Pastime Baseball League
PBL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
Game Five Recap
Memphis Strummers (106-56) vs Wichita Brigade (108-54)
MEMPHIS -- Sadie McMahon threw well, but not well enough against Rube Waddell in the much-disputed Game 1 matchup. Now, he was set to do the same - hopefully better - in the pivotal game of the PBL Championship Series.
After retiring the first two batters he faced, McMahon allowed a double down the third base line to Oyster Burns, which was followed by a single by Jimmy Sheckard to put Wichita up 1-0 off the bat.
Memphis would answer in the second, though. Deacon White singled on the first pitch he saw. Josh Willingham grounded out, also on the first pitch, moving White to second. Bobby Wallace popped to short, the third straight batter to chase the first pitch against Waddell, perhaps an effort on Memphis' part to force him to nibble early in the count to counter their aggressiveness. Regardless, Cupid Childs would take a first pitch strike before singling to center to score White and tie the game at 1.
Forty pitches. That's how many Sadie McMahon threw in top of the third. In the process, he allowed a single, walked two, gave up a sac fly to Spotswood Poles that scored Robinson Cano, a two-run triple to Doggie Miller that just made it past the outstretched glove of Oscar Charleston, and another single, to Ollie Beard, that scored Miller.
It wasn't done in a flash, but it felt like it when it was done. Wichita was up 5-1, with the league's best pitcher on the mound.
Memphis would get something going against Waddell in the fourth. Charleston walked on four pitches, and White singled to put the first two men on. Josh Willingham - at this point 1-for-17 in the series - struck out and Bobby Wallace popped up.
On the cusp of a missed opportunity, Cupid Childs would single to score Charleston and make it a 5-2 game. McMahon would surprisingly stay in the game, and would single to help his cause. The slow-footed White was held at third, loading the bases for Ichiro.
Suzuki was hitting .222 for the series, and went right after Waddell's first offering. He would hit a grounder straight to short to end the inning, and the threat.
McMahon settled in for the next couple of innings, and Memphis got another good crack at Waddell in the 6th.
Willingham would finally pick up a hit, singling up the middle. Bobby Wallace would reach on an infield hit. Cupid Childs would ground to first, moving the runners up. Showing tremendous faith in the rest of his lineup - or a lack of faith in his bullpen - Memphis skipper Harry Wright opted to let McMahon hit for himself.
McMahon singled, scoring Willingham to make it 5-3. But Waddell would get an overmatched Ichiro to pop up to third and strike out Garrett Atkins to once again minimize the damage.
Waddell and McMahon would each retire the next six to face them, but Wichita would pick up an added insurance run when Oyster Burns hit an RBI single off reliever Rodrigo Lopez in the top of the 9th.
Waddell threw 160 pitches in Game 1. But here, after 111 through 8 innings, he was done. Whitey Herzog turned to closer Chad Cordero to try and make the 3-run lead hold up.
Ty Wiggington would pinch hit for Lopez but ground out to third for the first out. Ichiro would single to get Memphis on the bases, and Cap Anson would homer to get Memphis on the board. Anson's blast to center was his fourth homer of the postseason and second of the series - in which he now is hitting .391.
Suddenly, with the score 6-5, Burns' RBI single seemed vitally important.
It seemed even moreso after Charleston singled. Deacon White would cream a line drive off the wall in right, but it was played perfectly by Cherokee Davis - who had just come in for defensive purposes. Charleston was held at third to the groans of the Memphis crowd.
It's tough to say whether Charleston would have scored. Davis' great play made it a legitimate decision, albeit a debatable one, to hold him at third.
After Ryan Braun grounded out to third to end the game, the decision would be debated by all who filed out of the stadium, knowing they had seen their last home baseball of the year, and knowing their team is one loss away from a championship dream dashed.
Wichita 6, Memphis 5 (Wichita leads series 3-2).