A tough loss for the Pirates. We tried everything but the old Statue of Liberty play, but in the end you've got to hit, and we didn't. I regret not having the name of the Rockets pitcher, for he deserves a lot of credit. He went the whole nine innings. He threw an assortment of off-speed stuff, mixing in a fastball now and then. We didn't hit the ball hard all day. The hat is off and officially tipped. Also, John Riozzi has put together a great team who absolutely came to play.
Down 2-1, two outs in the bottom of the 7th, Jim Jordan stroked a clean single to the outfield to tie the game for the Bucs. Just a clutch hit from one of the best all-around players in the league. Mike Kane started and pitched five, Todd Calhoun threw the final four. Poor defense -- again! (grumble, grumble) -- was our undoing. Baseball: You've got to hit the ball, you've got to catch the ball, or you probably lose. Pretty simple.
