Sandlot Baseball Logs – 05.2024 – Part II
The Drag took the Tulsa trip in stride and returned to Govalle’s friendly confines this past weekend against the North Austin Space Cowboys.
5.11.2024 – North Austin Space Cowboys vs. Austin Drag @ Govalle – 7pm
Even though jokes may have been said about sandlotters ripping names from professional baseball organizations, I’m not going to hold it against these fellas that they share a name with a AAA team. Maybe they just really, really like Steve Miller Band? Who’s to say?
What can be said is that the NASC are a solid bunch of guys.
Both starting pitchers– NASC’s Ben Kwiatkowski and Drag’s Steven Carrizales had both lineups tied up and off balance. After three innings, the score was knotted at 1s.
Notable defensive plays included David Rhodes making a quality play at first base to snare a liner and Ash tracking down a flyball in left.
Offensively, Keith flew around the basepaths all game long manufacturing a few runs along the way. RJ hit one to the wall but just couldn’t get his legs to produce more than a single (that happens). Simon had an RBI rip to the right side. Steven caught a barrel or two. Stillman and Rickner also got themselves a barrel.
Judging by all these barrels, you’d think we put up a ton of runs. Nope. Not really. The Space Cowboys’ pitching and defense stepped up when they needed and the Drag continued our long-standing tradition of stranding runners.
We love and value a spacious dugout. It’s pretty important. That in mind, we strategically keep our runners on the basepaths as to not cluster up and crowd the dugout. It gives us a little more breathing (and drinking) room on the bench.
Our pitchers stayed sharp. In a rare and brief relief appearance, Keith pitched the 4th and 5th. Marc Segal handled the 6th and Jeff Waterman the 7th. The Drag pitchers did an exceptional job of avoiding walks and barreled balls.
The score was 4-2 heading into the 8th. I (Rickner) pitched a clean top frame. The Drag scored three much-needed runs in the bottom half of the 8th.
The top of the 9th went a little goofy. There was a walk, a K, a towering popfly that found grass between left and center, then a well-hit liner over SS by their lefty leadoff man that scored two, a K, a swinging bunt that goes in the book just the same as a rifled single, and a final K.
That may read as boring, but I assure you, it wasn’t.
All in all, it was a sharp game played by both teams that was concluded in an expeditious fashion.
The final tally –
Space Cowboys – 4 gangsters of love
Drag – 7 Maurices
The last few leftover pics from Tulsa that were recently developed:
We get to bookend Memorial Day Weekend with two games against the Jardineros (Friday night and Monday morning).
Looking forward to it.