Inefficient offense dooms Catfish, dropping season opener in Jackson

Cape Catfish pitcher Jorge Romero celebrates getting out of an inning against the Lucky Horseshoes on Sunday, July 30, 2023 at Capaha Field in Cape Girardeau, Mo.

Tony Capobianco ~ tcapobianco@semoball.com

Looking to open the 2024 season on a win, the Cape Catfish struggled offensively in Jackson, Tennessee, eventually dropping the season opener 3-0 in the Jackson Rockabillys’ ballpark.

With many young guys getting the opportunity to step up and fill the shoes of some of the older, more experienced guys that are still playing high-level college ball, it didn’t quite live up to expectations.

The Catfish had just three hits in the loss, and the situational hitting was a serious issue that spelled a major disappointment in Jackson as the season opener went awry.

In a scoreless draw that lasted up until the seventh inning, it was the Rockabillys that finally manage to piece together just enough offense to put a run around, and did it twice again in the eighth.

Going into the ninth down three runs, with some of the youngest and least-tenured guys coming up for the final three outs, Cape had no response for Jackson’s late push as the Rockabillys ran away with it down the stretch.

Losing the season opener for the first time since 2022, it’s back to basics for the young Fish as they head home for a marquee Thursday matchup.

Ahead of Thursday night’s home opener against the Full Count Rhythm, it’ll be a rocky 24 hours as the Catfish head back home to Missouri and prepare for a full bounce-back performance.

Situational Hitting

The biggest downfall for the Catfish on Wednesday was easily a lack of control with runners in scoring position, stranding 11 runners in the game.

That included strandings of runners on second and third with none out in both the fifth and eighth innings, with teams typically yielding at least one guaranteed run in that situation.

In both of those situations, the Catfish struck out three consecutive times after putting runners on second and third, failing to put the ball in play which is virtually all you need to do in that spot.

It’s a season-opening loss, and it’s easy to shrug it off as early hitting woes, which they undoubtedly will.

But if you’re in search of the reason why Cape couldn’t escape the pitchers’ duel, look no further.

Pitching Successes

On the bright side, the pitching was, and likely will continue to be, one of the best aspects of Wednesday’s loss as both the starting and relieving crews had plenty of success.

Jorge Romero made the start for the Fish, and despite his one hit and three walks around, he led a pretty efficient first four innings for Cape in the loss.

In his place, local Jackson standout Cameron Marchi trotted in for the fifth inning and made quick work the next two innings, surrendering a walk in the sixth but no other runners.

In the seventh, Marchi gave up the opening run on a single to score the runner from second, putting the Catfish in a shallow 1-0 hole in the seventh.

His second year with the Catfish, he was pulled soon after for Jackson classmate Will Richardson, who loaded the bases but escaped the seventh without allowing any further scoring.

After some control struggles from Richardson, Isaac Vedder came in to help get the Catfish out of a jam and his one-out hit saw Jackson tack on two more runs to boost its lead to three.

Overall, across eight innings of work, just three runs allowed is a pretty strong way to start the season, despite some late pushes from the Rockabillys to score more.

As the dugout begins to feel itself out, and the guys become more accustomed to the team dynamic, the bullpen could be a focal point of the team’s success this year.

Opening Loss

It doesn’t sit right to lose on Opening Day, especially in a game that you controlled at multiple points, but there’s plenty to feel confident about after Wednesday.

Cape’s offense put many men in scoring position, but it’ll trickle down to how the team approaches that situation moving forward.

Ahead of a Thursday night home opener against the Full Count Rhythm of Hendersonville, Tennessee, the Cape Catfish bring the show back to Capaha Field for a chance to get back even.

Against the youngest team in the Prospect League, the Catfish look to defend home turf against the Rhythm, and that meant a whole lot a season ago.

In the highly successful 2023 season, the Catfish finished 21-7 on Capaha Field, a mark worth a winning percentage of 75 percent.

If that’s worth anything, and it surely is to the guys in green and yellow, it spells a big rebound on Thursday night in front of the faithful Cape crowd.