KT 64.35—DM crushes LOU 18-3 with fan-voted* lineup on Fan Appreciation Day

[JRamirez]

18 runs, 20 hits, six home runs: the DM offense is back!

Is it too late? One thing is for sure: and that's that that damn Des Moines team slugged the Sluggers and evened the season series with them 7-7 in an old-fashioned afternoon thump-down before the home faithful.

[This just in: DM and LOU will face each other in Round One of the 2064 BBA playoffs!]

The fans had pre-selected the Kernels starting lineup and starting pitcher, and made "managerial calls" throughout the game. In a show of solidarity, or surrender, DM freshman skipper Denie van Tiggelen stripped to his skivvies on field after the game, in a scene that would make Bikini blush, or look away in second-hand embarrassment, as the portly Jenkins went "Walter White" on everybody. His offer to resign as manager and hire 54,000 fans in his place went down with boos, though.

*One technical change, with catcher Terry Pitzer unavailable, Dan Davidson played, and Ricardo Magana was moved to Pitzer's No. 3 position in the batting order and Davidson batted 9th. Magana responded with home runs in the both the first and third innings, both off Vinz Clortho, who surrendered five runs (4 earned) in 4.1 innings. Clortho allowed his third home run, to Ken'ichi Okubo, in the fifth. Both Okubo and Magana finished with five runs batted in.

Pedro Gongora drove in three runs with a pinch-hit home run in the 8th. Okubo and Davidson also homered in that frame, and the six runs that crossed the plate upped the score to 18-3. Santiago Quintanilla, who the fans voted to bat leadoff, had three hits and scored four times. Bishr, Scaife, Salazar, and Davidson all had two hits.

Pitching wise, the tactics went well: Pepe Domínguez opened his 15th game, and allowed one hit in 1.2 innings. And fan-voted and feted Victor Trevino pitched a "quality bulk," that is, he zinged six innings of three-hit ball, struck out five, allowed one run on no walks. Dredge worker ("mop up" or in this case spillage engineer) Raúl Morales managed to not blow the 12 to nothing lead he inherited in the 8th. He would allow two earned runs and contribute a balk and a hit batsmen.

Three Louisville errors contributed to the growing circus-like atmosphere, although only two of the 18, did I say 18?, runs were unearned. The crowd rooted for former Popper Tommy Akers to appear; perhaps he would've been the Sluggers' seventh slinger of the afternoon, had he pitched.

Trevino's win was his sixth in a row as a follower. Fans will follow him to Ohio as he expects one more bulk game versus the Nine as part of Des Moines last-second search for a wildcard spot.

"Welp, we walloped them," Van Tiggelen said after re-dressing, "let's see what we can do at Ohio." Wildcard spot or not, the 2064 Fan Appreciation Day will be remembered as a fantastic way to finish the regular season home schedule at the great and local Kum & Go, the world's largest, with an attached baseball stadium.

Follow-up: The 2064 struggle between these two teams will continue! as the Kernels sneak into the playoffs despite only splitting with Yellow Springs, due to the September '64 meltdown of Twin Cities, 7-16 in the month.

[BaseClogger]

Looks like the fans are better at this than you are

[JRamirez]

Looks like the fans are better at this than you are

hee hee, yeah!