GMMB Steals Game with Late-Inning Rally

FH dropped to 1-2 on the season this week due to a late-inning rally and surprising defense from league upstart GMMB.

Fleishman boasted an undefeated record against sister-agency GMMB over the past few years, and entered the game with high hopes to rebound from a three-week rainout layoff. The FH lineup erupted for three runs in the first inning, due to leadoff man Jason Hellmann’s now-routine line drive single, cleanup hitter Jon Berke’s RBI single, an inside-the-park homerun by Dave Whiting, his fourth of the young season.

Both lineups settled down, and the score remained 3-0 FH heading into the bottom of the third inning. However, GMMB was “out for blood,” as quoted by their manager in pre-game conversations, and wouldn’t be held down for long. Their lineup roared back with four consecutive hits in a two-out rally to tie the game at 3-3. Clearly, this was going to be a battle to the end.

FH’s rookies stepped it up in the fourth and fifth innings. New additions Cody Radcliff added another run in the fourth inning with nifty base running with an RBI by Aaron Kaufman, and the team added another run in the fifth inning with a double from Whiting and RBI from phenom Carrie Soforenko. Entering the sixth inning, stakes were high, with FH leading 5-3.

In the bottom half of the frame, GMMB wasted no time closing the gap. A mix of singles and doubles tied the game up, and by the time the dust settled, FH was down 6-5 going into the seventh inning. Three incredible fielding plays by GMMB infielders ended a rally started with singles from Berke and Whiting, and our heroes fell just short. Clearly the multi-week layoff had added on more rust than the team expected.

However, the pleasantly surprising rookie influx has added a dynamic element to FH’s solid core. Many games remain in the season, and FH will look to move to 2-2 when they take on Hill & Knowlton this coming Monday at Meadowbrook Field. Will you be there to cheer them on?