SPORTSPLEX — Friday, June 26 — Last year, the SweatSox successfully deployed a two-man pitching rotation that carried them all the way to the Tier 3 championship series.
This year, the Lynx apparently decided that if a two-man rotation was good enough for the SweatSox, it was good enough for them.
With Nick Jimenez and Dave Rotari carrying the bulk of the pitching workload, the plan seemed sound. There are, however, only two things that can really go wrong with a two-man rotation: when a three-game week rolls around and your No. 1 pitcher isn’t fully recovered, or when one of your two pitchers decides to go on vacation during the Finals.
For the Lynx, it was the first one.
Facing the SweatSox at the tail end of a three-game stretch with their pitching staff stretched thin, the Lynx were forced into a bullpen game Friday night. The SweatSox were more than happy to take advantage, scoring 17 runs over their four offensive innings en route to a 17-3 victory.
“It’s a pretty simple formula,” said SweatSox pitcher Josh Ramage, who knows a thing or two about leaving a team short-handed after his own vacation during last year’s Finals. “Hey now, I thought Eric could handle things while I was gone. I was wrong.”
The SweatSox wasted no time making the Lynx pay.
All eight of the first eight SweatSox batters to come to the plate in the bottom of the first inning scored, with seven different Sox players recording an RBI. Andrew Hierlihy capped the early barrage with a two-run single as the SweatSox quickly turned the game into a 9-1 affair.
“We had a pretty straightforward game plan,” said Lynx acting manager Jacob Symington. “We wanted to retire their first three guys in the order in order, and we did exactly that. Unfortunately, it was after the Sox had already batted around, which put us in a pretty terrible position for the rest of the game.”
The offensive onslaught continued from there, with the SweatSox adding eight more runs over their final three trips to the plate.
While the offence was busy piling up runs, Ron Martelle quietly put together one of the best pitching performances of the season.
Making his third start of the year, Martelle went the distance for a complete-game five-hitter, allowing just two walks and zero earned runs while striking out five. The performance earned Martelle his third win of the season.
“I was in complete control out there,” Martelle said. “At one point I even considered giving up six runs just so Andrew could get another chance to strike out.”
That opportunity never came.
Despite the 17 runs, the SweatSox actually had more players walking than hitting the ball. Nine different Sox players combined to draw 12 walks, while the team collected just 10 hits in what was a rare demonstration that sometimes the baseball gods reward patience, or perhaps simply have no idea what’s happening.
Hierlihy and Jaspreet Sanghra led the offence with two hits apiece. Hierlihy also had the distinction of recording both of the SweatSox’s strikeouts on the night.
James Paul and Trevor Williams led all SweatSox hitters with three RBI each.
“We did whatever it took to get the job done,” said SweatSox manager Cory Bond. “Tonight, that apparently meant walking 12 times and letting Ron do all the work on the other side of the ball.”
The only real hint of a potential Lynx comeback came in the third inning, when the Lynx trailed 9-1 and starting pitcher Ryan Bradley attempted to steal second base.
He was thrown out.
Andrew Hierlihy, behind the plate, made a perfect throw to second to snuff out what experts had immediately predicted would be the beginning of the greatest comeback in Sportsplex history.
“I knew if Bradley got to second, the floodgates were going to open,” Hierlihy said. “So I was glad to put an end to that the way I did — with a laser to second.”
The laser, unfortunately for the Lynx, was followed by approximately eight more SweatSox runs.
By the time the dust settled, the SweatSox had scored 17 runs on only 10 hits, held the Lynx to three runs on five hits, and completed a 14-run victory.
With the win, the SweatSox now turn their attention to their next outing Monday night, when they head across the pond to Sanscatier for an 8:30 p.m. matchup with the Expos.
Whether the Expos arrive with enough pitching remains to be seen. Given the events of Friday night, the SweatSox will presumably be keeping a close eye on everyone’s vacation schedules.
Final SweatSox vs Lynx Notes/Thoughts:
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- Eric is a bottom.
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- The racism is crazy.
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- Word is Tequila Sunrise @ Westboro Beach was lit.
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- Mark would never put apple sauce on a bun.
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- Irish bomb shots are big with Jesus lovers.
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- You can caramelize your own onions next time.
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- If you’re not cooking your breakfast on a Blackstone griddle, what are you even doing?
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