One of the Best Games in USBA History

Storgers · 03-17-2006, 12:10 AM

It is game 7 of the Liberty League Championship Series. The San Antonio Gunslingers are hosting the Richmond Cannons with a trip to the USBA Championship on the line. This is the 16th USBA season and amazingly it is San Antonio's first ever playoff appearance. The Richmond Cannons won the championship back in the league's 4th season, but until this season they had missed the playoffs 6 straight times. Both teams were victorious in the first round.

Fast forward to the final game of the series. Paced by 2 homers from catcher Lance Laramie, Richmond leads 4 - 1 after 6 innings. San Antonio gets one back in the bottom of the 7th, but heading into the bottom of 9th they still trail by 2 runs. Closer Eddiejoe Mack is on the mound. In his last 20 appearances, Mack has only been scored on twice, giving up a total of three runs. After a hit batsmen, a single and a couple of outs, there are runners on second and third with 2 out. Left fielder L.J. Harwell hits a single to score both runs, tie the game and put the Richmond celebration on hold. Fortunately for Richmond, Mack gets the final out of the inning to force extra innings.

In the 10th inning, San Antonio threatens, but neither team scores. In the top of the 11th with only 1 out, Richmond's Charles Lockwood triples, driving in two runs. Although Richmond could not cash in Lockwood, something that would prove costly.
In the bottom half, thanks to a couple walks and another hit batsmen, San Antonio manages to score two runs and tie the game with just one hit. For the second time in the game, with their playoff lives on the line, San Antonio has come back from a 2-run deficit.

Richmond goes in order in the top of the 12th. In the bottom half San Antonio manages to get men on first and third with only one out. Robert Campbell, an outfielder who only had 15 at-bats and 1 RBI during the season is up to bat. He hits a routine double play ball to Richmond's rookie shortstop, Carlos Valverde. Valverde promptly boots the ball which allows the winning run to score. It will be awhile before the rookie can get the goat horns off of his head.

The Richmond fans are crying into their beer after 2 hits batsmen, 4 walks and an error directly caused them to blow two leads and eventually the game.
Not only that, but they were up 3 games to 1 in the series and in game six they had the lead after 6 innings, only to eventually lose in the 11th inning. It just wasn't meant to be.

It wasn't the best played game ever in the USBA, but it was one of the most exciting ones.

In their first ever playoff appearance, San Antonio has now made it to the finals and they have a date with the New York Gothams, who had the USBA's best regular season record.

Box Score, San Antonio vs Richmond, Game 7.

LivnLegend · 03-18-2006, 12:31 AM

VS.

Michael Kerford ..........Mike Gentz [Phenom]
Record: 105-57...........Record: 98-64

2000 USBA Championship

Game One

New York (William Vansant 15-5, 2.22 ERA) @ San Antonio (Larry Arnold 15-5, 2.90)

Both pitchers entered game one with playoff records of 2-1 this season with neither having given up more than four runs in their previous three starts combined. What many figured to be a low scoring game came to be true as the clubs were deadlocked 1-1 though 6 innings.

In the top of the 7th with two outs, Arnold walked Ronaldo Gomez. The next batter hit a comebacker to Arnold with Gomez off on the pitch. However, Arnold threw the ball wide, getting away from first baseman Brigham Longley, allowing Gomez to race home to give the Gothams a 2-1 lead.

New York added some insurance runs in the 8th against the Gunslingers bullpen and took a 5-1 lead into the 9th. The insurance runs proved to be key as reliever Joe Messier gave up a 2-run bomb to Randy Hildreth in the bottom of the 9th. It was enough to give the Gothams a scare but it was not enough for the home team to catch the visitors who took a 5-3 opening series win.

Game Two

New York (Brian Hunt (8-9, 3.74 ERA) @ San Antonio (James Clift 15-5, 3.21)

Rookie Clift was making his third postseason start, having lost his only previous decision. Hunt pitched well in two wins, one each over San Diego and Denver, in the previous rounds.

