The Chicago Hounds echoed The 1984 classic baseball movie The Natural ( www.imdb.com/title/tt0087781/) and Gabby Harnett’s homer in the gloamin (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homer_in_the_Gloamin%27) last night, defeating the Vikings 6-5 at Taft High School in most dramatic fashion.
Brian Hearns (#30, P) and the Kerrigan Brothers (Kurt, #12, and Keith, #10) combined on the Hounds win on the hill. The Hounds have waited 10 years for Keith to be old enough to play in the 18 and over league, and he threw 2 scoreless innings, bridging between Hearns and his brother Kurt.
The Hounds were winning 5-3 going into the top of the 7th inning, when the forecasted storm of the century began to roll in. The lightning started from a distance, but despite complaints from the Hounds, neither the umpire nor the Vikings wanted to end the game early. The Vikings ended up scoring 2 runs in the 7th to tie the game, with Kurt striking out the side to end the chance of the Vikings taking a lead. The sky got darker, and the lightning got closer.
By CMBA league rule, if the game is called for weather or darkness, it goes back to the prior full inning. The Hounds argued that the game should be called, but the Vikings wanted the tie, and the umpire was unwilling to stop it and award the Hounds a 6 inning 5-3 win. So the Hounds went to bat in the bottom of the 9th with the score tied 5-5. A tie = 1 point, but a win would = 2 points, and more importantly for the Hounds, redemption for the walk-off loss to the lowly 3-10 Vikings earlier in the season.
Whether it would help or not, the Hounds all decided to take wood bats to the plate instead of metal. Max Kiefer (#21, DH) reached by error to start the bottom of the 7th and final frame. Stephen Correa Jr. (#20, 2B) was a late sub for an injured Kyle Hanson (#2, 2B), and Correa Jr. reached on a fielder’s choice. Matthew Steffens (#5, SS) then also reached on a fielder’s choice, so the Hounds were down to their last out, with a runner on first. And a runner who was suffering from 2 tweaky hamstrings.
Up strolled the Hounds 2015 MVP, Nolan Bielinski (#4, C). Bielinski has been on an extra base tear lately, with 2 home runs and 3 triples. Bielinksi was quickly down to his last strike, and then the rain started. It was so dark it was getting nearly impossible to see the ball, but Bielinski then fouled off 2 more pitches as the rain, thunder, and lightning all worsened.
And then, like Robert Redford, like Gabby Harnett, Bielinski launched a ball to the fenceless left field. Where exactly? No one knows, but Steffens rounded the bases to score the winning run (the whole time thinking, hamstrings, please don’t tear!). It could have/should have/would have been a homerun for Bielinski, but his run does not count as the game ended with the go ahead run, but no matter, the Hounds won again! It was spectacular.
The Hounds also were helped by a diving catch by Tim Riggenbach (#8, RF), Bielinski also had 2 assists on baserunners, Mike Marra (#15, LF) had a key RBI, and Keith Richardson (#17, 1B) had a triple and scored.
But mostly what will be remembered is Nolan’s “homer” in the gloamin.
Just awesome. And the Hounds are now 12-5.
The Hounds are at it again tomorrow v. the Aviators at Winnemac Park.