Keep in mind that on Friday night at practice, the players hit off a machine that was throwing roughly 45 miles per hour from 40 feet. At Saturday's early game, the machine was at 42 feet and was throwing so slowly the radar gun just flashed "HA HA HA" when we tried to time it. Of course, considering that this particular machine had been manufactured in 1951, it was doing well just to be operational.
After a scoreless top of the first (Coach Sean lost the coin toss for the 413th consecutive time), Jake gave 8U Blue the momentum with a sweet double play in the bottom of the inning. Then the bats slowly came to life in the second, and the offense finally caught fire in the fourth.
The game was stopped early due to...well, no one is exactly sure why the game was stopped early, but it was. The 8U Blue defense committed just one error in four defensive innings and allowed only one Storm runner past first base.
The win moved 8U Blue to 1-0 in pool play as they prepared for the quick turnaround to face the West Raleigh 8U White team in the day's second game.
Game 1 8U Blue scoring plays
Second inning
Jake led off with a single, then moved all the way to third on Mason's grounder to short. That put him in position to score easily on Elias's single. With one out and the bases loaded, Carter's hit to shortstop scored Mason.
Score after one and a half innings: 8U Blue 2, Storm 0
Third inning
Bryce led off with a single through the left side. His aggressive baserunning then forced a Storm miscue and allowed him to go to second with one out. Gavin singled back through the middle to put runners on the corners, and then Chace scored Bryce with a single. Mason's two-out single plated the second and final run of the inning.
Score after two and a half innings: 8U Blue 4, Storm 0
Fourth inning
The floodgates finally opened in the fourth. Joey reached on a ball to shortstop and motored all the way to second. Ben's ball up the middle forced another Storm miscue and scored Joey. Carter singled in Ben. Andrew reached on a one-out fielder's choice, then moved to second on Asher's single. With two on, Bryce drove in a pair with a shot down the third-base line. JT invoked the five-run rule with a single to center that scored Bryce.
Score after three and a half innings: 8U Blue 9, Storm 0
Fifth inning
Gavin cracked a leadoff double. Chace's single to left was too hot to handle, and Gavin scored while Chace moved up to second. Jake crushed a ball to right field that scorched the right fielder, and Elias smashed a two-run single that somehow invoked the mercy rule that doesn't actually exist.
Score after four and a half innings: 8U Blue 12, Storm 1
Game 1 Web Gems
- With no outs and a man on first in the first, Jake came barreling in from right field to spear a sinking liner near his (sizable) shoetops. He then alertly fired back to Chace at first to double off the runner, the first 8U Blue double play of the young summer.
- Chace hustled after an overthrow that went past first base in the second, and because he recovered the ball so quickly, the runner was unable to take the extra bag.
- JT used his brain and his quickness to make a web gem in the fourth. First, he was paying enough attention to realize that the third-base coach had called for the hitter to watch the signals. Without being prompted by the dugout, JT took a couple of steps in front of the bag, expecting a bunt. That's exactly what happened, and because he had positioned himself correctly, he was in the right spot to pounce on the bunt down the third base line and fire to first for the out.
| Game 1 line score | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | R | H |
| WR 8U Blue | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 3 | X | 12 | 15 |
| Storm | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | X | X | 1 | 2 |
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