Niagara Power Manager Josh Rebandt need not have worried about his warriors losing humility during the course of a seven-game win streak. The game takes care of that all by itself. Three-game series with two of the New York State Collegiate League’s stronger teams produced but a single victory as weather and the fates came down hard on the Blue Bolts.
Thursday night’s 11-9 loss to the second-place Geneva Twins wasn’t exactly a 9/11 to the team’s playoff plans, but it did induce a feeling of “whadda we gotta do?” First, the Power fell behind 6-0 as Perry Turner, pitching bravely after starting Tuesday’s suspended game, struggled to keep his mates within reach. In four innings Geneva had 13 hits for 20 total bases in 24 at-bats but only a four-run lead.
And reach they did. When Hunter Bingham zig-zagged a two-RBI single through the box in the seventh it was a soda-pop game, 7-7. Then Geneva filled the bases without so much as an official at-bat (hit batsman, walk, error on sacrifice).
Twin cleanup Calvin Woolheiser hit a frightful, twisting liner, a certified face-eater, in the direction of Gabe Savigny at second. Savigny tamed it and back-handed to Ivan Acuna to start the inning-ending double play, strangers from towns 650 miles apart working the relay like Tinker and Evers.
Then chance took over. As the first baseman stretched, the throw ticked off his glove. Two unearned runs scored. It would pin the loss on Dan Twitty, most effective pitcher of the night.
More heartbreak lurked at the first turn. The Power Drove out the Twins’ middle reliever, who had the “hat trick” — balk, wild pitch and hit batsman in one inning. Caleb Lang, representing the tying run, scorched one, extra bases written all over it until Geneva’s first baseman Jason Ibrahim leaped to erase it with a fingertip snag.
In romantic slang, the Power’s heart was broken because it couldn’t get to first base.
GOING, GWYNN, GONE – It fell to Base Paths’ daughter to inform him that Tony Gwynn had died, and while he was crushed by the message he was happy for the messenger, who is only a casual fan of the game.
It was a pleasure to tell her what a grand man had been called up, a gentleman without peer with a remarkably adept swing. Base Paths believes he once read that in one season, Gwynn had swung and missed only 12 times, but can not confirm this. He had the third-lowest strikeout ratio of anyone who ever played the game.
But tobacco, the chewing kind, did to Tony Gwynn what no pitcher could. Base Paths is loath to blame the victim, but if you’re still reading, please, please, lay off that stuff. Please. We need Tony Gwynns to stay among us longer than 54 years.
Signal back to Base Paths via pollyndoug@hotmail.co
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