MarVa Conference Championships
Game 7 Starting Lineups
Its that item again, game 7, all is on the line, the Blue Crabs have fought back and evened the series at 3. Back to back wins, back to back pitching duels, what is game 7 going to bring? This is going to be fun...
In Pearson we trust... can be bring that game 3 magic to game 7? Will the pressure get to him? I am not sure what will happen, all I know is he is my man on the hill to start the game and its all men on deck. I hope he has his A game... He goes up against Paul Randolph who he faced in game 3. We got to Randolph a little bit, but it was another nail biter of a game. I just hope our 12-runs in game 4 weren't all that this offenese had...
Cavaliers key: Jeff Lewis had 6 hits in the first 3 games. In game 4 he hit a key 3-run HR, but that has been the only "clutch" he has had since. Going 2-12, with a HR and 3 RBI, while striking out 7 times in the last 3 games... For the Cav's to win he must do something.
Blue Crabs key: Paul Randolph has to follow two solid outings by Ruiz and Torres with one of his own. In his only other start this series he got roughed up for 5 runs and 10 hits oer 5.2 innings. He must do better to get the Crabs to the Championship.
The game started slowly and was scoreless until the bottom of the third... When Ramon Granados would get the inning started with an infield single to the third baseman. He would steal second on a run-and-hit call, and then score 2 batters later on a Sergio Gavlez single... After 3 the Cav's opened the scoring and lead 1-0.
Pearson, however, couldn't keep that momentum, as the Cav's lost the lead in the top of the fourth, as the Blue Crabs collected 3 hits. Leading off was Antonio Castaneda who singled, he would head over to third on a Steve Jackson double, thne score on a Claude Bond single up the middle. After striking out David Hicks, Pearson would get Xue-qin Xu to fly out, but it was deep enough for Jackson to score the go ahead run. The Cav's would go down 1-2-3 in the bottom half and after 4 the game was 2-1 in favor of the Blue Crabs.
In the 6th the Cavaliers would put together a little threat... Sergio Galvez singled to lead things off. He stole second. Leonard Lawson popped out to right, but not deep enough to move Galvez. Jeff Lewis would come up with a runner on second and strike out on. King Brock got hit-by-the-pitch and with 2 on and 2 outs, Alejandro Diaz would end the threat by ground out to second.
In the 7th the Cav's would tie things up. Lead-off hitter Francisco Gallegos would drive a 0-2 mistake from Paul Randolph over the right-field wall. The game was tied. The Cav's couldn't get any momentum going afetr the HR, going down 1-2-3.
After the rough 4th, Pearson settled down and set-down the Blue Carbs 1-2-3 for the next 3 innings.
Luis Martinez reliever Perason in the 8th, and in the 9th, his second inning of work, lead-off man Antonio Castaneda would drive a ball to right-center, but would get gunned down at 3rd by Sergio Galvez trying to stretch an easy double into a triple... Martinz would set-down the next two...
At this point I knew we would win... how could we not? Momentum was on our side, we just gunned out a Castaneda, retired Jackson and Bond... I was ready to celebrate...
In the 9th the Blue Crabs brought in closer Matusuke Koizumi. Brock grounded out. Diaz struck out. Gallegos walked. Gomez flew out... nothing... to extra's we go...
Carlos Coronado was brought in the game as the first 3 Crabs batters were lefties, and 4 of the next 5. I figured I would get 2 innings out of him... but...
In the top of the 10th Jose Martinez would come to the plate pitting lefty vs lefty. Martinez has had an awful series up to this point, 4-20, RBI, 10 K's... but that 21st AB was magical...
"With one and David Hicks on first, Jose Martinez will be the batter. Martinez has been struggling of late, going 0 fer his last 7, including 5 K's. The pitch from Coronado is high, ball one... Martinez is lucky to be still playing after being ejected in game 5. He looked to have bumped the home plate umpre after arguing balls and... the pitch, thumped deep down the left-field line, foul... Coronado was lucky there, left that pitch up in the zone and Martinez was just a little out in front of it... On the season Martinez hit .222-2-8 against lefties on the season, here is the 1-1 from Coronado... Martinez swings, he got that one, its high, its deep, Galvez gives chase, but runs out of room. Martinez just broke the tie with a 2-run blast... no question about that one..."
The Cav's would try to answer in the bottom of the 10th... Granados walked to lead things off. Robinson Lopez who has been hitting the ball all over the place (before today's game) flew out to left. Sergio Galvez then poped out ot third... bring up Leonard Lawson.
"Lawson comes to the plate, as the tying run, with Granados at first and 2 outs... Koizumi deals, strike out... Lawson looked shocked that Koizumi came at him with a fastball on the first pitch... Koizumi is deceptivly fast and has been dominate against the Cav's so far in the playoffs. In 5.2 innings, he has allowed just 2 hits and struck 8... here is the second pitch, just missed, ball 2... Koizumi has a lot of movement on that cutter, which he used to get 39 saves this season. He seems to have taken his game to another level her ein the play-offs... He looks ready, the deal to Lawson, big swing by Lawson, strike two... the count is now 1-2. Lawson a 22-yr old sweet swinging lefty has a lot of pressure on him here... He is 1 for his last 8 over the past 2 games, after going 6 for his first 12 of the series... the Cav's need him to come through here and get Jeff Lewis to the plate... here is the pitch, swung on and missed! Lawson missed the cutter and the Blue Crabs are heading to the Championship game!!!"
That was that, we lost, up 3 games to 1 and we couldn't finish it off. I can't fault Contreras, Gonzalez and Pearson they pitched their best, but we just couldn't score... they beat us, they deserved it... its another disappointing season in Norfolk...
Cavaliers key: Jeff Lewis >> Jeff went 0-4, with 2 K's, leaving 2 men on base.
Blue Crabs key: Paul Randolph >> 8.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 3 K's ... "Player of the Game"
Series MVP: Matsusuke Koizumi: 4 Games, 6 IP, 2 K, 3 BB, 9 K's, 0 Runs, 1 Win and 3 Saves.