Eric Cocca tripled to lead off the game and scored on a fly ball to make it 1-0 for New York. Ronaldo Gomez added a 2-run shot in the 4th inning and Donny Fink added a solo shot in the 6th for a 4-0 lead.

The Ginslingers got on the board in the bottom of the 6th when Ray Hendley doubled in Longley.

With Clift out of the game, the Gothams went to work on the bullpen, coaxing a pair of walks out of Jason Esquibel. Fink followed with a double to score two more and make it 6-1.

Once again, the late inning insurance runs proved to be key as San Antonio rallied in the 8th. Ray Hendley and LJ Harwell hit back to back homers - Hendley's with a man aboard. Messier calmed down and struck out the next two batters to end the inning with New York up 6-4.

Gotham closer Spencer Rhoden came on in the 9th and set the three batters down in order for the save and a 2-0 New York series lead.

Game Three

San Antonio (Robert Friedel 14-8, 3.95) @ New York (Rudy Johnson 19-5, 2.71 ERA)

With the series shifting to the east coast, the Gothams continued their run of scoring early. Eric Cocca led off the bottom of the first with a home run. In the third, Cocca singled, stole second, and scored on Emmanuel Johnson's single just prior to Fareed Khan's 2-run bomb off of Robert Friedel to make it 3-0.

The Gunslingers got on the board in the 4th inning with four straight singles off of New York starter Rudy Johnson. The fourth single, by Randy Hildreth, scored two runs. Joe Sanders walked to load the bases. Wyatt Thorne then grounded into a double play, which scoring another for San Antonio, making it 4-3.

In the 5th inning, Donald Fink led off with a solo homer. Friedel then walked the bases loaded with two outs, setting up a chance for FL RBI leader Christian Gurerrero to blow the game open. Friedel coaxed a harmless ground ball to third base out of Guerrero, ending the inning. However, the score was now 5-3 for New York.

The Gunslingers batters went quietly in the 6th, 7th, and 8th innings while New York added one more run in their half of the 8th. Dusty Louviere came in on the 9th and set San Antonio down in order for the save and a 3-0 series lead for New York.

Game Four

San Antonio (Larry Arnold) @ New York (Johnny Cooper 14-11, 3.15 ERA)

In game four, the Gunslingers sent Arnold back to the mound while New York countered with Reb Cooper who picked up two wins in the FL series win over San Diego.

Once again, New York struck first, this time with two runs in the second inning. Arnold walked Christian Guerrero and two batters later, catcher Pierre Cisco hit a two-run bomb down the right field line.

San Antonio had runners in the first three innings but never seriously threatened. The score remained 2-0 until the 6th inning when Gotham outfielder Emmanuel Johnson doubled, Fareed Khan walked, and both scoring on Carlos Villa's triple. This made the score 4-0 in favor of New York.

San Antonio made a charge in the 8th inning. With one out Corey Luken singled. Pinch hitter Pierre Argueta struck out. Shortstop Donald Henry followed with a walk, bringing up Brigham Longley. Although Longley hit just 11 homers during the regular season, he smacked his third of the postseason off of Cooper deep to center field, pulling the Gunslingers within one run, 4-3. Silver Slugger favorite Raymond Hendley then struck out to end the threat.

Closer Dusty Louviere came on in the bottom of the 9th to protect the one run lead. He gave up a leadoff single to Joe Sanders. He got two lazy flyouts from the next two batters, bringing up Wyatt Thorne as the Gunslingers' last hope. Louviere's pitch was skied high by Thorne giving left fielder Renaldo Gomez plenty of time to race in and make the catch!

Congratulations to the New York Gothams, USBA Champions for the first time, with the convincing series sweep over San Antonio!

phenom · 03-18-2006, 07:49 AM

The Gothams have a heck of a team, and I didn't have a lot of confidence going in. Oddly enough, a couple key players on my roster came from New York via trade. Still, I hardly expected to get this far this season, and am very happy with where the Gunslingers ended up.

Congrats to New York.

That game 7 was really something to be part of, too.

