March 30, 1959
Cobourg Outslugs Braeland City to Clinch Eastern League Wild Card
The Cobourg Redlegs punched their ticket to the playoffs with an 8-5 victory over the Braeland City Monarchs in their tiebreaker game. The Redlegs captured the Wild Card and will face the Wellington Athletics for this year’s Eastern League Pennant.
It was a tough day at the office for both pitching staffs, as they allowed a combined 27 hits and 13 runs on the afternoon.
Cobourg got on the scoreboard first in the bottom of the 2nd inning, when C Yoshiake Ikeda and 3B Noah Palmer doubled and singled respectively with one out to put runners on 2nd and 3rd. 2B Chia-liang Fang then grounded into a fielder’s choice at second base, scoring Ikeda.
Braeland City responded in the top of the 4th as LF Hayden Goodale and 1B Dean Witherden hit back-to-back singles with one out. SS Nicholas Malcolm then lined a single into left field with two out, bringing home Goodale and tying things up at 1-apiece.
Cobourg retook the lead in the bottom half of the inning. CF Raymond Williams led off with a walk followed by SS Douglas Jones who bunted and beat out the throw, putting runners on 1st and 2nd. Although the Monarchs got Yoshiake Ikeda to ground into a 6-4-3 double play, Noah Palmer, Chia-liang Fang and RF Nathan Ashman all followed with back-to-back-to-back singles, scoring Williams and Palmer for a 3-1 lead.
In the top of the 5th, Braeland City got those runs back, as PH Vic Fairthorne and CF Bernard Burkitt led of with back-to-back singles. With one out, RF Aidan Trembath lined a double into right centerfield, scoring both Fairthorne and Burkitt to tie things up again.
In the bottom of the 5th and facing relief pitcher RHP Shinzo Okamoto, 1B Harry Doxey slammed a 91-mph fastball 406 ft. into the right centerfield bleachers for a one-out
solo home run as Cobourg retook the lead.
Braeland City got the equalizer in the top of the 7th, as Bernard Burkitt sliced a single into leftfield to lead off and PH Thomas Message followed with a double into deep right centerfield, moving Burkitt up third base. Aidan Trembath then hit a hard grounder to shortstop, but SS Douglas Jones had trouble with the transfer and didn’t risk the throw. Trembath reached first base safely with an infield hit as Burkitt came home with the tying run. That ended LHP Lachlan Lloyd’s afternoon.
But Cobourg began to pull away in the bottom of the 7th, as RHP Ramón González took the mound. After PH Robert Burgess led off with a full-count walk, LF Nihopalaoa Neho jumped on a 79-mph slider and sent it 343 ft. over the wall into the right field stands for
2-run homer. PH Declan Turner followed that with a
solo home run of his own, sending a 1-1 slider 396 ft. to the opposite field and over the left field wall for a 7-4 Redlegs lead, forcing González out of the game.
The Monarchs did not give up, however as 3B Danny Silk attacked an 1-0 cutter from RHP Brian McDaniel and sent it soaring, 444 ft. into the bleachers in dead centerfield for a two-out,
solo home run in the top of the 8th.
But Cobourg got that run back in the bottom half. After RHP Clive Howard hit lead-off hitter Noah Palmer with the first pitch, Chia-liang Fang singled. With runners on the corners and one out, 1B Isaac Harris lined a double past a diving 3B Danny Silk into leftfield, scoring Palmer.
Although down to their last three outs, Braeland City refused to give up. Facing RHP Carl Lampley, RF Stewart Wych led off with a single. Hayden Goodale then singled with one out, moving Wych to 2B. With two out, C Ronald Kingsley drew a walk, loading the bases. But Lampley then got PH Andy Mack to popup into foul territory to C Yoshiake Ikeda to end the threat and game.
With Cobourg’s victory, the United Leagues playoff picture is now clear, as the Redlegs will move on to face the Wellington Athletics for the Eastern League Pennant.
