a lesson in bunting

What a marvelous night for a moondance! I mean, baseball game! Actually, last night was very good, too! And my boys of summer won BOTH games, shutting out the other team! Take THAT, you RiverDogs!
The games were fast both nights, too. Pitcher's duels generally are, as no one is getting on base. Strike outs, pop outs, and thrown outs, for those fortunate enough to get an infield hit. Whew! The games had six innings done in only 90 minutes. That's what I said: six times, each team had their at-bats, in just ninety minutes. Those are some pretty fast innnings!
After the sixth inning, the games slowed down a bit. Understandable, as the pitchers were nearing the end of their 100-pitch count. (You knew about that, right? They're only allowed to throw one hundred pitches, to keep them from buring out their arm.) The relief pitchers can make or break a game.

Last night, the relief pitcher for the Charleston team must have thought he was pitching for a batting practice. In the bottom of the eighth, the Gnats kept hitting whatever he served them, over and over and over. By the time the inning was done, we had another five runs to add to our one attained earlier. The Gnats win!!!

The next night, both teams were scoreless and the sixth inning came around. Here, we see the RiverDog at bat...

... then he changes his stance, crouching down into a bunt...

... success! Off he runs, allowing his teammates to advance around the bases! Alas, none made it to homeplate and their third out ended their turn at bat. Off to the field they went as the Gnats advanced to the batter's boxes.

Ah hah! That's the way you bunt, my boys said. So, when our catcher (Cordero) made an incredible second-base hit, we all went wild! Then, when he advanced to third on our shortstop's failed bid at a single, we really went wild! The Gnats' second-baseman (Jorge Rivera), having learned the lesson well, showed us he could bunt, too... and Cordero sailed on to home! Woohoo! That was the only score in the entire game!

And the Gnats win again! Another shut out! Mascot Gnate couldn't have been any prouder!
And I was very pleased, too! What a grand way to spend a summer evening: watching a ball game with friends on a warm summer eve!