PORTER CO. IRON DIAMONDS 9
MILWAUKEE GRAYS 6

May 31, 2009 at Portage, Ind.

The first extended road trip of the season was not without its anxious moments.

First, due to other commitments, the Grays only had seven players available for the matches. And then three of those were delayed due a traffic accident, arriving in the sixth inning of the first game of the day (one not involving the Grays - although each game was only seven innings long).

Milwaukee's first match was against the host Iron Diamonds, who struck quickly for three in the first. But the fightin' Grays came right back with three in the bottom half. Singles by Spike, Smokey and Skeeter was followed by a three-bagger from Bonneyville recruit Godfather.

In the fourth, the Grays took the lead, putting runners on second and third on singles by Handyman (another Bonneyville recruit; Dead Pull led off with a hit, but was out at second on Handyman's hit) and Night Owl, who both moved over on an out by Spike. Smokey then delivered a two-bagger to score a pair and Skeeter accounted for another run with a double of his own.

Alas, the Grays fell apart some in the field in the seventh, allowing the Iron Diamonds three runs to tie the score. Porter County put up another three-spot in the eighth to win the game.

The Grays played the Millers in the day's final match. 

Milwaukee scored one in the first thanks to singles by Spike (who scored), Smokey and Skeeter (RBI). Spike and Smokey singled and scored in the third on a well-placed two-out hit by Iron Diamonds recruit Talons.

The runs were needed, as Bonneyville finally got on the board in the fifth with two aces.

But the hurling of Lefty and fine defensive play by the Grays kept the Millers at bay the final two innings.

Milwaukee did put on a tutorial on the foul tic rule, at one point having five strikers in a row retired on this backwards piece of hitting. There were several other instances of foul tics by the Grays in this contest ... which can be laughed about thanks to victory.

One note: The games were played with the rules of 1858, which meant a free pass back to your base after a caught fly and no advancing on a catcher's muff.

The statistics for the Grays were as follows:

Game 1 - vs. Iron Diamonds
Night Owl: 1-4, run
Spike: 3-4, run
Smokey: 3-4, 2b, 2 runs, 2 RBI
Skeeter: 2-4, 2b, run, RBI
Godfather*: 1-4, 3b, 3 RBI
Old Dog: 0-4
Esquire*: 1-3, 3b
Lefty : 0-3
Dead Pull: 2-3
Handyman*: 2-3, run

Game 2 - vs. Millers
Night Owl: 1-4
Spike: 3-4, 2 runs
Smokey: 2-4, run
Skeeter: 1-4, RBI
Diamond*: 2-4
Talons*: 3-4, 2 RBI
Old Dog: 1-4
Dead Pull: 3-4, 2b
Lefty: 1-4

* - recruits from other teams