03-17-2006, 12:10 AM	#1
Storgers Minors (Double A) Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 146	One of the Best Games in USBA History It is game 7 of the Liberty League Championship Series. The San Antonio Gunslingers are hosting the Richmond Cannons with a trip to the USBA Championship on the line. This is the 16th USBA season and amazingly it is San Antonio's first ever playoff appearance. The Richmond Cannons won the championship back in the league's 4th season, but until this season they had missed the playoffs 6 straight times. Both teams were victorious in the first round. Fast forward to the final game of the series. Paced by 2 homers from catcher Lance Laramie, Richmond leads 4 - 1 after 6 innings. San Antonio gets one back in the bottom of the 7th, but heading into the bottom of 9th they still trail by 2 runs. Closer Eddiejoe Mack is on the mound. In his last 20 appearances, Mack has only been scored on twice, giving up a total of three runs. After a hit batsmen, a single and a couple of outs, there are runners on second and third with 2 out. Left fielder L.J. Harwell hits a single to score both runs, tie the game and put the Richmond celebration on hold. Fortunately for Richmond, Mack gets the final out of the inning to force extra innings. In the 10th inning, San Antonio threatens, but neither team scores. In the top of the 11th with only 1 out, Richmond's Charles Lockwood triples, driving in two runs. Although Richmond could not cash in Lockwood, something that would prove costly. In the bottom half, thanks to a couple walks and another hit batsmen, San Antonio manages to score two runs and tie the game with just one hit. For the second time in the game, with their playoff lives on the line, San Antonio has come back from a 2-run deficit. Richmond goes in order in the top of the 12th. In the bottom half San Antonio manages to get men on first and third with only one out. Robert Campbell, an outfielder who only had 15 at-bats and 1 RBI during the season is up to bat. He hits a routine double play ball to Richmond's rookie shortstop, Carlos Valverde. Valverde promptly boots the ball which allows the winning run to score. It will be awhile before the rookie can get the goat horns off of his head. The Richmond fans are crying into their beer after 2 hits batsmen, 4 walks and an error directly caused them to blow two leads and eventually the game. Not only that, but they were up 3 games to 1 in the series and in game six they had the lead after 6 innings, only to eventually lose in the 11th inning. It just wasn't meant to be. It wasn't the best played game ever in the USBA, but it was one of the most exciting ones. In their first ever playoff appearance, San Antonio has now made it to the finals and they have a date with the New York Gothams, who had the USBA's best regular season record. Box Score, San Antonio vs Richmond, Game 7. __________________ Formerly Delgadodawg USBA - Boston Pilgrims - '91 and '93 champs Last edited by Storgers; 03-17-2006 at 12:14 AM.

