Game Recaps: Competitive Day 1, Game 2

After making such short work of Wiffle Deez Balls in the season opener, The Dave Easley Zach Morgan Project to be Named, Fuckers (project) was confident, bordering on cocky heading into their second game. Game two wold pit the victorious Naming Project against an already primed (read: drunk) Pitches and Hos.

Fouché lead off in the first against Morgan with a hard hit line drive triple back up the middle. Roe then knocked the first run of the game in with an opposite field double that fell just out of Easley's reach. Morgan pulled himself together and struck out the next two batters looking, but Fouché, in late game form (read: drunk), knocked an 0-1 pitch out of the park. Morgan would allow another single to Roe, and yet another triple to Fouché before getting out of the inning with a strikeout. The preseason favorites looked poised to dominate, with a four run lead already in the books against one of the better pitchers in the league.

In the bottom of the first, Easley lead off against Roe, and was promptly sat down on four pitches. Morgan then coaxed a walk out of a six pitch at bat, and Easley singled to right. Morgan flew out weakly, but Easley mashed a two out triple to get his team on the board. Next, Morgan walked once more to set the table for Easley's first home run of the season. Thoroughly flustered, Roe walked Morgan again before getting Easley to fly out weakly to the pitcher. The first inning ended with the Naming Project up 5-4.

The second inning started withe the Naming Project's fireballer, Easley, on the mound. He struggled to find the zone, walking the first two batters, until he got Fouché to pop up on the infield. The popup fell off of Easley's fingertips for a single. However, he was bailed out when Fouché gave in to his questionable decision making skills (read: he was drunk), and threw the bat at Easley, getting himself called out for batter's interference. Easley walked Roe once more before getting out of the inning with a flyout and a strikeout.

In the bottom of the inning, Fouché had difficulty finding the strike zone at first, and immediately gave up an opposite field double to Morgan in a 3-1 count. Then, a ground ball single by Easley was butchered by both Fouché and Roe for two errors in an incredibly uncoordinated (read: drunk) sequence. By the time a Molina was substituted, Easley had made his way to third. Finally, Good Fouché took over and he closed out the inning only down two with the score at 6-4.

The manager of the Naming Project made a curious decision when he sent Morgan back out for the save, despite Easley's scoreless frame in the second. Both opposing batters immediately doubled off him to shrink the league to one. Morgan rallied, however to strike out both of his next two batters swinging, the latter strikeout coming after falling behind 3-0. Down to their final out, the dreams of drinkers everywhere rested on Ryan Fouché. While you should never drive drunk, the good Doc Fouché took this opportunity to prove that it is in fact a good idea to hit a hanging cutter while under the influence, and deposited one out out of the park. Morgan managed to strike out the next batter he faced, but he left the inning down one run and with a blown save to his name.

Fouché then came on for the save, and got his first two batters before he took his turn to try for the last out. Easley had other plans, however, as he lined an 0-1 pitch so far out of the park that it was figuratively never seen again. A flustered Fouché walked his next batter before the manager called for a pitching change, rather than let Fouché face the powerful Easley once more. Like the true gamer he is, Full Count Roe struck out Easley on a caught third strike in a full count. The game was going to extra innings.

In the top of the fourth, Easley got Fouché to pop out, walked Roe, struck out Fouché, walked Roe again, walked Fouché to load the bases, and then struck out Roe to end the inning. Interestingly, Roe saw 15 pitches in this inning, and did not swing the bat a single time.

In the bottom of the inning, Pitches and Hos decided to play the matchups. Fouché started and struck out Morgan. Then Roe got Easley to hit a catchable fly ball which Fouché clumsily (read: drunkenly) dropped. Fouché then redeemed himself by striking out Morgan again, and then Roe came on to strike out Easley and send the game into the fifth.

To start the inning, the Naming Project stuck doggedly to their policy of rotating pitchers, sending Morgan back out. He immediately gave up a triple and two doubles (two runs) before Easley relieved him and struck out the now tired (read: drunk) side on only 11 pitches.

Now up by two runs, Pitches and Hos attempted once more to close out the game. They elected to again vary their pitchers by matchup. This time, however, Morgan hit a fly ball double off of Fouche's first pitch. Easley followed it with a ground ball single off of Roe, and then Morgan hit a another double off of Fouché that Roe predictable (read: still drunkenly) mishandled to allow the tying run to score from first. Fouché stayed on to face one more batter, and Easley made him pay, with a walk off home run to win the game.

With three home runs and three scoreless innings pitched, Easley announced himself as an MVP candidate. Pitches and Hos reaffirmed themselves as the immensely talented yet ironically flawed contender they were suspected to be. The rematch is excitedly awaited by fans of both teams.