OSLOPRETENDERS
Cycle of Leif
Dønnestad Baseball Field, Sat. 06 June 2015
by Mullah
Leif P Sandvik hit for the cycle in the first round of NM in Kristiansand last Saturday as the Pretenders crushed both opponents – Stavanger and the Suns – 15-1 to secure a spot in the 2nd round of NM in August. This is only the second time in Pretenders’ history that a player has hit for the cycle. Håkon Jåtun accomplished the magical feat on August 21st 2004.
Sandvik opened the show vs. Stavanger in the first game with a double, and then hit a towering homer over the left field fence, followed by a single before completing the cycle with a triple down the left field line. When asked after his triple if he indeed just hit for the cycle, Sandvik had to pause for a second to go through his previous at-bats, then replied with a big smile: “Yes, I think I did!” Sandvik, who has already compiled so many milestones and records for the club, could add yet another great historic achievement to his resume. Congratz, Leif!
P1 team leader Matt Connell, not wanting to be outdone by Leif, went an astonishing 5-for-5 (4 singles and a double) vs. Stavanger, which doubled his hit total for the season.
On the mound, both starters – Osmani Perez and Connell – pitched great games, holding the opponents to a single run each. Perez fanned 4 batters and gave up only two hits and one unearned run in 4 innings before he was replaced by Darren McKellep in the 5th to save his arm if needed for the second game. McKellep continued the dominance by striking out 4 batters on his own in 2 innings. In the second game, vs. the Suns, Connell cruised through the contest, attacking the zone the whole game as he whiffed 9 batters, giving up no walks and only 4 hits in 6 innings.
On a side note, McKellep reach a historic milestone as the 4th ever to play 250 games on Norwegian soil for the Pretenders (the other three being Terje Myhrer-Hoaas, Glenn Wells and Leif P Sandvik).
Congrats to everyone for two great games!