03-18-2006, 12:31 AM	#2
LivnLegend Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: 100% pure adrenaline! Posts: 5,624	VS. Michael Kerford ..........Mike Gentz [Phenom] Record: 105-57...........Record: 98-64 2000 USBA Championship Game One New York (William Vansant 15-5, 2.22 ERA) @ San Antonio (Larry Arnold 15-5, 2.90) Both pitchers entered game one with playoff records of 2-1 this season with neither having given up more than four runs in their previous three starts combined. What many figured to be a low scoring game came to be true as the clubs were deadlocked 1-1 though 6 innings. In the top of the 7th with two outs, Arnold walked Ronaldo Gomez. The next batter hit a comebacker to Arnold with Gomez off on the pitch. However, Arnold threw the ball wide, getting away from first baseman Brigham Longley, allowing Gomez to race home to give the Gothams a 2-1 lead. New York added some insurance runs in the 8th against the Gunslingers bullpen and took a 5-1 lead into the 9th. The insurance runs proved to be key as reliever Joe Messier gave up a 2-run bomb to Randy Hildreth in the bottom of the 9th. It was enough to give the Gothams a scare but it was not enough for the home team to catch the visitors who took a 5-3 opening series win. Game Two New York (Brian Hunt (8-9, 3.74 ERA) @ San Antonio (James Clift 15-5, 3.21) Rookie Clift was making his third postseason start, having lost his only previous decision. Hunt pitched well in two wins, one each over San Diego and Denver, in the previous rounds. Eric Cocca tripled to lead off the game and scored on a fly ball to make it 1-0 for New York. Ronaldo Gomez added a 2-run shot in the 4th inning and Donny Fink added a solo shot in the 6th for a 4-0 lead. The Ginslingers got on the board in the bottom of the 6th when Ray Hendley doubled in Longley. With Clift out of the game, the Gothams went to work on the bullpen, coaxing a pair of walks out of Jason Esquibel. Fink followed with a double to score two more and make it 6-1. Once again, the late inning insurance runs proved to be key as San Antonio rallied in the 8th. Ray Hendley and LJ Harwell hit back to back homers - Hendley's with a man aboard. Messier calmed down and struck out the next two batters to end the inning with New York up 6-4. Gotham closer Spencer Rhoden came on in the 9th and set the three batters down in order for the save and a 2-0 New York series lead. Game Three San Antonio (Robert Friedel 14-8, 3.95) @ New York (Rudy Johnson 19-5, 2.71 ERA) With the series shifting to the east coast, the Gothams continued their run of scoring early. Eric Cocca led off the bottom of the first with a home run. In the third, Cocca singled, stole second, and scored on Emmanuel Johnson's single just prior to Fareed Khan's 2-run bomb off of Robert Friedel to make it 3-0. The Gunslingers got on the board in the 4th inning with four straight singles off of New York starter Rudy Johnson. The fourth single, by Randy Hildreth, scored two runs. Joe Sanders walked to load the bases. Wyatt Thorne then grounded into a double play, which scoring another for San Antonio, making it 4-3. In the 5th inning, Donald Fink led off with a solo homer. Friedel then walked the bases loaded with two outs, setting up a chance for FL RBI leader Christian Gurerrero to blow the game open. Friedel coaxed a harmless ground ball to third base out of Guerrero, ending the inning. However, the score was now 5-3 for New York. The Gunslingers batters went quietly in the 6th, 7th, and 8th innings while New York added one more run in their half of the 8th. Dusty Louviere came in on the 9th and set San Antonio down in order for the save and a 3-0 series lead for New York. Game Four San Antonio (Larry Arnold) @ New York (Johnny Cooper 14-11, 3.15 ERA) In game four, the Gunslingers sent Arnold back to the mound while New York countered with Reb Cooper who picked up two wins in the FL series win over San Diego. Once again, New York struck first, this time with two runs in the second inning. Arnold walked Christian Guerrero and two batters later, catcher Pierre Cisco hit a two-run bomb down the right field line. San Antonio had runners in the first three innings but never seriously threatened. The score remained 2-0 until the 6th inning when Gotham outfielder Emmanuel Johnson doubled, Fareed Khan walked, and both scoring on Carlos Villa's triple. This made the score 4-0 in favor of New York. San Antonio made a charge in the 8th inning. With one out Corey Luken singled. Pinch hitter Pierre Argueta struck out. Shortstop Donald Henry followed with a walk, bringing up Brigham Longley. Although Longley hit just 11 homers during the regular season, he smacked his third of the postseason off of Cooper deep to center field, pulling the Gunslingers within one run, 4-3. Silver Slugger favorite Raymond Hendley then struck out to end the threat. Closer Dusty Louviere came on in the bottom of the 9th to protect the one run lead. He gave up a leadoff single to Joe Sanders. He got two lazy flyouts from the next two batters, bringing up Wyatt Thorne as the Gunslingers' last hope. Louviere's pitch was skied high by Thorne giving left fielder Renaldo Gomez plenty of time to race in and make the catch! Congratulations to the New York Gothams, USBA Champions for the first time, with the convincing series sweep over San Antonio! __________________ Excess ain't rebellion. You're drinking what they're selling.

03-18-2006, 07:49 AM	#3
phenom Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Near the Great Wall. On the GOOD side. Posts: 3,770	The Gothams have a heck of a team, and I didn't have a lot of confidence going in. Oddly enough, a couple key players on my roster came from New York via trade. Still, I hardly expected to get this far this season, and am very happy with where the Gunslingers ended up. Congrats to New York. That game 7 was really something to be part of, too. __________________ reported