In a wet and soggy game, the Porkswords squandered an early lead against Loss Mitigation before mounting a dramatic comeback, punctuated by Miller’s two-run walk-off homer to left-center that ended one of the best games of the young 2018 season. Down 12-9 heading into the bottom of the sixth, Adam hit a two-run homer to draw the Porkswords closer before Miller capitalized on a Loss Mitigation fielding error with his walk off homer that completed a four-run comeback in the last game of week 4 before rain forced the remaining games to be postponed.
Josh started for the Porkswords, and Loss Mitigation would take an early lead against him in the top of the first. Bob led off the game with a double, and he moved scored from second when Mike followed with an RBI single that made the score 1-0. Nate then doubled to put runners on second and third with no outs, and Norris drove in one of the runners when he grounded out to left for the first out of the inning. Josh then retired Bob to end the inning, and Loss Mitigation led 2-0.
The Porkswords bounced right back in the bottom of the first. Josh led off with a double, and Adam followed with a two-run homer that tied the game at 2-2. Steve then tripled, and he scored when John grounded out to right for the first out of the inning. Loss Mitigation’s starter, Norris, retired Miller to end the inning, and the Porkswords had pulled ahead 3-2.
Loss Mitigation evened things up in the top of the second. Nate doubled with one out, and Norris tied the game with an RBI single to score Nate, making the score 3-3. Bob followed with a double, but Josh retired Mike to strand him, ending the inning with the game tied. Norris cruised through the bottom of the second, retiring the side in order, and the score was 3-3 through two innings.
Josh sent Nate and Norris down consecutively in the top of the third, and the Porkswords would take a big lead in the bottom of the third.
Steve led off the inning with his second triple of the game, and he scored on John’s RBI single, giving the Porkswords a 4-3 lead. Two batters later, with one out, Josh hit a two-run homer, scoring John, and the score was 6-3. Adam followed with a single, and Steve hit a towering two-run home run to right-center, putting the Porkswords ahead 8-3. John followed with his second single of the inning, but when Miller also singled, John was caught in between first and second for the second out, ending the inning.
Down five runs, Loss Mitigation cut into the deficit in the top of the fourth. Bob led off with a single, and Mike drove him in with a two-run homer to left, cutting the score to 8-5. Josh retired the next two batters, Nate and Norris, to end the inning.
Josh started the bottom of the fourth with his second homer of the game, a solo shot that made the score 9-5. Norris retired Adam and Steve to end the inning, and Loss Mitigation trailed by four runs through four innings.
Loss Mitigation got to work in the top of the fifth, erasing the Porkswords lead. Bob singled, and for the second consecutive inning, Mike drove him in with a two-run homer, cutting the Porkswords lead to 9-7. Nate doubled, and two batters later, Bob hit an RBI double to score him, and Loss Mitigation trailed 9-8. Mike then doubled, scoring Bob from second, and Loss Mitigation had tied the game at 9-9. Josh retired Nate to end the inning, but the Porkswords has relinquished a four run lead, as the game was tied.
Norris retired John and Miller in order in the bottom of the fifth, and as the rain continued to fall, the score was 9-9 heading into the final frame.
After coming back to tie the game in the fifth, Loss Mitigation would pull ahead in the sixth. Norris led off the inning with a single, and Bob put Loss Mitigation ahead for the first time in the game with a two-run homer, which made the score 11-9. Mike followed with a single, and Nate drove him in with an RBI double that put Loss Mitigation ahead 12-9. Two batters later, Bob singled, putting runners on the corners with one out, and it looked as if Loss Mitigation would blow the game open. However, Josh got Mike to fly out to left-center, stranding both runners and ending the inning.
The Porkswords had led the game throughout the first four innings before allowing Loss Mitigation to score seven unanswered runs, first tying the game and then taking a three run lead heading into the bottom of the sixth. It looked as if the Porkswords struggles would continue with another loss, but instead, they rallied with a series of hits that would provide a dramatic finish. Josh started the bottom of the sixth with a double, his fourth extra-base hit of the game. Adam followed with a two-run blast, his second two-run homer of the game, and after two batters, the Porkswords had narrowed the score to 12-11. Norris retired Steve for the first out of the inning, and the Porkswords were down to their final out. John hit a fly ball to shallow right, which Bob has been known to catch routinely. As the rain fell, he struggled to track it, and the ball fell off his hands and in for a single, giving the Porkswords hope. With the tying run on base and the winning run at the plate, Miller came up to bat, having been in a slump for most of the 2018 season. He may have found the turning point in his season, as he took full advantage of the fielding error. He crushed the ball to deep left-center, and Loss Mitigation immediately knew that they had blown the lead and game, as Miller trotted around the bases in the rain for a walk-off two-run homer that gave the Porkswords a stunning 13-12 win.
The win moved the Porkswords to 2-5 on the season, and with the loss, Loss Mitigation fell to 4-3, in a three way tie for first with Cheap Goats and Shady Characters.
Note: There were no photos taken during the game due to consistent rain and winds.
W: Josh (1-1)
L: Norris (2-2)
Game Notes:
– Josh pitched the complete game win for the Porkswords, giving up twelve runs on eighteen hits in six innings.
– Norris took the loss for Loss Mitigation, allowing thirteen runs on fifteen hits in 5.5 innings.
– Josh led the Porkswords on offense, going 4-for-5 with two doubles, two home runs, four runs scored, and three RBI.
– Adam had two home runs for the Porkswords, going 3-for-5 also with a single and four RBI.
– Bob led Loss Mitigation on offense, going 7-for-8 with three singles, three doubles, a home run, five runs scored, and four RBI.
– Miller became the third player in 2018 to hit a walk-off homer, and it was the first of his career.
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