August 17th - The Shawnee Punishers closed out their season in fine fashion yesterday, playing the KC Rockies in a hard-fought, nine-inning matchup, ultimately succumbing in the end, 4-2. It was counted as a win in the Punishers MSBL league standings, which helped solidify the six seed for the playoffs, set to begin Friday night.
The Punishers - Rockies game marked the inaugural Wood Bat Classic for both participants. The nine-inning game was the first played by Shawnee this year. And they would need the extra frames to come up with their scoring.
The eighth inning began with the Punishers trailing, 3-0. But a double and a single, followed by a passed ball, put a runner on at second with two outs for standout second baseman Matt Sargent. Even with the maple in his hands, he laced a 2-2 fastball in the right field corner for a triple, knocking in a run and pulling the team to within a run of the Rockies. A strikeout ended the inning, and the Punishers would get no runners on in their half of the ninth.
In addition to his three-bagger, Sargent had a SportsCenter nominee for a web gem in the bottom of the fourth inning. Going to his left on a hard-hit grounder, the Wizard of the Webbing dove a good four feet onto the outfield grass to corral the would-be hit. turning on his knees, he slung a strike to the outstretched mitt of 1B Cook to record the put-out. Sargent could be seen smiling after the play. "Funny thing is, the first place I looked for the ball was the outfield grass," Sargent said. "I really didn't think I gotten it." As far as the playoffs, the hot-hitting second baseman (.450 BA) is genuinely excited. "It looks like we're going to draw KC Pirates, and I believe we match up well with them. It's also pretty exciting to get the primetime game slot both nights this weekend."
The Shawnee Punishers begin a best-of-three game series with the KCK Giants on Friday, August 22nd, at Mid America Sports Complex in Shawnee, KS. First pitch is scheduled for 9PM.
Additional notes: C/IF Nick Reddell was out of the lineup for the first time this season on Sunday....Rockies SP "Koufax" pitched a no-hitter through 5 innings....2B/SS Matt Sargent has been named a finalist for Newcomer of the Year, qualifying due to innings played after Sunday's game (winner to be announced later this week).
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