Fire Extinguishers

Pool Play Game 2
Pre-Season Baseball Classic
Louisville Longhorns 6, Fern Creek Fire 0

“Pitching and defense wins championships.” Not exactly a phrase that rivals “The buck stops here,” “Remember the Alamo” or “Nobody puts Baby in a corner,” but, when it comes to baseball, few can argue with those five words.

This past Saturday morning, the Louisville Longhorns were not yet playing for a championship, but the game was important just the same. A win would give the team a 2-0 pool-play record and, by holding their Game 2 opponents, the Fern Creek Fire, to as few runs allowed as possible, they would increase the likelihood of a high seed going into Sunday’s bracket play phase of the tournament. If the pitching and defense were good enough, they might even be able to earn one of the bracket’s  two coveted first round byes.

As the visiting team, the Longhorns would come to bat first in the opening frame, but their first two hitters were set down without incident. Batting in the No. 3 hole, Matthew Higgins presented for the fans’ amusement a remarkable imitation of his second at bat from Game One, lofting a sky-high pop-up that eluded yet another befuddled shortstop. Not being a team to look a gift-run in the mouth, the Longhorns graciously accepted another two errors and the one passed ball that followed, allowing Higgins to cross home plate and giving them an early 1-0 lead.

After going 2-for-2 on Friday night,

Andrew Littlefield stroked another two hits in Saturday's Game 2.

Determined to hold that slim lead, starting pitcher Casey Simon retired the Fire’s lead-off hitter on a grounder to Higgins at third base, and subsequently punched out the numbers two and three hitters, both looking. The ’Horns opened the top of the second with consecutive hard-struck singles by Nicholas Parrish and Ryan Hamilton, and two outs later Andrew Littlefield delivered a clean, clutch safety up the middle, giving the Longhorns two more runs worth of breathing room.

Starting pitcher Casey Simon hurled three innings innings of 1-hit ball.

For the second inning in a row, Casey Simon would dispose of the Fire batters in order, this time on a comebacker to the mound sandwiched between twin grounders that were niftily handled by Trey Sweeney at shortstop. One inning later, after Brendan Koester and Andrew Littlefield tucked away fly balls to left field and center field, respectively, and second-sacker Ryan Hamilton gobbled up a grounder hit his way, Simon’s work atop the hill was done for the day, having allowed but one harmless single against nine outs recorded.

Not content with their three-run lead, the Longhorns manufactured another run in the top of the fourth inning. Ryan Hamilton led off with his second base hit of the game, and was sacrificed to second on a textbook bunt by Brendan Koester. On the play, Koester arrived safely at first on a throwing error by the pitcher, with Hamilton advancing to third on the miscue. Needing just to put the bat on the ball to get the all-important insurance run in from third base, Noah Baugher used the first pitch he saw to do just that, and, just like that, the Longhorns’ lead increased to 4-0.

Making his first mound appearance for his new team and facing the top of the order, Nicholas Parrish made a statement by striking out the Fire’s lead-off hitter. The next batter reached on a single to right field, but was summarily dismissed when Parrish picked him off first base. That was one of only two hitters who would reach base against the portpaw pitcher, who slammed the door on the Fire by fanning the final four Flames.

Nicholas Parrish fanned five in two innings.

With piquant pill-slinging like that, no more offense was needed, but the Longhorns were nevertheless hungry for more of the sweet taste that comes with crossing home plate. In their last turn at bat, Andrew Arnold’s lead-off solo clout over the right field fence and a double-helping of singles by Trey Sweeney and Nicholas Parrish added the last two layers of icing to the ’Horns run-total cake.

Their hitting provided ample run support, but it was the moundsmen’s three-hit shutout and the error-free play by the fielders behind them—pitching and defense—that were the true keys to the Longhorns’ 6-0 dousing of the Fire.