Mark, lining one up against Bob of Questionable Outfit, led Eastbound & Dahn at the plate and on the mound,
Mark held the explosive Questionable Outfit offense in check on the mound and provided enough run support for himself at the plate to lead Eastbound & Dahn to an 8-2 win.
Questionable Outfit started Bob against Eastbound & Dahn, and he got into trouble early. The game’s first hitter, Mark, doubled and moved to third when Hartley grounded out to left for the first out in the inning. The next batter, Ivan, singled, scoring Mark to give Eastbound a 1-0 lead. With one-out and a runner on first, Mark hit his second double of the inning, scoring Ivan from first to make the score 2-0. Hartley came to the plate and crushed a two-run blast to left, and Eastbound & Dahn were up four runs having only registered a single out. Bob finally got out of the inning, as Ivan grounded out to left for the second out, but Eastbound had taken a sizable lead early.
Hartley had 3 RBI for Eastbound & Dahn, including a two-run bomb in the first inning
Mark, starting on the mound for Eastbound, cruised through the bottom of the first, retiring Tom and Reilly in order.
Mark scattered 8 hits while allowing only 2 runs
Bob seemed to have found his bearings in the top of the second, as he pitched a perfect inning. He got some run support in the bottom half of the inning, when Mike led off with a solo home run, cutting the deficit to 4-1. Bob followed with a single, but was stranded at first as Mark retired the next two batters.
Mike put Questionable Outfit on the board with a solo shot in the bottom of the second
Things got sticky for Bob again in the top of the third. Ivan led off the inning with a solo bomb, extending the Eastbound & Dahn lead to 5-1. The next batter, Mark, crushed a solo blast to right-center, and Eastbound & Dahn were up six runs. Hartley followed with a double, but was caught in between bases trying to extend the hit into a triple. Bob then retired Ivan to end the inning.
Mike singled to lead off the bottom of the third, but he wouldn’t advance past first, as Mark retired Bob and Tom consecutively.
Mark continued to crush in the top of the fourth, leading off the inning with a double. The next batter, Hartley, grounded out to deep left, but Mark raced from second to home to score, extending the Eastbound & Dahn lead to 7-1. Bob then retired Ivan for the second out of the inning.
It looked as if Questionable Outfit would rally in the bottom of the fourth. Reilly led off the inning with a single, and Mike followed with a double, but Reilly was caught in between second and third for the first out of the inning. Mark then retired Bob for the second out, stranding the runner at second.
Bob pitched a perfect frame in the top of the fifth, and his offense finally cut into the lead in the bottom half of the inning. Reilly, the first batter of the inning, doubled. Mike followed with a single, and Reilly scored from second to cut the score to 7-2. But Mark limited the damage, retiring Bob and Tom to strand the runner, maintaining a 5-run lead through five innings.
Eastbound & Dahn would add one more to their lead in the top of the sixth. Ivan led off the inning with a solo homer, his second of the game, making the score 8-2. Hartley would single after Mark grounded out for the first out of the inning, but Bob escaped further trouble, retiring Ivan to end the inning.
Tom grounded out for the first out in the bottom of the sixth, and Reilly followed with a one-out double. But Questionable Outfit couldn’t string together hits, as Mark retired Mike for the second out of the inning, giving Eastbound & Dahn an 8-2 win.
The win snapped Eastbound & Dahn’s three-game losing streak, and improved their record to 3-5 on the season. The loss broke Questionable Outfit’s three-game winning streak, dropping them to .500 at 4-4 for the year.
W: Mark (1-1)
L: (1-1)
Game Notes:
– Mark pitched the complete game for Eastbound & Dahn, giving up 2 earned runs on 8 hits for the win
– Bob took the loss for Questionable Outfit, allowing 8 earned runs on 10 hits
– Mark also led Eastbound at the plate, going 4-for-7 with 3 doubles, a home run, 4 runs scored, and 2RBI
– Ivan and Hartley each had 3 hits for Eastbound
– Mike led Questionable Outfit at the plate, going 4-for-5 with 2 singles, a double, a home run, a run scored, and 2RBI