Wildcards Dig Deep to Remain Undefeated

Last inning heroics come through again against the Colts, followed by a dominant performance against Dem Bums.

Another double header, another pair of teams fallen by the wayside.

The Wildcards capped off Week 7's double header by flexing their devastating offensive power against Dem Bums with a 26-10 victory. The run disparity was so large, in fact, that Bums players began accusing the Wildcards of showing unsportsmanlike behaviour in running up the score.

"They were up by a ton of runs, and yet they ran the bases aggressively and continually pounded the ball." said a Bums player, speaking on the condition of anonymity. "The game was out of reach at that point; it was unnecessary."






Ice ?ueen Reyes walks back to the dugout after scoring on Chokolate Saks' RBI-triple, further raising the ire of unidentified Bums players.






When asked if the 'Cards were in fact trying to embarass the Bums in front of their hometown fans, 3B Chokolate Saks was quick with the rebuttal. "No way, we don't play like that, man. We're in a tight race with the Colts and the Warriors for first place overall. If in the end there are identical records between the three of us, what's the tie breaker? Run differentials - it's going to separate first place and second place...and we have no intention of being second place." When pressed for further comment, Saks refused.







Chokolate Saks refused to speak further on the "running the score" issue against Dem Bums.







Captain OF Voodoo Redoblado reassured everyone that there was no animosity. "I spoke with certain players after the game; they didn't feel that way at all. I think it was just a select few."

But just like their last double-header, the real story of the day was the match against Colts. And like their last victory, the Wildcards needed 11th hour heroics to secure the 13-11 victory on enemy territory. In the previous matchup, it was Franchise Fernando hitting a walk-off RBI double to score r3z Salehoun.

This time around, it was El Saviour Bulos with the game-winning RBI - though he did get a lot of help. With two outs in the top of the 9th, nobody on base, and the Colts' bats looming, R Bubba Nisperos hit a big single through the gap between SS and 3B to keep the inning alive. And then the captains came up.

Bubba Nisperos, seen here batting against Dem Bums, was clutch against the Colts; she played a large role in the 9th inning heroics that won the game, scoring the game-winning run.

El Saviour Bulos described his thought process at the plate during that crucial moment. "When Bubba hit that single, I got pumped. She gave us a chance to win, and all I thought was 'Don't (expletive) up, otherwise her single is all for naught.' I was looking to hit a line drive that they may have trouble fielding."

That's exactly what he did. With the count 1-1, Bulos jumped all over an outside pitch that caught too much plate, driving it hard to the right-centre gap. The hit found its way through an outfield playing a four-across umbrella, allowing Nisperos to score from first, and giving Bulos what would go on to be a game-winning RBI triple. But they weren't done there.

"I felt slightly better when he (Bulos) got the hit, but I knew we needed the insurance run." said captain OF Voodoo Redoblado. "They had good bats coming up, and although I have faith in our defence, we needed as many runs as we could get." He would go on to hit an RBI-double that gave the 'Cards a little bit of breathing room.

With a two-run lead, and a full game against Dem Bums on the horizon, starting pitcher Ice ?ueen Reyes wisely decided to conserve her energy for the long haul, handing the ball over to El Saviour Bulos in the bottom of the 9th against the heart of the Colts' batting order - including Meat and Ichiro. With the help of their trademark shutdown D, Bulos pitched his best save performance of the season; a 1-2-3 9th inning for his fifth save of the year.







El Saviour was lights-out in the clutch, shutting down Meat and Ichiro in the 9th to secure the win.







Of particular interest was the circumstances under which the win was achieved. Midway through game one, CF r3z Salehoun suffered an unidentified injury, severely restricting his mobility. However, with 1B/OF Nocks Sunga, and OF Sixty Chan late scratches, the 'Cards simply did not have enough players to replace him, and he hung tough in his position.

"We're winning right now, and I didn't want to take myself out of that game." Salehoun said after the double-header. "Even if I couldn't field like I normally could, I just wanted to stay in there and help in any way." Again, the 9th inning heroes - Bubba Nisperos, Voodoo Redoblado, and El Saviour Bulos - came through, holding the outfield fort despite the situation.

NOTES: r3z Salehoun is questionable for next Sunday with an upper body injury. Chokolate Saks hit the first-ever over-the-fence HR in Wildcards history against Dem Bums. Nocks Sunga and Sixty Chan played the second game of the double header, each hitting multiple hits. The Wildcards end a three-game road trip this Sunday against the Down Home Blues.