It’s time for our second game of the year, as well as our home opener. It’s the first of three games at home this week. Today, we face off against the Marionville Comets. I’m familiar with Marionville. It’s only about 30 minutes away, and we played them in football and basketball regularly because we were in the same conference. While we are in District 10, Marionville is playing in District 9. They’re a favorite to win their district, so I’m expecting this to be a tough game. I’m pleasantly surprised to see 63 people in the bleachers for the game. Honestly, most of them are students who stayed after school to attend, but I do see a few parents in the stands as well. I’ve tapped junior John Daves as today’s starter. He can throw four pitches, none of them particularly well, though. Let’s just say his control needs some work. He tends to leave the ball up, and that can spell trouble depending on which way the wind is blowing.
The game starts and Daves surprises me a little. He gives up a leadoff single but then records two K’s. He allows another hit, but then gets his third strikeout of the inning to finish the 1st. My Bears don’t do so well. Although we get a base hit, a 6-4-3 double play sends us back to the dugout. Daves doesn’t fare so well in the 2nd, giving up three hits, as two runs score to put us in a 2-0 hole. The 3rd is better, but not for our bats. It’s not until the 4th that the guys put something together. John Graham delivers a 2-RBI double to deep center to help us tie the game. It stays tied until the 7th, as Marionville gets a double and single in the inning, which leads to a run. They add another run in the 8th, as our bats are silenced. Down 4-2 in the 9th, Graham leads off with a double, but he’s stranded there, as two of our players go down swinging, as another flies out. We lose the game 4-2 for our first loss of the season.