A walk-off win. Extra innings. A combined one-hitter. Overcoming a three-run deficit. Defensive heroics. A violent collision. A rollicking barbeque. On Friday night, the Irvine Cubs packed all of that excitement and more into just one game, edging the Orioles in extra innings in thrilling walk-off fashion, 4-3 to open up the Irvine City Championship first round.
It's hard to know where to begin with this one. The Cubs' pregame talk was again about mental toughness and overcoming adversity, and after falling behind 3-0 in the third inning, the team came through with a least a half-dozen plays to keep them in the game and claw their way to victory.
On the hill, our pitchers Kaden, Sean, Mario and Michael combined to hold the Orioles to one hit over seven innings. Not one batted ball left the infield. Kaden pitched 2 1/3 innings, striking out 5. Sean pitched 2/3 of an inning, struck out one and gave up no earned runs. Mario pitched one inning and gave up no runs, working his way out of a second and third jam. Michael pitched the final three innings, giving up no runs and striking out 5.
In the field, the Cubs combined routine plays with stellar ones to keep the score close while they waited for the bats to explode. The leader of the defense was Matthew B (the B stands for "Ball-Magnet") at first base. Matthew started with a nice play on a ground ball in the second, beating a fleet-footed runner to the base for the unassisted putout. In the top of the six, after the Cubs had worked back to tie the score in the bottom of the fifth, Matthew prevented what looked like a likely leadoff double and possible triple when we faded back on a towering, twisting pop-up and caught it reaching way back over his head in a seemingly impossible kinesiological position (if it were a yoga pose, I think it would be called "upward facing dog"). Matthew followed that up the next inning, in the top of the seventh, by making a nice stop on a smash down the line for another unassisted putout -- a ball that had it got by him would have been a lead-off triple. But the highlight play for Matthew -- the play that was the turning point of the game, took place in the top of the fourth. The Orioles had just scored 3 in the third and were leading 3-0. They had gotten runners on second and third with just one out. A base hit would score 2 and leave the Cubs facing a 5 run deficit. Things looked bleak. The Cubs needed a spark. And that's when then the ball found the ball magnet again. The Orioles hitter lined a smash that seemed destined to make it to right field and drive in two. But Matthew, with cat-like reflexes and a quick cross-over step, darted to his right, reached up and snagged the liner as it was about to go by him, recording the out and saving two runs. Mario then struck out the next hitter, preventing any runs from scoring, and in the bottom of the frame, the Cubs, fired up by the defense by Matthew, put two runs on the board to start their comeback and put doubt into the minds of the opposition. Great job, Matthew.
The rest of the defensive effort helped stem the tide as well. Mario made two nice defensive plays -- recording an unassisted tag-out on a runner at third after fielding a ground ball and catching a pop-up and surviving a collision in the fifth inning (more on that below). Anon made a nice play at second base to record a force out at second.
However, one of our best defensive plays (actually it was four separate nice plays in succession) came at an unexpected moment -- and wound up being one of the differences in the game. Following an errant throw, the Orioles scored their three runs. It was a tough moment for the Cubs. For some other teams who lack focus and mental toughness, the results of the play could have been four runs allowed, not three. But the combined efforts of Brandon, Kaden and Michael saved the day. Seeing the errant throw, Brandon hopped on his horse in right field and ran down the ball with great speed (nice play number one). Brandon then fired the ball right to the cut-off man, Kaden (nice play number two). Kaden then turned glove-side and quickly fired the ball to home (nice play number three). At home, Michael caught Kaden's perfect throw, blocked the plate perfectly, and applied the tag to the fourth runner, getting him out by a whisker (nice play number four). Had any link in that chain not functioned perfectly, that runner would have been safe. Had that runner been safe, the Cubs would have lost 4-3 instead of winning 4-3. By showing focus and mental toughness even at the toughest of moments, the Cubs defense worked together to help save the day.
Offensively, it took the Cubs' bats a while to get going. In fact, through 3 and two-thirds innings, the Cubs did not have a hit, had had only one baserunner and had not hit the ball out of the infield. But with two outs in the bottom of the fourth, trailing 3-0, Kaden got things started with a hard single. Michael followed Kaden with a double to right-center field, driving in Kaden and foreshadowing future events. Sean then followed up with a single to drive in Michael. Suddenly it was 3-2 and the tide continued to turn. In the bottom of fifth, Kanade got things started with a single (in his prior at bat, Kanade had missed extra bases by an inch on a hard smash just foul down the third base line). Matthew B. hit into a fielder's choice, replacing Kanade on first. Matthew B. then stole second and third and coiled on third base, like a cheetah waiting to pounce. On a pitch in the dirt, Matthew exploded off of third base, beat the pitcher, who was covering home, by five feet, and scored the crucial game tying run. Zach, who was at the plate, announced to the umpire that the score was now tied 3-3, and the Cubs could feel things going their way. Zach, Mario, Anon and Matt L. each hit the ball well and Wyatt and Brandon each had productive at bats, putting good swings on the ball.
Of course, the offensive highlight came in the bottom of the seventh. Kaden led off and worked a walk. Michael was due up next and the Orioles pitching coach took a visit to the mound. During that visit, Michael met with his third base coach and told him he saw a lot of room out in right field. Then, on the first pitch, Michael drove a rocket down the line in right field that landed safely and rolled into the corder. Kaden took off like a shot from first base and never looked back. Kaden rounded second, rounded third and slid into home before the ball had made its way back into the infield, scoring the winning run in dramatic walk-off fashion, 4-3. The Cubs players mobbed Kaden and Michael at home plate as the Cubs fans went wild in the stands.
After a team meeting, the wild celebration re-adjurned just a few feet away at the Dove Creek barbeque pits and picnic tables. The team-barbeque-turned-victory-celebration was a great event. Thanks to everyone who worked hard to make it such a success, especially our grillmasters Alex A., Jeff L. and Rafael C., as well as Bobbi A. for organizing and coordinating things. A great night on lots of fronts.
Awards:
Energy: Michael: Michael went 2 for 2, walked, doubled and tripled in the game-winner, finished with two RBIs and scored a run, caught two innings behind the plate and pitched three shut-out innings to close out the game.
Effort: Kaden: In addition to his 2 and 1/3 innings on the mound, his three innings behind the plate at catcher, Kaden scored two runs, including the game winner, coming all the way around from first, giving maximum effort.
Focus: Brandon: Although he was playing right field and the ball was hit only a few feet in front of home plate, Brandon stayed focused, knowing that just because the ball isn't hit to you doesn't mean you won't be in the play. When a throw got loose down the right field line, Brandon stayed alert, ran it down and hit the cutoff man, all of which helped lead to gunning out a player at home plate -- saving a run that made the difference between winning and losing.
Mental Toughness: Sean: He battled on the mound in the third and fourth inning. But when he came up with two outs in the bottom of the fourth, he knew the rule: what happened in the past is passed -- what matters is right now. His two-out single drove in Michael with the Cubs second run, keeping the momentum going. If Sean hadn't gotten that hit, the Cubs would have lost.
Physical Toughness: Michael and Mario: Their collision in the field on a pop up was violent. After the play, both stumbled a few feet and then collapsed briefly to the grass. It looked like a scene from a war movie, with people calling for ice and medics, and morphine and transfusions and helicopters swirling around to evacuate the wounded (well, just ice and no helicopters but a little poetic license is allowed). Yet each of them continued to play, with Mario hitting in the bottom half of the inning and Michael pitching and then driving in the winning run the next inning.
Yoga Award: Matthew, for inventing his new pose "upward-facing dog." Let me know if you need a patent attorney.
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