispers as to how the team could have fired better. The same whispers have no doubt filled the minds of more important people at the ground too.
Importantly a positive scoreline followed us into the sweat box cars which lined the carpark.
No comments:
Post a Comment