River Cats Run Wild, Top Raptors 8-4

 ( Preview / Box Score )

The River Cats' Ben Moore gets a big lead at first.

On a frigid night at Bartholomew where icy winds were blowing out, one might have expected offensive fireworks to warm things up a bit. But, although the first opening day game had the potential for a power display, it turned out to be dominant pitching and aggressive base-running that stole the show and propelled the Valley Farm Transport River Cats to an 8-4 victory over the Raptors Saturday night.

Despite both teams riding the momentum of big wins on their respective opening days, it was the River Cats who stayed hot in the early going with a patient approach at the plate and the opposite on the bases. In the top half of the first alone, the River Cats set the tempo for the contest by drawing four walks and swiping five bases against the Raptors' hard-throwing southpaw starting pitcher Jeff Roberts. The base runners and their penchant for stealing early and often worked to perfection, as it put pressure on the Raptors defense (leading to three miscues) and allowed the River Cats to plate four runs in the frame despite Roberts striking out the side.

The Raptors' Jeff Roberts looks to pick at first base.

"Early in the season its important to build confidence in a young team," said third base coach Doug Scott. "We felt that the Raptors have a great pitching staff...[but] if we could put pressure on their defense, we could steal a few runs. Kind of a throw back."

In the second, it was much of the same, as the River Cats chased Roberts by opening the inning with three walks and a hit batsmen, setting the table for cleanup man Thomas Marini who greeted righty reliever Andrew Davidson with a two run single to center that made the score an imposing 7-0. After allowing a sharp single to Nate Haley, Davidson did settle the Raptors down and keep them within striking distance, allowing only a single run (on a third inning double by Christian Scott) while striking out two over 1 2/3 solid innings of relief.

Winning pitcher Thomas Marini delivers a pitch in another dominant start.

Unfortunately for the Raptors, Davidson and fellow right-hander Ethan Roberts, who spun two hitless innings with four punch-outs himself, had entered too late, as the River Cats' lead proved insurmountable thanks to their own strong performance on the mound. After drawing the opening day start and leading his team to victory on Thursday, southpaw Thomas Marini picked up right where he left off with a pair of scoreless innings. In the first, Marini struck out a pair of lefties and benefited from Roberts getting caught trying to steal home, but in the second, the lefty did it all himself by tying the all-time baseball record with four strikeouts in the inning, pitching around two walks and a wild-pitch strikeout to strike out the side and prevent the Raptors from closing the gap by even a run. The dominant outing pushed Marini's season line to eye-popping levels: in five innings pitched, he has yet to allow a hit or run while striking out thirteen hitters.

Relieving Marini was Christian Scott, who moved over from shortstop to take the hill and finished the game. After starting the third inning with a punchout, Scott got into a little trouble, as Ethan Roberts clobbered a triple to center field for the Rapters' first hit, before wildness ended the shutout bid as three walks and a hit batter brought two runs across and left the score 8-2. But, with the bases loaded and two outs, Scott buckled down and got the big strike out he needed to keep his team in control. Scott then carried that performance into the fourth inning which saw him strike out the side in order, including the last two looking.

In the fifth, though, with the time already expired, the Raptors clawed back and looked poised to make a game of it when Jeff Roberts hit a two run single off Scott that closed the deficit to four and left the tying run only a few hitters away. But, that momentum swing was short-lived, as Jimmy Roberts roped Scott's next pitch to first base, where the River Cats' Jared Lugo snared it and alertly stepped on first base for a double play that dashed the Raptors' comeback hopes.

Jared Lugo takes a big turn while Michael Reese waits for the cutoff throw.

For the River Cats, Austin Magdaleno was a dynamic force from the two-spot in the order with a single, three walks, and five stolen bases en route to scoring twice, while catcher Jake Pfau and second basemen Justin Blanton also swiped a pair of bags each. Jared Unmacht, Ben Moore, Marini, and Scott all scored runs as well, with Pfau crossing home twice himself.

The Raptors' offense was less productive than their opponents', but it nevertheless had its highlights. Shortstop Michael Reese worked two walks (including a marathon nine-pitch AB in the fifth), stole two bags, and scored twice, while Wesley Carpenter was a pitcher's nightmare himself in walking twice, including an RBI free pass and a stolen base. The Roberts brothers collected both Raptors hits, with Ethan scoring twice and Jeff driving in a pair late, and Ethan played great defensively in centerfield, gobbling up a trio of high shallow pop ups in the middle innings.

In our second Game of the Week on April 16th, fans will be treated to an exciting match-up as the explosive offense of the Rockhounds squares off against a feisty Sand Gnats squad. We hope to see you out there!