West Allis NATIONALS Baseball

Aaron Field was the setting for a battle of Langsdorf rivals Saturday.  The sky was clear, the field was freshly mowed, and the diamond was just that - the hardest organic substance produced by nature.  Numerous hops bounded in unpredictable manners, adding an element of surprise to each play.  Fortunately, nary a bicuspid or incisor was forfeited, pleasing all parents who'd invested in orthodontic work for their boys.

Early on, it appeared the Nats would be in for a long day.  Despite the fact the Angels were fatigued from a victory over Sheboygan the previous night,  they mustered enough contact in the first inning of game one to take a 4-0 lead.  Starter Jimmy Jungbauer was the victim of several strange hops, bloop hits, and defensive miscues in the inning. 

Those four runs, though, would account for most of the Angels offense.  Jungbauer pounded the umpire's creative interpretation of the strike zone and held the Angels at bay, allowing the Nationals to chip their way back in the game.  This was followed by a strong relief effort by Kellen Haynes (2 innings) paving the way for a sixth inning, game winning tally. 

Defensive replacement, Brian Gibson, stepped to the plate for the first time and worked the count full before lining a ball to the gap in left center field.   A tough play, Angels CF, Aaron Soto, dove and attempted to backhand the ball.  Attempted is the key word here.  The ball got by Soto and before it was retrieved the lead run had scored and Gibson was on third.  Brandon Kellbach, making his first appearance of the year, pitched the seventh for Nats and earned the save.

Game two was also a tightly contested affair.  The Angels took 2-0 and 3-1 leads before the Nats exploded for 4 runs to take a 5-3 lead going to the sixth inning.  This game, though, would see the Angels generating a sixth inning, game winning rally.  With the help of some well hit balls, an untimely error, a strange hop, and a phantom safe call on a force play at second base, the Angels tallied 4 runs to take a 7-5 lead to the seventh.

The Nats did not go down without a fight.  Alex Franson led off the inning with a single through the hole at short.  After working the count full, Adam Kaufman then hit a similar ball.  Similar hit, but far different result.  Angels middle infielders Jason Rutz and Andy Gehrhartz turned a 6-4-3 double play.   This play loomed even larger when the Nationals next hitter, Jesse Hart, launched a homer to left field.  Alas, this made the score only 7-6 and this proved to be the final score when Tom Donovan's lazy fly to center ended the contest.

Next up for the Nats are the ever-improving West Allis White Sox.  The two teams square off on Tuesday night at Zirkel Field at 7PM.