PUTTING ON THE RITZ, THE METROPOLITANS CAGE THE CUBBIES TO EARN THE VICTORY AT DOVERCOURT PARK
Displaying fine form, Mets reliever Leandro (10) struck out two Cubs in the third inning.
Game Summary edited with file from Terry Brown
Under the glimmer of the incandescent lights on a chilly Spring night, the Mets defeated the Cubs 11-8 in 3 ½ innings of Peewee Division play this evening at Dovercourt Park.
Here is a Mets account of the proceedings:
FIRST INNING
The Cubs batting order had some early success in the top of the first by loading the bases. However, with the bases loaded and only one out, the Mets D stopped the rally with two fine plays. Mathew A. (2) caught a fly ball at second base for the second out. Then Mets starting pitcher Isaac (4) struck out the next Cubs batter with the help of catcher Alden (13), who hustled after the dropped third strike and stepped on home plate for the force to end the inning.
In the bottom of the first, the first four Mets batters reached base, with three of them scoring on RBIs by Emilia (5), Teddy (12) and Jack (1). A well-executed Cubs pick off at third base ended the Mets threat.
SECOND INNING
Mets reliever Emilia (5) put on a one-woman show on the mound in the top of the second by striking out the first two Cubs she faced and then recording the third out herself on a pop up.
The Mets showed great patience at the dish in the bottom of the second, drawing five walks around a deep drive by Alden, eventually scoring their four runs without making an out. The highlight of the inning was Alden’s hit, which flew high over the Cubs left fielder, only to be fielded by a neighbourhood dog, resulting in a ground-rule double that robbed Alden of extra bases but scored two runners.
THIRD INNING
In the top of the third, Mets pitcher Leandro (10) showed fine form by recording two K’s. The inning ended when Mets shortstop Matthew D (1) cleanly fielded a ground ball and made a long, perfect throw to Jack at first base.
Once again, the Mets lineup exhibited a keen eye at the plate in the bottom of the third and had five walks around a RBI double, eventually scoring four runs. This time it was Devin (8) who got the two-base knock for the Metropolitans. Through some alert baserunning, Devin advanced to third on the throw to the plate, eventually scoring on an exciting steal of home.
FOURTH INNING
In dire need to make a dent in a large sized deficit, the pesky Cubs started a long rally in the final inning. Even their first out was a well-struck fly ball, which was ably caught by Mets left fielder Isaac. Shaken, but not stirred, Mets closer Teddy recovered in fine fashion. After making a small adjustment to his pitching mechanics, Teddy struck out the next two Cubs to close out the game and seal the deal on the hard fought victory.
In all, the Mets batting order drew thirteen walks against only two strikeouts. In addition, the Mets pitching brigade racked up a total of eight K’s versus the Cubs.