[Kevin T.]

Bad game today. We didn't come ready to play. They did. They came in the first inning and hit our ace hard. They only got 2 runs out of the inning, but they set the tone and controlled the game from then on. We scored 1 in the bottom of the inning, but it was 6-1 going into the bottom of the 7th. Some life finally sparked, but too little, too late. A two run homer and a RBI triple put us with men on first (tying run) and third with 1 out. Back to back strikeouts to end the game. They came into our house and walked all over us. Embarrassing.

Went 2 for 4 from the clean-up spot. Their pitcher was a tall lanky kid who threw in the mid 60s. The off speed threw me off in my first at bat. A little bit anxious and I pulled it enough that the first baseman was able to make a play on it to his right and get the force at 2nd. FC. 2nd at bat: double to left center. If their outfielders weren't playing extremely deep it might have been more. Still, they knew how to play our field and did a good job. 3rd at bat: hit a long fly ball to left of center. Again, with the outfielders playing deep, the CF was able to make a play on it. I hit it hard and hit it far. They made a play. 4th at bat: Up with 1 out in the 7th. Down 6-3, runner on 1st. Hit a triple to left field. Stumbled going around 1st base and pulled something in my left thigh as I saved it. Might have been able to leg out a HR if I didn't stumble, but whatever, bad break.

Finished 2 for 4 with double, triple, RBI.

Lackluster performance by the team. Got a talking to by the coach afterward and then another senior and I spoke up in the huddle. We better come ready to play tomorrow or else there's some seniors who are ready to explode. As a senior class, we have kids who have stepped up to be leaders. We're sick of this lackadaisical attitude. We're not a good enough team to just show up and play. We need to be the dirt dogs - hustling out every ground ball or fly ball or pop-up, giving up our bodies in the field, just giving 110% all the time. That's the only way we'll win ball games. We don't have a team on our schedule that we can blow out on any given day or that can blow us out. All of our games will be close and it's those hustle plays that will make the difference.

This week will effectively decide our season. We're starting to get tension on the team, with kids complaining about playing time and each other and arguing stupid stuff that a team can't have. There's 3 of us who are going to get people listening this week and set the tone for the rest of the season.