Milleteers Embarrass Themselves In Bardo

Coming off a tough defeat in Ryley two nights ago that saw the squad crush the ball around the diamond only to be rewarded with a tough luck loss the Milleteers headed down the road to Bardo needing a win if they had any hopes of home field advantage in the playoffs.  

 

After the four games on the weekend the team was a little low on pitching, but had hard throwing youngster Mark Walker rested and ready to go in this one.  It seemed like a good fit as Walker was 3-0 versus the Athletics last year.  It was anything but however as the first inning turned into a ridiculous debacle that resembled a blooper video more than an actual baseball game.  Everyone knows that the Bardo fair grounds can be a difficult place to play at times with the bad hops, swirling winds, and the diamond pointing straight into the sun, but even with all of that good stuff to contend with the Milleteers still took awfulness to a whole new level in the bottom half of the first.

 

It started off well enough as the Milleteers got a couple of hits and stolen bases to plate two in the top half before a nifty double play turned in by the Athletics limited the damage.  The bottom half was a different story.  The leadoff hitter grounded out to third, but a good old Bardo hop ate up the third baseman to get the inning started.  Then four four pitch walks later the game was tied.  Another infield error, followed by another walk, an another infield error, a botched pickoff throw to first, and finally another infield error and the A’s had scored seven runs without a hit.  With the game imitating a mosquito house league game coach Steven Pahl was calling for the seven run rule to end the inning, and thankfully the A’s seemed to oblige with a stikeout.

 

It didn’t get much better in the second as the first pitch Walker threw was a hard fastball right to the spine of A’s catcher Ken Bragett, then another error, but the A’s would only manage to get one leaving the bases loaded.  After a clean third inning the A’s finally decided to score some runs the old fashioned way by actually hitting the ball as they potted another four runs off of six hits and another walk.  At least the outfielders were solid tonight or else the game might still be going on.

 

The shell shocked Milleteers finally snapped out of their bewilderment at what had been happening on the defensive side of the ball in the fifth after a one out walk kick started a six run rally capped off by Millet Minor Ball product Josh Johnson’s second double of the wall in as many innings.  This outburst chased the Bardo starter and they were forced to bring in PBL vet Chris Middlestat to stop the bleeding.

 

After the Milleteers surprisingly got back in the game in the fifth they handed the ball off to Steven Pahl, working on short rest and with no warm up.  Despite not being able to break the speed limit with his fastball, he mixed and matched his pitches low in the zone and got through two scoreless innings to give his team a chance for a comeback.  That chance would come in the top of the sixth with the top of the order up.  After leadoff hitter Zack Leach would strikeout, in front of his girlfriend in the crowd no less, Shane Gerein would rip his third hit of the night, followed by a Steven Pahl hit to get things rolling again.  It would all be for not though as cleanup hitter Trevor Pahl would hit a hard grounder up the middle that was turned into a 6-4-3 inning ending double play, although the call on the back end of it was a bit atrocious.  After that the Milleteers would go down meekly in the seventh and with it so to went their chance at a third straight regular season title and free league fees. 

 

Next up for the Milleteers will be their final regular season game against the first place Armena Royals on Tuesday, a game that would have been an important game to determine first place.  Now after back to back losses this week the best the Milleteers can do is win and hope for some help to finish second.  Or they can keep losing and possibly finish fourth, which might be more fitting considering their ugly play at times this year.