Yorkville: Hounds Push Streak to Nine

Sporting an undefeated record and playing with a hunger rarely seen at this level, the Hounds entered game 9 of the Yorkville season knowing a win would pretty much ensure the critical edge of having home field advantage throughout the playoffs. The setting was another gorgeous summer evening at DeWitt, and we were all recovering a bit from the July 4th weekend. However, once it was time to take the field, it was all business for the Hounds.

As the home team, we took the field first behind Pat, who was making his first start of the season for the Yorkville squad. He was solid on the hill, keeping the walks to a minimum. He gave up a couple of runs in the first, but we answered right back in the bottom of the frame. MikePa led off with a home run, and we strung together several hits to put an additional 5 runs on the board. In the 2nd, Pat got into a bases loaded, no-outs jam, and it looked like our opponents were in for a big inning. However, the Big Fella was able to nimbly escape the trouble without surrendering a single run. Props as well to the Hounds defense which continues to make all the plays.

The game got beyond our opponents' reach in the bottom of the 3rd, when we exploded for 13 runs. Sure, our opponents may have made some errors, but we have to give ourselves credit for putting on a hitting clinic out there. The stars of the game where many: Mike (3-4, HR, 2 RBI, 3 RS), JT (3-3, RBI, 2 RS), Camille (2-3, 3 RBI, RS), Iain (1-3, HR, 2 RBI, 2 RS), Pat (3-3, 3 RS), Karim (2-2, SAC, RBI, 2 RS), Jessie (3-3, 3 RBI, 3 RS), Mano (3-3, 3 RBI, 2 RS), Juiena (1-3, 2 RBI), and Wink (2-3, HR 3 RBI, 2 RS). It seems that the flat pitching is agreeing with our bats.

Meanwhile, Pat continued to cruise. With the big lead, he was able to settle down and throw strikes. Our defense continued to make nice plays, with the outfield in particular having another splendid evening. The game had to be called after the top of the fifth as the mercy rule was in effect. Final Score: Hounds 21, Nautica 7.

We are entering the final stretch of the regular season. These last few games should serve as preparation for the playoffs. We will be playing teams with winning records that will be fighting for their chance to get in. Here's hoping that we can all make these last few games so we can continue to build on each success.