Mike, who went five-for-five to lead Questionable, celebrates with Tom at the plate after his third inning solo homer
Mike went a perfect 5-for-5 and hit for the cycle, and Miller was firmly in control on the mound, allowing only one run on four hits, as Questionable Outfit beat the Ham Slams 6-1 to extend their lead in the EWL season standings.
Miller retired the Ham Slams in order in the top of the first, and his offense got on the board in the bottom half of the inning. Bob singled to lead off the game, and two batters later, Mike doubled to score Bob, making the score 1-0.
Levi Sanders (filling in for Josh, out on vacation) tripled in the top of the second, but the Ham Slams couldn’t tie the game, as Miller retired Dan to strand the runner and end the inning.
Dustin, the Ham Slams’ starter, rolled through the bottom of the second, retiring Bob and Tom consecutively.
Miller continued to pitch effectively in the third, sending Steve and Dustin down in order.
Questionable Outfit would open up a sizable lead in the bottom of the third. Mike led off the inning with a solo homer, putt Questionable ahead 2-0. Miller doubled, and he scored from second on a Bob groundout to center, making the score 3-0. Tom followed with a solo blast, extending the Questionable lead to 4-0. Mike then tripled, and he scored when Miller followed with an RBI triple, pushing the score to 5-0. Bob hit an RBI single to score Miller from third, putting Questionable ahead 6-0, but he was caught trying to extend the hit into a double, ending the inning.
Down six runs, the Slams couldn’t cut into the Questionable lead in the fourth. Sanders led off the inning with a single, but Miller continued to strand runners for Questionable, retiring Dan and Steve to end the inning.
Tom and Mike each singled to start the bottom of the fourth (giving Mike the cycle in four at-bats), and it looked as if Questionable Outfit would open up a huge lead. Dustin buckled down, however, retiring Miller and Bob to avoid further damage, stranding two runners and ending the inning.
The Ham Slams continued to struggle at the plate in the top of the fifth. Dustin and Sanders were retired in order, and the Questionable lead remained 6-0.
Mike tripled with one out in the bottom of the fifth, making him five-for-five, but Questionable couldn’t score him, as Dustin retired Miller to end the inning and send the game to the sixth.
Dan’s solo homer in the sixth was the Ham Slams only offensive production in the game
With their backs against the wall, the Slams got on the board, but couldn’t engineer a big rally. Dan led off the top of the sixth with a solo homer to left, breaking up Miller’s shutout bid. Two batters later, Dustin hit a one-out single, but the inning would end shortly after when Miller retired Sanders to strand Dustin, ending the inning and the game with Questionable Outfit winning 6-1.
The win moved Questionable Outfit to 14-3 on the season, and the loss dropped the Ham Slams to 9-8.
W: Miller (6-2)
L: Dustin (5-3)
Game Notes:
– Miller pitched the complete game win for Questionable Outfit, allowing one run on four hits in six innings.
– Dustin took the loss for the Ham Slams, giving up six runs on eleven hits in five innings.
– Mike led Questionable Outfit on offense, going 5-for-5 with a single, a double, two triples, a home run, two runs scored, and two RBI.
– Levi Sanders led the Ham Slams at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a single and a triple.