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Lynx keep on winning
This time when the Lynx faced off against the Verdun White Sox, it was supposed to be there. But the game tomorrow will be at Loyola but it is supposed to be in Verdun, you should know why by now.
This time Brad Thomas took the hill for the Lynx. Let's say that his outing was less than spectacular, but it was enough to get the job done. Having trouble with his control in the first inning, in addition to an umpire that was reluctant to call strikes, led to a 2-0 lead for Verdun at the end of the half inning. The Lynx came back with a run of their own in the bottom of the first. Verdun added to their lead with a run in the top of the second. Then the Lynx roared back with 2 runs to tie the game. In the bottom of the fourth, with Jason Doucet on third base, and Adam O'Brien Locke at the plate, it was pretty obvious what play was on. Verdun thought so too, so they threw a pitchout to avoid the squeeze, but the squeeze wasn't on. Then on the next pitch, Adam O'Brien Locke squeezed Doucet home with the perfect squeeze. The Lynx added an insurance run in the fifth. That's how the game ended up, 5-3, another Lynx victory.
But the real deal was the umpires. Besides the squeezing of the pitchers on both sides, almost all the calls on the bases went in NDG's favour. There was one instance when Nick Trainor was called out at third on a play that was not close at all, but that was basically all that went opposing to NDG's favour. The Verdun coaches and players had some comments about the umpiring, but they didn't give anybody the thumb.
In this game, at times NDG's defense seemed phenomenal and at other times like the players were dead. In the second inning, Thomas picked off a Verdun player from second base as Adam Ferguson made a fine catch and applied the tag nicely for the second out. The following hitter grounded the ball to Brock Bradley at second and he bobbled it allowing the runner to reach first. That runner ended up scoring Verdun's third run.
With the bases full and two outs in the inning, Thomas threw a wild pitch which led the runner on third to break for the plate. Adam Casey quickly got to the ball and threw it perfectly to Thomas over the plate to tag out the runner and finish off any chance of Verdun scoring.
In the last inning, Adam Ferguson booted a routine grounder that would have finished off the inning and the game. His comment was, "Hey, you have to make the game interesting."
To start off the last inning, the leadoff hitter hit a ball in foul territory near third. Brock Bradley went over and literally caught the ball on top of the fence. It was an impossible catch, but he made it somehow. The next batter came up, and pulled a ball way out of play. During it's flight, coach Ferguson screamed, "C'MON BROCK!" Implying that he should have caught the ball. Oh, Fergy, you so crazy.
In the same inning, there were two nice plays on line drives. The seventh hitter lined a ball up the middle which Thomas snagged in the palm of his glove. For the third out of that inning, the batter lined the ball into left field, and Ben Zoldan very smoothly played it. That's about it for defensive plays.
Here's a nice note. Nick Trainor was hit twice, walked and hit a double to deep left center. Verdun pitched around him at every chance, and were burned when they did.
Here's a sign that Adam O'Brien Locke should go to a new school. After Thomas threw a nice pitch, he said, "Exzebulous." You tell me what it means.
Obie's 3 stars
3. Adam O'Brien Locke - How can one guy put down a
squeeze so beautifully? I just don't know.
2. Brad Thomas - pitched well enough for the win, and made some plays in the field.
1. The NDG defense, when it was doing well. Most specifically Brock Bradley for that catch
in the last inning.
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