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WESTERN CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP: GAME 2
The Redbirds felt good about taking game one in Mesa. They knew that a win in game two would put them in great position to win the series. They were confident that starter Dennis Gunderson was capable of giving them a chance to win. They figured they just needed to find a way to score a few runs against mesa starter Cody Francis.
Glendale leadoff man John Barrera singled to start the game. He then stole second and moved to third on a groundout, but Francis was able to work around the base runner to come away with a clean inning.
Gunderson was not so fortunate in the bottom of the frame. He allowed back to back singles and a sacrifice fly, giving Mesa a 1-0 lead after one.
Glendale failed to score again in the 2nd and Mesa added to their lead. After retiring the first two batters, Gunderson allied three consecutive doubles to Aaron Boeck, Jon Simon, and Aaron Fraser followed by a single by Jeff Beasley. The Spiders took a 4-0 lead into the 3rd inning.
Barrera singled again with one out in the 3rd. He moved to second on a passed ball and came around to score on a Kevin Wade double. Glendale was finally on the board.
Mesa quickly got the run back in the bottom of the 3rd on a Matt Bracken double and an RBI single by George Luedtke. Mesa had a 5-1 lead, a lot of momentum, and a rocking home crowd.
All of that changed in the 4th. Redbird catcher JD Romagnoli sent the first pitch of the inning into the seats in left field. Then, after Dennis Aldridge drew a walk, DH Kymani Sinclair unloaded on a 2-1 fastball and hit it 431ft into right-center field to make the score 5-4. After Robert Day singled, Francis retired the next two batters and looked like he might be able to escape with the lead. However, he walked Justin Winterbottom on four pitches and gave up an RBI double to Kevin Wade. Francis was removed from the game and replaced by John Murphy, whose first pitch was rocketed to left field for a two run single. He got the next batter out, but Glendale had scored six in the inning. The score was Redbirds 7-Spiders 5.
In the top of the 5th, Glendale tacked on another run. Kymani Sinclair doubled and came around to score on a double by John Barrera. The score was 8-5 and the crowd in Mesa was feeling extremely anxious.
With the score still 8-5, Kyle Vault struck out to start the bottom of the 6th for Mesa. Glendale went to the bullpen and called on right-hander John Nye. Aaron Boeck greeted Nye with a single. Jon Simon hit a sharp ground ball to third. Instead of potentially turning an inning-ending double play, Kevin Wade misplayed the ball and Mesa had two men on. Ian Fraser followed the error with an RBI single, pulling the Spiders within two. Nye’s struggles continued as he walked Jeff Beasley to load the bases. He was able to get a second out when Bill Howard hit a sacrifice fly to center. The score was 8-7 with Matt Bracken coming to the plate. The crowd rose to their feet, sensing that this could be the make or break moment in this game.
Strike one. A perfectly placed fastball.
Nye threw another heater. This one got away from him and Bracken made him pay. The stadium erupted as the ball sailed over the fence in right-center. Mesa was back on top 10-8. Bracken got a curtain call.
Jeff Beasley knocked in two more runs with a double in the 8th and the Spiders won the game 12-8.
Ian Fraser was 3-4 with 1 double, 3 runs scored, and 2 RBI.
Jeff Beasley was 3-4 with 1 double, 3 runs scored, and 3 RBI.
Matt Bracken was 2-5 with 2 runs scored, 1 home run and 3 RBI.
Game 3 would be in Glendale.
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