The Cicero Rattlers earned 15 hits and made a number of exciting plays during Friday night’s indoor season opener. Cicero shared the field with the Sports Zone 13u home team.
Winter session uses a pitching machine, limits each batter to 3 pitches, allows plays off the ceiling, provides a cut-off base between home plate and 1st, gives a single off of hits into the pitching area, and awards home runs for hits off the far wall.
Top hitters on the night were Nicholas Capece, Lucas Thelen and KJ Cochran, each going 3/5 at the plate.
Every player for Cicero put balls into play (33 total), with Alex Sanes-Carmona notching two hits and Daniel Capp, Conor Downer, Michael Mooney and Connor Pearce each getting one.
Indoor offers a fast-paced, fun experience that packs 10-12 innings into less than an hour. There were plenty of plays – including crazy catches off the ceiling, sliding catches, plays off the back wall and bare-handers by charging infielders.
Big plays in the outfield included sliding catches by Capp, Mooney, Thelen, Sanes-Carmona (off the ceiling) and Cochran.
In the infield, Capece (SS) and Downer (2B) had multiple put-outs and handled several ceiling-balls that were hard to get to. Capece also made a nice play to Pearce at 3rd, who got a tag on the runner. Downer handled a tricky underhand toss from Sanes-Carmona for an out at 2nd.
Thelen and Mooney both made some nice catches at first base. Thelen also made an impressive scoop of a long Capece throw that ended the inning to cheers from the crowd.
It was a fun start to the winter session!
Cicero meets the Bears on Saturday, 11/23 at 8pm in the Sports Zone Arena.