The frigid air of this April’s morning awoke a sensation of doubt regarding whether or not this game would be played tonight. On the journey to my job job type job, through the radio speakers in the Buntmobile™, it became clear that this was a historic day in Omaha as the temperatures bottomed out at 13 degrees, breaking a record that was set in 1899 according to the National Weather Service.
I know baseball players don’t particularly like baseball in cold weather. Just recently, it drove Tampa Bay centerfielder Kevin Kiermaier to ponder the option of covering his entire body in Vaseline for an extra layer of warmth. Baseball is meant for the boys in summer, not some stupid early April tundra.
My doubts of this game happening, as of this writing, were misplaced. The Jays, now 17-6, were certainly ready for this game to be played. Their opposition in a now 15-14 Kansas State squad? Not so much.
With Preston “The Holy King Of The Anthills” Church hurling the white orb for the home squad, coming off his stellar Nebraska dub, facing off against a 3.57 ERA dude in Jared Marolf, it would be a tale of season trajectories meandering in opposite directions. The Holy King Of The Anthill’s trajectory is trending upward, way upward, while Marolf barely got out of the first inning.
Clark Brinkman got things going early for the Bluejays in the 1st inning (Spomer / WBR) $CLICK TO BUY$
That first inning featured three Bluejay runs, starting with a Clark Brinkman single. Brinkman turned that into a philosophical double as he swiped second on the very first pitch of the next at bat. After Isaac Collins flied out, Mike Emodi would be hit squarely in the left shoulder with a breaking pitch, giving the Jays runners on 1st & 2nd with just one out.
All hell broke loose just three pitches later as Will Robertson tagged a liner down the right field line, the ball scurrying to the corner, allowing both Brinkman and Emodi to score. After the K-State right fielder took enough time to make and eat a ham sandwich to get the ball in, Robertson slid into third with nary a threat of getting thrown out. Robertson then trotted home after Thomas Luevano roped a grounder to third, only for the third baseman to panic and fumble the ball, allowing Luevano safe passage to first.
Jack Strunc would follow this up with a single to left, only to be moved to second after Ryan Mantle worked a walk. Bases chucked, Jason ‘All The Berries’ Allbery to the dish.
All the berries would get all the remaining outs after grounding into a 6-4-3 double play.
3-0, Jays. After one.
The scoring efforts weren’t quite over for the Jays, however, as they managed to pile on some more in the fifth. After back-to-back pop outs from Emodi and Robertson, Tommy Luevano ignited a 2-out rally from the Baseball Gods by catapulting a double into the left-center gap. Jack Strunc continued his hot approach at the dish by… drawing a walk. Luevano and Strunc would proceed the next 90′ after a wildpitch from K-State pitcher Andrew Stratman – who came in to relieve Marolf at the top of the inning – who then proceeded to walk Mantle.
All the berries had all the bases occupied… again. This time, he didn’t disappoint, as he handcuffed the third baseman and moved everyone up 90′, giving the Jays their first run of the two-out rally. Parker Upton would follow this up by… drawing a walk, putting up another gritty (easy) run.
That’d be it for the ‘Cats Stratman, as he’d be replaced by Quentin Potter. This is where I’d say, with a terrible English accent, “You’re going to be a pitcher, Quentin!”
Though his weird scar might mean he’s a pitcher, Quentin Potter certainly didn’t show it off, because his first pitch was deposited deep into left field, the ball caroming off the bottom pads of the bullpen wall, sending each and every Bluejay baserunner home.
Brinkman cleared the bases later in the game (Spomer / WBR) $CLICK TO BUY$
Clark Brinkman stood atop second base, victorious in his endeavor. He’d defeated the chosen one. Isaac Collins would then proceed to pop out, ending the inning, but there was officially a snowman dancing on the scoreboard, Jays up 8-0.
From then on the Bluejays set the game on cruise control. The Holy King Of The Anthills proceeded to strike out 3 in his 5 1/3 innings pitched, allowing no runs, while tossing 73 pitches – 42 of them for strikes. Grant Spranger would relieve him in the 6th and get the remaining two outs.
Spranger allowed a hit to the first batter in the 7th and got pulled for Mitch Boyer, who walked the next guy. The two baserunners would proceed the next 90′ after a passed ball, and would eventually score on a base hit, breaking the shutout.
The Wildcats would put two more runs on the board after getting newfound Saturday starter Denson Hull in a jam as he loaded the bases off walks and hit by pitches, but acquired two strikeouts before Ed Servais pulled him for bonafide closer Jonah Smith. Smith, on his sixth pitch, gave up a two run double – both charged to Hull – but would proceed to strikeout the next batter on three pitches – the third a ball in the dirt that got away from Mike Emodi, but the batter Hanz Harker swung at anyways.
Jonah Smith ended up laboring quite a bit in the top of the 9th, loading the bases up and forcing pitching coach Eric Wordekemper to talk up his pitcher quite a bit. This seemed to spur on a more mean demeanor as he fanned the final two batters en route to a 8-3 win.
The Bluejays will open up Big East play at home this weekend in a three-game series against Butler. The series starts Friday at 6:30 p.m.