For this Thursday evening ballgame, I headed to Evansville to see the Jays take on the Pine Bluff Bluffers. It was the first time seeing the Jays this season, and the first time watching the Bluffers, so it was a game I was looking forward to shoot.
Like most 7:30 starts, the opportunity to shoot with good light and sufficient shutter speeds is limited to about 45 minutes. One of the nice aspects of the Jays’ nest at Lake Leota Park is a gap in the fence down the third baseline. Shooting from the first baseline requires my two step ladder to peer over the six foot fence. Not optimal, but at least I was not in anybody’s way.
When you look at the box score, the indication is the Jays with four runs on four hits took advantage of five Bluffers errors, while the Bluffers may have missed some opportunities as they scored three runs on nine hits. Both teams’ pitching was stingy with the walks. Let’s see how the game unfolded.
Evansville took an early lead by scoring a run in the bottom of the first on a single and pair of Bluffers errors.
The Jays extended their lead in the bottom of the third when a dropped third strike got the leadoff batter aboard. After a groundout, a run was scored after an error and a single.
Other than a single in the top of the first, the Bluffers did not display any other offense. But, in the top of the fourth, a pair of singles and an error led to Pine Bluff’s first run.
The score after four: Jays 2 – Bluffers 1.
In the top of the sixth, Pine Bluff took the lead when they scored two. After a pair of singles to start the inning, a groundout advanced the runners to 2nd and 3rd. A single then scored two. A walk, flyout and another walk loaded the bases with two outs, but a force out at home ended the threat.
The lead wouldn’t last as Evansville loaded the bases on walks and a run scored on a fielder’s choice.
In each of the next three innings, Pine Bluff got a single but nothing else. Meanwhile, Evansville followed suit in the 7th and 8th. In the ninth, Evansville’s leadoff batter reached on an error and stole 2nd before a dropped third strike put runners on the corners with one out. The next Jays batter hit a grounder to third and an error scored the winning run
Final score: Evansville 4 – Pine Bluff 3
Notable performances: Four Bluffer’s batters accounted for eight of their nine hits with two hits apiece: batters 1-3: Will Neuroth, Finn Polman, Jonas Kittoe, and the eighth-spot: Derek Mienholz. For the Jays, starting pitcher Carson Syse had half of Evansville hits and TJ Hason-Howell had the only extra base hit of the game – a double.
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