Series Tied at Two – All Hopes Heaped on Bender’s Arm

[DanD]

10/10/2008: New Orleans, LA – After returning to Arlington with a road split, the Bureaucrats looked to take advantage of the series. The result was a tough one-run win and loss in the first two home playoff games in franchise history. Now the series shifts nervously back to New Orleans. With just one game to play, it’s win or go home.

Game 3 was a very closely fought 10-inning 2-1 win. The game was a great pitching duel between Edward Coleman and Víctor Matos. In the top of the second inning, New Orleans was able to load the bases with one out. However, Matos was able to strike out Ruíz and Gates to end the threat. In the top of the third, Arlington was able to thwart another New Orleans’ scoring chance. After a single by Hansen and a wild pitch, Ernest Conard hit a two-out line drive single to the hole in right. Hansen was sent home, but RF Travis Bunch threw a strike to Ronnie Johnstone to nip Hansen at home and end the inning.

In the bottom of the sixth, the scoreless dead-lock was concluded. Johnstone led off the inning with a walk. Larry Hoskins followed up with a scorching double to deep center. Pablo Souza hit a medium-deep fly out that was able to get the concrete-footed Johnstone home.

In the top of the top of the ninth, closer Peter Goodwin was brought in to finish the game. Cooper Scott was able to coax a 14-pitch leadoff walk. Valdéz followed this at-bat up with a screaming line drive past the diving Kiril Nijenboer. With 2 men in scoring position and no one out, Arlington brought in the infield and was able to get 2 groundouts. Finally, pinch hitter Desi James singled to right to tie the game with the Trendsetters last bullet. In extra innings, Goodwin stayed in for a second inning and got 2 fly outs and a groundout.

In the bottom of the tenth, your Bureaucrats finally did it. Tom Franks led off with a seeing-eye single between short and third. After a short fly-out to left, closer Dave Phelps threw the first pitch to Jesús Suárez to the back stop. After the mistake, Phelps had no other choice but to intentionally walk Suárez. Pinch hitter Ernest Cunningham hit a deep ground ball in the hole to short for a single. Bases Loaded!!! After a weak pop-up to third, Pablo Souza hit a line drive to right center that no one was able to catch. Game Over!!! Crats Win!!!

Game 4 was another close result but the power hitting and stellar pitching of New Orleans came through with a 5-4 win. In the bottom of the first, Arlington was able to claw to a 1-0 lead. Larry Hoskins hit a screamer of the wall in right center for a leadoff double. After a strikeout by Souza, Nijenboer hit a sacrifice fly to the warning track in center, advancing Hoskins without a throw. Starter Chris Nicholson uncorked a 1-0 pitch to the backstop, scoring Hoskins.

After 2 singles in the top of the third, Jeff Cline creamed a moon-shot to left for a 3-run homer, traveling 454 feet. In the top of the sixth, New Orleans scored twice more on a Cline double to left, an intentional walk to Conrad, a double to right center by Gagné and a single by Martin. Gagné, tying to score a third run, was cut down out home to end the inning.

In the bottom of the sixth Arlington fired back for 2 runs, but it should have been more. With one out, Hoskins hit a double down the third base line followed by a deep home run to left center. Unfortunately, singles by Nijenboer, López and Franks did not produce another run. The scoring was finished by a solo home run Jesús Suárez in the bottom of the ninth.

Michael Bender will start game 5 against New Orleans against Conan McCullough. No one said it would be easy.