There was rain in the forecast for Monday afternoon, the ballgame at McCaskey was postponed ahead of time and it proved to be the right choice. By (what would have been) 4:15 game time it was coming hard and lasted through most of the evening. The rain was gone on Tuesday morning but it was chilly and windy, in late afternoon we were at the ballfield for a game rescheduled from April 6. Penn Manor visited for a divisional game that started out as a disaster but ended as a classic for reasons both good and bad. The game began at 4:15 with temperatures in the mid-40s and the wind hawking from the northwest at twenty miles per hour. Penn Manor jumped to a 2-0 lead in the first and added six more before the Red Tornado came alive in the fifth inning. Tobe Kuntz started it with a double, Orion Frailey was hit by the pitch and Elliot Fluck walked to load the bases. Braulio Rivera's sac fly scored Kuntz from third, Landis Fluck followed with a two-run double scoring Frailey and younger brother Elliot to make it 8-3. PM scored five in the sixth to go up 13-3, all they needed was to retire JPM scoreless in their half to end the game via mercy rule but it didn't happen. Base hits by Cole Hatfield, Frailey and Elliot Fluck loaded the bases, Alex Ruiz drew a walk plating Cole to keep the game alive at 13-4. In the seventh the Red Tornado put together a rally for the ages, it started with Landis Fluck reaching on a strikeout-passed ball and consecutive walks to Elias Morales and Hatfield loading the bases with none out. Tobe Kuntz hit a sac fly scoring Fluck, Frailey followed with a two-run single to make it 13-7. Ian Santos kept the line moving with a walk, after the second out Alex Ruiz doubled to score Frailey and Santos bringing JPM to within four at 13-9. Adrian Rodriguez drew a walk and Landis Fluck continued the uprising with another two-run double chasing home Ruiz and Rodriguez. Elias Morales kept it going by drawing the fifth walk of the inning, Hatfield capped the rally with another two-rule double scoring Fluck and Morales to tie the score (incredibly and unbelievably) at 13-13 with the last six runs hitting the plate after the second out. Into extra innings we went, in their half of the eighth PM went back ahead 15-13. In the bottom half JPM put together a two-out rally that ended suddenly on a fielders-choice groundout where the runner clearly beat the throw and was ruled out. Any umpire can miss a call but this was egregious, it was almost as if he was saying "I'm cold and I'm tired, I want to go home". Elias Morales pitched the eighth inning and took the loss, Elliot Fluck had started with Frailey and Noah Stoycos working middle relief. With it all I walked into my house over three hours after the game started, I was cold and I was tired and glad to be home (sarcasm intended). Take care, thanks for reading.
