Morrison had 2 homers, 3 doubles, and 5 RBI as he led Ron, Frosty, and Guthrie to a win for the Caucasians
Three of the four Caucasians homered and Morrison finished with 5 extra-base hits, as the Caucasians pulled away from the Ham Slams with an 8-run third inning to win 12-5.
Guthrie, who started for the Caucasians, came into the game 1-1 and got into trouble early against the Ham Slams. The first batter, Anthony, hit a solo shot to left-center that put the Slams up 1-0. Guthrie settled down after giving up the leadoff homer, retiring TJ and Evan to end the top of the first.
Anthony hit a leadoff homerun to start the game for the Ham Slams, and finished only a single short of hitting for the cycle
Evan started for the Ham Slams, and he came into the game with an 0-1 record. A half-inning after the Ham Slams led off the game with a homerun, the Caucasians returned the favor, when Morrison blasted a homer to deep center field, tying the game at 1-1. Evan retired the next batter, Frosty, but Ron followed with a one-out solo home run, putting the Caucasians up 2-1. Guthrie was retired for the second out of the inning, and the Slams went into the second trailing by a run.
Alec led off the top of the second by grounding out to Morrison in left. Anthony followed with a one-out triple, putting the tying run on third base. But Guthrie escaped the jam, as TJ flew out to Frosty in right field for the second out of the inning.
Morrison flew out to the mound for the first out of the bottom of the second. Frosty singled, but was stranded at first when Ron also flew out to Evan, ending the second.
Evan made a spectacular one-handed catch to retire Ron in the second as the league looked on
Down a run, the Slams figured out Guthrie in the top of the third. Evan led off the inning with a solo homer, tying the game at 2-2. Guthrie got Alec to ground out to left for the first out of the inning, but the Slams rallied with one out. Free agent addition Steve, playing DH, singled in his first career at-bat. He moved to third when the next batter, Anthony, doubled. With two runners in scoring position and the game tied, TJ came to the plate and hit a three-run blast to left, putting the Ham Slams up 5-2. Evan was retired for the second out of the inning, but the Slams had retaken the lead.
TJ connected on a 3-run homer in the third, putting the Ham Slams up 5-2
The lead didn’t last long and it wouldn’t return after the Caucasians erupted in the bottom of the third inning. They unleashed an offensive fury that hadn’t been seen since early in the 2011 season. Guthrie led off the inning with a single, and Morrison followed with a two-run home run, cutting the score to 5-4. The Ham Slams struggled heavily in the field, as Frosty singled, then moved to third when Ron doubled. With no outs and two runners on, Guthrie clubbed a three-run homer, putting the Caucasians back in front 7-5. The first 5 Caucasians to hit in the third had reached base safely, and the Ham Slams turned to the bullpen, sending TJ in to relieve Evan. The Caucasians continued to pour it on, however, as Morrison doubled, and immediately scored when Frosty doubled, driving him in. The next batter, Ron, hit a two-run homer, the Caucasians third of the inning, pushing the score to 10-5. The Caucasians had scored 8 consecutive runs, all with no outs, and each Caucasians had 2 hits in the inning. TJ finally recorded an out when Guthrie flew out to the mound, ending a streak of 8 consecutive hits, which tied the league record. The next batter, Morrison, doubled for his third hit of the inning, but was caught out trying to extend a double into a triple. The inning had come to an end, and the Slams had went from being up three runs to trailing by five.
After replacing Evan, TJ couldn’t settle the Caucasians, as Ron belted a two-run homer that capped an 8-run third inning
Guthrie rolled in the top of the fourth, as Alec and Steve were sent down consecutively by ground out.
The Caucasians added to their lead in the bottom of the fourth. Frosty doubled off TJ to lead off the inning, and moved to third when Ron singled, putting runners on the corners. Guthrie flew out to shallow center for the first out of the inning, and the Slams held Frosty from tagging. But the next batter, Morrison, roped a double off the fence, his third double of the game, driving in both Frosty and Ron and making the score 12-5. TJ retired the next batter, Frosty, ending the inning.
It looked as if the Slams would rally in the top of the fifth. Anthony doubled to start the inning, and moved to third when TJ singled. The Slams had runners on the corners with no outs. But Guthrie buckled down and escaped another jam without harm. He got Evan to fly out to Ron in left for the first out of the inning and Alec flew out to Frosty in center for the second out of the inning, stranding both runners.
After giving up runs early, Guthrie held the Ham Slams in check, retiring 7 of the final 9 batters he faced
TJ held the deficit at 7 runs in the bottom of the fifth. He started the inning by getting Ron to ground out to Evan in left field. Guthrie followed with a single, but Morrison flew out to deep left for the second out of the inning.
Guthrie remained in the game to close things out for the Caucasians, and the Slams couldn’t rally in the top of the sixth. Steve flew out to the mound for the first out of the inning, and Anthony, a single away from hitting the cycle, grounded out to Ron for the second out of the inning, ending the game.
The Caucasians moved to 3-2 on the season with the win, and the Ham Slams fell to 2-3.
W: Guthrie (2-1)
L: Evan (0-2)
Game Notes:
– Morrison led the Caucasians offensively, going 5 for 7 with 3 doubles, 2 homers, 5 RBI, and 3 runs scored. He also recorded 5 putouts in the field.
– Anthony set the pace for the Ham Slams on offense, going 4 for 5 with 2 doubles, a triple, and a home run. He also had 2 runs scored and an RBI. He needed a single for the cycle in his fourth at-bat, but stretched a hit into a double. He finished the game a single short of the cycle.
– Guthrie picked up the win, pitching 6 innings for the complete game, giving up 5 runs on 8 hits.
– Morrison’s 3 doubles ties Blose’s record of 3, which he set just last week.
– Anthony became only the 9th player in league history to hit a leadoff home run. Morrison became the 10th player to do it in the next inning of that same game. Morrison hit leadoff homeruns in two consecutive games. In the next game, Blose’s inside-the-park leadoff homerun was the 11th leadoff homerun in league history.
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