Your Mariners of Fort Collins continued their recent string of baseball dominance last night in Loveland, beating the Implant Dental Rockies 17-2 with great pitching, fielding, and sweet, sweet baseball patience.  In a game where SS Drew literally had the laces of a fastball tattoo'd on his back - and a game where 11 runs were scored with walks and wild pitches and baseball moxie - the Mariners took every opportunity they were given to play and win baseball by the book.  6 straight wins - an .818 winning percentage - a +110 run differential.  These 13 young dudes are becoming ballplayers and building a championship caliber team right before our eyes folks.  Your weekend recap ... 

Mariner Bats:  One of the cool things about baseball is that every game is different.  You're asked to compete against players and pitchers with different skill sets and ages and speed to their fastball.  The Mariners were facing a fire baller for 2 and 2/3s innings on Friday night and put together a patient 11 run effort without a single hit.  Now he is a baller and he'll be playing high school ball this coming August as a sophomore, but last night our 11 batters were given very little to hit during his herculean 110 pitch effort.  In fact, via Drew's left lat and Scottie H's left hand, we were HIT more than we HIT.  Cam was less than a baseball's width from an opposite field extra base hit in the first - JT, Damian, and Carson all fouled off pitch after pitch -  and Luke reached on an error but only after making solid honest contact.  Corte and Turtle drew back 2 back walks that resulted in a new pitcher who unleashed Mariner hitters.  Wyatt - Cameron - KR all drove honest triples to the fences.  And Drew, Luke, Carson and Turtle collected singles like a lemonade stand.  And that is how you score 17 runs. 

Mariner Arms:  When the story of the 2022 Mariners is written the chapter on our pitching depth is going to induce aggressive-page-turning.  Wyatt needed just 26 pitches to sneak through 2 innings of 0 hit, 4 K, 1 run ball.  He passed the baton to Cam who thread his way through some solid base hits and busy basepaths, keeping the damage limited to a single run.  And then KR took the rock and fired 9 of 15 pitches for strikes and faced the minimum 3 batters for the save.  

Mariner Gloves:  You can call them web gems or plus plays or just Mariners being Mariners.  Our guys were flat out on-their-game last night in the field.  Wyatt kicked off the glove work from the bump in the first inning by nabbing a come backer to the mound and tossing a strike to 1B Cam.  In the second, 1B Jack made a major league caliber scoop of a rocket from SS Drew to record the first out of what was to be a 1-2-3 inning.  The third inning you ask?  2B Luke's one bounce pick of SS KR's slightly wild toss to the left of the bag cut a bases loaded situation in half and prevented a crooked number from the box score.  And CF Damian continues to make it just look so easy in the outfield, gobbling up green grass like a shiny new John Deere and catching anything hit in his zip code.  And finally - the last inning - let's give it up for that frigid frozen rope from C Jack to 3B Carson to nail that Rockie runner by 3 steps and a hopeful slide.  

Mariners Around the Bases:  11 dudes up to bat and all 11 dudes came around to score.  I was able to take attendance working the 3rd base coaching box.  Just a fantastic competitive effort out there on the pillows.

Next Up:  Well we all knew the last league game of the season would be here sooner or later, and it is officially later.  Next Wednesday the 13th - 4:15 warm ups and 5:15 first pitch - Edora Park. Your FC Mariners vs. the FC Dodgers.   These Dodgers are scary.  They're 8-3, have won 4 straight games, and are named after a team that has played meaningful playoff baseball this generation.  They absolutely mollywhopped the two teams the Ms lost to by a combined score of 27-6.  The results of their season schedule offers quite the trail of baseball havoc as the Dodgers have put up double digit runs on offense in all 8 of their wins - and they've held their opponents to 4 runs or less in 5 of those games.  

And we'll have a blazing hot practice tomorrow - Sunday the 10th - from 6 to 8 at Stew Case.  I'll send another mail on it but please come on out - we've just a few more hours and innings left of this baseball caper.  Let's make every second count.

Nerd Alert:  As a baseball nerd I fact checked one of the calls last night around baserunners in the act of stealing a bag advancing on a hit-by-pitch.  Wyatt was on 2nd and actively stealing 3rd when Scottie H was drilled in the left hand.  While he was awarded 3rd by the umps he should have been forced back to 2nd per the rules and regs.  Who knew?

Postgame Huddle:  "We made plus plays tonight - the kind that change the course of a game and stop the other team in their tracks.  Jack - Luke - Damian made those plays.  But we also made the plays we practice.  Scottie H fielded 2 base hits to RF perfectly limiting the extra bases.  Corte and Kevin and Drew made the stops in the infield.  Carson and KR were in position to make the tags at 3B.  We are backing up the pickoff attempts.  We are doing all the little things that make space for the big things to happen.  Also, I love Abba."  Coach Matt Organ.

Thanks to everyone for coming out in a big way last night.  Loveland has never looked and sounded so amazing.  This is quite a unique baseball family and I thank you so much for your commitment to this team.  It has been a blast.

OK - one more game to go and be awesome - and then the playoffs.  Lets keep competing.

Go Mariners!

Coach