6/28/2019

The Savage Gardeners reminded the SF Softball League’s Open-CC division on Tuesday night that the old dog still has some bite. With a furious rally in the final two innings, the Gardeners salvaged a tie against perennial contender Liquid Experience and may have breathed new life into the former champs.

Trailing 21-9 in the bottom of the 6th, the Gardeners scored five to pull within seven. Starting pitcher Dane Dobrinich and the defense came up with a critical shut-down inning in the top of the 7th, setting the stage for an epic rally and finish.

Second baseman Philip Zackler, proud owner of a brand-new Lexus (it’s a lease), got things started with a leadoff single. James Ball, who had gone to Moscone earlier in the night and showed up late as a result, followed with a hit of his own to put runners on the corners. Consecutive RBI singles by Marshall Kratter, Tristan Besse, and Dave Watters suddenly cut the deficit to four with no outs and runners again on the corners.

Tyler Davis hit into the first out of the inning, forcing Watters at second, but delivered Besse to cut the lead to three with one out and slugger Kyle Kretchmer bounding to the plate. Kretchmer had already hit a prodigious blast over the tall fence in right back in the third – the ball is still missing – and promptly crushed his second of the evening. 21-20, one out. We have a ballgame.

After a flyout for the second out of the inning, the Gardeners were down to their final out, but only one to tie, two to win. Matt Bou got things rolling again with a walk followed by a Dobrinich single and Bou motoring around second and sliding into third. Runners at the corners, two outs, and Zackler back up at the dish. Zackler came through for the second time in the inning, bringing Bou home with a single to tie the game, 21-21.

That brought up Ball, who hit an absolute piss missile back up the middle, only to be stabbed out of thin air by the Liquid Experience pitcher who was merely trying to defend himself. With no time remaining, the game was called a draw.

It was a frustrating yet inspiring conclusion to a game that began inauspiciously. With Ball in an Uber on his way from Moscone, the Gardeners took the field as the home team in the top half of the first with only nine men. Several ill-timed defensive miscues staked the visitors to an early 6-0 lead.

Ball arrived just as the Gardeners came into the dugout for their first at bat, and the offense was able to cut into the early deficit with a pair of runs. Kratter led off with a double, followed by a Besse walk (his fourth of the young season). After a Watters flyout moved both Kratter and Besse up a base, a Davis groundout scored Kratter followed by a Kretchmer triple to deliver Besse.

A Besse single and Kretchmer’s first homerun of the night scored another pair in the third. But Liquid Experience continued to chip away throughout the night, building a 14-4 lead heading into the bottom of the 5th, where the Gardeners mounted their first of three significant rallies to close the game.

Kratter and Besse got things started with back-to-back singles. Watters doubled to score Kratter, then a Kretchmer walk was sandwiched in between a pair of outs. But clutch, two-out, two-run hits by Bou and Dobrinich put the Gardeners right back in the game, trailing 14-9 after five.

In need of a scoreless inning to keep it close, the Gardeners failed to shutdown the Liquid Experience offense, as the visitors hung seven runs and appeared to put the game out of reach.

Trailing 21-9, consecutive hits by Ball, Kratter, and Besse (RBI) led off the inning. Watters then smashed a 3-run homerun to cut the lead to 21-13. Davis and Kretchmer singled to put runners on 1st and 3rd with no outs. Ewbank then scored Davis on a fielders’ choice to close out the scoring in the 6th and pull the Gardners within seven, setting the stage for the miracle in the 7th.

Kretchmer led the way at the plate, going 4-4 with the two homeruns and five RBI. Besse also had a 4-4 night, scoring five times and driving in two of his own. Watters continued to his hot start, as well, going 3-5 with the homer and another five RBI, adding to his team-leading total of 12 RBI after two games.

Dobrinich was tremendous on the hill again for the Gardeners, particularly in the 7th holding Liquid Experience scoreless and giving the offense a shot.

The Gardeners will be back at it on Tuesday, July 2nd against Kekambas. First pitch at 6:30pm at Moscone 1.