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Expansion
Series: Goliaths Edge Beacons To Claim Title
March
6, 2010 (Federal League Wire Service)
The Davie Goliaths returned
to the Expansion Division throne after notching an 11-10 win
over the Lighthouse Point Beacons in Game 4 of the Expansion
Series. The victory gave the Philistines a three games to one
series win.
Matt Sperry scored the winning run from second in the bottom of
the ninth after Beacon shortstop Jeff Fazio's throw skipped into
the dugout. Fazio had made an apparent game saving diving stop
on Jose De Los Rios' grounder up the middle with two outs in the
final frame. Fazio scrambled to his feet after corralling the
ball before it could find its way up the middle, but Fazio threw
low and first baseman Bryce Toledo's attempt at short hopping
the ball failed. Sperry scored the game winning, and series
winning, run when the ball entered the dugout.
Jeff Hall, who permitted two runs on three hits in three innings
of relief, recorded his second win of the series. Chris Basso,
who worked four and two thirds innings without allowing an
earned run, was the hard luck loser.
Eric Brotherhood, who took the loss in the Beacons' lopsided
Game 3 win, started for the Goliaths and ran into immediate
trouble in the top of the first. Jimmy Efre opened the game with
a single, stole second and went to third on a single by Keith
Nicoll. Efre and Nicoll both scored on a long double by Jamie
Siragusa.
Trailing 2-0, the Goliaths responded in the bottom of the first
against Beacon starter Rick Schaut. Anthony Sanchez led off with
a single. After Sperry flew out deep to right, De Los Rios
singled, Randy Talley singled, David Cruz doubled, Dave Bourns
walked, Terrence Broussard singled, and Irvin Zelaya doubled to
give the G-Men a 5-2 lead with runners on second and third and
only one out.
Beacon manager Keith Nicoll summoned Andrew Gellert from the
bullpen in relief of Schaut, much to Schaut 's
consternation. Upon
being replaced, Schaut responded with incredulity and was
ordered to leave the dugout by Nicoll.
Gellert, without proper time to get loose walked Norm Vazquez,
Sanchez, and Sperry in succession. De Los Rios ' sacrifice fly
gave the Goliaths an 8-2 lead before Gellert fanned Talley to
end the inning. Schaut wound up being charged with seven runs on
six hits in a third of an inning.
The Goliaths padded their lead in the third on De Los Rios' two
run double, but the Beacons began their comeback in the top of
the fourth. Fazio led off with a single and, after Jose Morales
flew out for the first out, advanced to second as Toledo reached
on an error. Efre's two out single scored Fazio, Nicoll's
base hit drove in Toledo, and Siragusa singled in Efre to cut
the gap to 10-5.
The Beacons struck for three more runs in the fifth. Basso drew
a bases loaded walk, and Efre and Nicoll drove in runs with
force outs. The Illuminators finally tied the score in the
seventh. Efre led off with a walk and went to second on
Nicoll's third hit of the game. Siragusa lined a single to
center that scored Efre, and, three batters later Morales
singled home Nicoll with the tying run.
With the score tied at 10-10, the Goliaths loaded the bases in
the bottom of the eighth, but Basso pitched out of the jam.
In the bottom of the ninth, with two out, Basso hit Sperry with
a 1-2 pitch. After Sperry swiped second, De Los Rios hit a sharp
grounder up the middle that led to Fazio's nearly game saving
play that turned into a series winning play for the Goliaths.
After the game, Goliath shortstop Anthony Sanchez was selected
as the Playoff MVP by the editors of the South
Florida Baseball Report. Sanchez went 5-11 in the
series with seven runs scored and three RBI, but the real hero
for the Goliaths might have been their new manager David Bourns.
In addition to filling in ably in center field, Bourns guided
the Philistines with a steady hand during a difficult season.
Bourns' relaxed style, in stark contrast to his combative, and
frequently petulant, predecessor, allowed the Goliaths to
weather a series of hurdles during a turbulent season. Bourns
skillfully kept the team together during all-star second baseman
Randy Talley's long mid season absence from the lineup and
downplayed the Smith brothers' expulsion from the team.
De Los Rios must also be commended for his important
contributions, including filling in at catcher in Game 2 and
returning from a serious leg infection to drive in three runs in
the deciding game.
For the Beacons, left fielder Jamie Siragusa led all hitters
with 10 hits and 10 RBI in the series. Siragusa was three for
four with four RBI in the finale. Jimmy Efre, perhaps in his
final games as a Beacon, went 9-20 in the series.
The win was the record setting eighth Expansion Series
championship for the G-Men, who have now won titles under four
different managers.
Original Division-Mets Roll To Title: T he
Parkland Mets returned to the summit by winning their second
Original Division title in the past three seasons as the clock
struck 12 for the Cinderella Oakland Park A's. Game 4 of the
Championship Final Series was nothing more than a pumpkin for
the A's as they were blanked, 9-0 by the Mets. The win gave
the Mets a three games to one series victory.
Garrett Rogers pitched
eight and two thirds scoreless innings for the Mets. Rogers
scattered four hits, walked three, and struck out seven. Mets'
ace Michael Cimilluca, out for the past 14 months with
shoulder surgery and limited to pinch running duties this
season, relieved Rogers with two out in the ninth and the
bases empty. Cimilluca retired Rey Santos on a ground ball to
second to clinch the title for the Mets.
Freddie Case's home run to
right center in the top of the second opened the scoring. J.J.
Lopez unloaded a grand slam in the sixth to increase the lead
to 5-0. It was Lopez's second consecutive game with a grand
slam.
The Mets closed out the
scoring with four runs in the eighth, highlighted by bases
loaded walks drawn by Greg Cimilluca and Travis Wilson and an
RBI single by Case.
Andrew Medina started for the
A's and absorbed the loss after allowing five runs on nine
hits in five innings of work. Medina, last season's MVP,
walked one, hit two, and fanned four.
Case led the Mets with
three hits. Lopez, who went five for 12 with eight RBI in the
series was named Playoff MVP by the editors of the South
Florida Baseball Report after the game.
Ricardo Zinabria's two
hits led the A's.
While the Mets can now
look back on a glorious past that includes 16 championships,
the A's can look to the future after reaching the finals in
their first playoff run in team history.
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