Opening Day 1970
The season starts with 6 games on the road, venturing up North to pre-season favorite in the NAL West Vancouver Mounties, then heading back down the I-5 Interstate to Portland for 4 games with the Mavericks. Next week we will host the Mounties for 3 and the San Francisco Quakes for 3 games as part of a 9-game home stand.
While we have nothing to compare as far as season, career or league history so far we can take a pretty good look at the Mounties and the biggest thing that jumps out is they have 3 of the best bats in the NBA. RF Adrian Street (26) is their leadoff hitter and the #1 position player by ranking. 2B Jesus Rubio (34) is #4 overall and their C Paul Bostic (22) is #17. We don’t have any position players cracking the top 20. We do have pitcher Wes Somerville who is #15 on the hurlers ledger. The Mounties have no one in the top 20 pitching wise…..thank goodness. Still their pitching staff based on the pre-season “experts” says they will allow 37 total runs less than we do and their collective ERA will be 0.30 lower than ours. Their bullpen has some strength but from a starters standpoint, at least based on scouting, I don’t see it.
Pitching Matchups
Wes Somerville vs Joe Anderson
Mike Wynns vs Chris Sherwood
Game #1
Sea LF Collins, 2B Marquez, LF Carmona, 1B Reed, RF McDonald, 3B Pena, SS Weber, C Pardo, P Wes Somerville
Van RF Seaton, CF McBride, 2B Rubio, C Bostic, LF Gargano, 1B Weigel, 3B Trevino SS Martinez, P Joe Anderson
Seattle’s CF Joe Collins got the first hit in Trident's history when he beat out an infield hit. He then stole 2nd base during Rafael Marquez full count groundout, but couldn’t advance. On the first pitch to LF Carmona, Collins stole 3rd base. Carmona then lofts a full count Sac Fly to RF and Collins easily scores the first run to make it 1-0 Seattle. Vancouver’s RF Adrian Seaton not to be out done, walks on 5 pitches from Somerville, then steals 2nd and 3B on successive pitches without a throw! McBride lines out to 3rd, Rubio and Bostic strike out swinging to end the threat. Seattle goes down quietly in the 2nd and 3rd, but the Mounties get a meaningless 2-out single from Trevino in the 2nd. RF Adrian Seaton is at it again and this time hits a 1-out double, but a lazy infield fly to 3B by McBride and a 6-3 groundout by Rubio ends the threat once again.
Tridents get a walk in the 4th with 1 out from Carmona but can’t do anything but in the bottom of the 4th the Mounties finally break through. Somerville walks Bostic, Gargano singles with the slow footed Bostic moving up to 2nd. Another walk this time to Jason Weigel and the sacks are full with none out. Trevino hits into a 4-6-3 double play, but Bostic rambles home. After an intentional walk to Martinez in the #8 spot, P Joe Anderson strikes out looking to end the 4th tied 1-1.
Top of the 6th, after a lineout to CF by P Somerville, Collins walks and steals 2B and induces a throwing error from C Bostic to advance to 3B. 2B Marquez is intentionally walked and then steals 2B. Runners at 2nd and 3rd, 1 out with 1B Rod Reed up. Reed fouls off 4 pitches before hitting a line drive single to left to score Collins and Marquez (beats the throw). Vancouver got one back on a RBI-single from Trevino to make it 3-2 Tridents after 6. Top of the 9th, SS Adam Weber doubles, Pardo grounds out 4-3 to move Weber to 3rd base. PH Dan Henderson singles to score Weber to make it 4-2. Collins singles but Henderson is caught between 2nd and 3B. Marquez walks and then Carmona singles to drive in Collins from 2nd to make it 5-2.
Bottom of the 9th and closer Kyle Gorman on to pitch. Leadoff back to back singles by Trevino and Zachary Alexis put runners on 1st and 2nd. Gorman then walks pinch hitter Alfonso Amador on 4 straight pitches and the bases are loaded with no outs with the top of the Mounties order coming up and the ever dangerous Adrian Seaton. Seaton grounds out to 2B 4-2 to get the runner at the plate for out #1. Gorman then falls behind 2-0 before coming back to get McBride to fly out to shallow left on a 2-2 pitch. Gorman then gets Jesus Rubio to strike out swinging on a 2-2 pitch to end the game. The Tridents had won their first game ever.
CF Collins 3-5 with 3 SB and 3 runs scored. *P Somerville 8IP 5H, 4BB, 2R 1ER 7K 1-0, SS Weber 3-4 DB, RS, 2B Marquez 1-2 3BB SB RS
We seem to be running fools with 5 stolen bases and 1 caught stealing.
A- 24,087 T 3:03
*POTG - P Wes Somerville
Quote:
|
OOC - We will not likely go through games in this detail and will be much more summarized, but for the first ever game I decided to put in the detail.
|