GAME 5’s
Frontier League
Chicago Iron Pigs (Walt Thompson 2-0 2.28) vs El Paso Diablos (Artie Johnson 3-1 2.45)
1st to 3rd
A lone Tony Ruiz single is the only hit through the first three, both aces are on.
4th
Pedro Salinas doubles after a Hugh Collins single to put runners at 2nd and 3rd and 1 out later Luis Chavez singles Collins home to make it 1-1, 1st and 3rd 1 out. Knox grounds into a U6-3 inning ending DP.
Chris Harvey leads off with a triple and scores on a Tony Ruiz RBI ground out to tie it at 1 after 4.
5th
A Coates single, Lorenzelli sac bunt and back to back singles by Morgan and Riggs plate Chicago’s 2nd run.
Rafael Cuesta doubles leading off the bottom of 5 but Thompson Ks Lange and Peck for 2 outs, and gets Ramos to pop to shallow left, but Ron Miller clanks a routine fly ball and Cuesta scores to tie it at 2. Thompson appears uncharacteristally shaken as he proceeds to walk Cesar Baron and Chris Harvey to lead the bases with 2 outs, but he settles in and punches out Ruiz to end the inning. 2-2 end of 5.
6th
Artie Johnson spins magic in the 6th. A Miller leadoff single followed by a Chavez double puts runners at 2nd and 3rd, no outs. He then walks Knox to load the bases….
Eric Coates cannot get a runner in with a shallow fly to center and Massi Lorenzelli continues his abysmal post season by hitting into an inning ending 4-6-3 DP.
Thompson K’s Conway and Haynes to start the bottom, and after a Cuesta double gets Lange to tap to 1st to end the inning. 2-2 after 6 full.
7th
Johnson K’s Morgan to start the inning but Riggs works a lengthy AB into a full count walk. After Collins K’s Johnson’s day is over, Rob Cutforth comes in and Salinas greets him with a single. Miller goes F8 to end the inning. Johnson’s line 6.2-8-2-2-3-4 on 118 pitches.
Thompson K’s 2 more in an 8 pitch inning. 2-2 after 7.
8th
Cutforth gets the side in order on 2 K’s and a fly out.
Tony Ruiz singles with 1 out but Thompson retires Conway on a full count swinging strikeout and Haynes pops the first pitch up. 2-2 after 8, Thompson is at 109 pitches.
9th
Lorenzelli singles to open the 9th. Morgan bunts him to 2nd and Riggs grounds out, moving him to 3rd.
With 2 outs Collins walks. Pedro Salinas again gets the 3-0 green light but this time delivers, a tie breaking 2 run double down the left field line!
Jeff Bishop is called in to stop the bleeding and Bill Alexander pinch hits for Miller and promptly lines a 2-1 pitch deep into the night in right center for a 2 run homer.
Thompson trots out to try and finish it off…
And he does in style, getting Buddy Peck to look at a 1-2 pitch to end the game, and series, and secure our 2nd straight trip to the IBL World Series!
Chicago 6 El Paso 2
W Thompson (3-0) L Cutforth (0-1)
HR Alexander (2)
Chicago wins the series 4-1
Series MVP Walt Thompson 2-0 16.1 IP 11 H 3 ER 3 BB 21 K’s 1.65 ERA
Coastal League
Pittsburgh Bulldogs (Vince Bray 1-1 1.14) vs Houston Roughriders (Vincente Romero 0-1 6.48)
A seemingly ‘over’ game proves to be anything but. After losing another SP to injury, this time Ramon Roa came out with 1 out in the 2nd, Pittsburgh led late. Houston, trailing 4-1 into the bottom of the 9th, with 2 outs and none on, Troy Glaus triples, Cy May singles scoring Glaus, and Joe Rowe doubles scoring May, making it 4-3. Boswell is removed and Ed Hobbs comes in and is greeted by a Tim Thomas single, which was fine until Center fielder, and defensive replacement, Flynn Ash air mailed the throw, allowing Rowe to score the tying run!
Somehow the Bulldogs regain their composure and Norm Arden singles in Ivan Gonzales (who’d tripled) to regain a 5-4 lead.
With 1 out in the 10th PH Michael Steele singled and rookie Jorge Saucedo doubled, Steele beat the throw home to tie it again. 6 pitches later Randolph Boyd sent the crowd into a frenzy when he laced a ball up the gap in right center scoring Saucedo for a walk off 6-5 win! Angelo Gomez tied an IBL post season record going 5-5 with a double and a homer. Saucedo was 3-5.
Houston 6 Pittsburgh 5
W Barton (1-0) L Hobbs (0-1)
HR PIT A Gomez (2) HOU T Thomas (1)
Houston leads the series 3-2