Wednesday, October 14, 2009

NLCS Game Summaries: Ocala vs. Fleetwood

Game 1 - Ocala at Fleetwood
Roy Oswalt (16-6, 3.75 ERA) vs. Justin Duchscherer (13-3, 3.16 ERA)

This opening game between the NL West champion Ocala Ocelots (99-63) and the NL Central champion Fleetwood Walkers (122-40) appeared primed to be a pitchers' duel. This would not be the case, as Ocala stormed out to an early 3-0 lead on a J.D. Drew sacrifice fly in the 1st and an Emilio Bonifacio two-run single in the 2nd.

Fleetwood stormed back in the bottom of the 3rd, tying the game on a 3-run homer by Jim Edmonds. Each team then traded single runs in the 4th inning, leaving the game tied 4-4.

The Walkers took their first lead on a Howie Kendrick home run in the 6th. The lead was short-lived, though, as Todd Helton hit a round-tripper of his own in the 7th to tie the game 5-5.

Ocala's Mike Lowell began the 8th with an easy flyball to center field. The sure-handed Carlos Beltran dropped the ball, though, putting the lead-off runner on 2nd against Fleetwood's Chad Billingsley. Out out later, Matt Kemp hit a double to drive Lowell home. A two-out walk to pinch-hitter Daniel Murphy knocked Billingsley out of the game in favor of lefty J.P. Howell. Howell then hit Grady Sizemore with a pitch to load the bases with two outs. Joe Mauer stepped in next, and coaxed a bases-loaded walk to put Ocala up 7-5.

Fleetwood went down meekly in the 8th and 9th, managing only a single baserunner in those two frames combined. Ocala had come from behind to take the opening game.

Final score: Ocala 7, Fleetwood 5.
W: Oswalt (3-0). L: Billingsley (1-1). SV: Arredondo (1).
HR: Helton (2), Edmonds (1), Kendrick (1).
Ocala leads series 1-0.


Game 2 - Ocala at Fleetwood
Jake Peavy (9-6, 3.09 ERA) vs. Zack Greinke (24-2, 2.42 ERA)

Another pitchers' duel seemed likely, with long-time Ocala ace Jake Peavy facing Fleetwood up-and-comer Zack Greinke. Again, though, each team's bats would be loud early.

Greinke seemed nervous in the 1st, surrendering a lead-off home run to Grady Sizemore and then back-to-back doubles by Joe Mauer and Todd Helton. J.D. Drew followed with a single, giving Ocala a quick 3-0 lead. Greinke escaped further damage in the 1st, but gave up another run in the 2nd on a bases-loaded walk to J.D. Drew. The Ocelots now led 4-0.

Fleetwood broke through with a solo homer by Miguel Cabrera in the 2nd, and then scored 3 more runs in the 3rd on a Rafael Furcal RBI double and a Nick Markakis two-run homer. Through 3 innings, the game was tied 4-4.

Ocala took the lead in the 6th on a lead-off homer by Sean Rodriguez. Back-to-back doubles by J.D. Drew and Mike Lowell in the 7th extended Ocala's lead to 6-4.

Fleetwood was again unable to mount a late-inning rally, managing just 1 baserunner in the final three innings. Ocala had taken its second straight game in Fleetwood, and was headed home in control of the series.

Final score: Ocala 6, Fleetwood 4.
W: Peavy (2-0). L: Greinke (1-1). SV: Arredondo (2).
HR: Sizemore (1), Rodriguez (1), Markakis (1), Miguel Cabrera (2).
Ocala leads series 2-0.


Game 3 - Fleetwood at Glen Allen
Ervin Santana (18-9, 3.43 ERA) vs. Nick Blackburn (18-7, 4.25 ERA)

Desperately needing a win, Fleetwood turned to the reliable Ervin Santana. Ocala continued its early-inning dominance, however, when Grady Sizemore hit yet another lead-off homer in the 1st inning (just as he had in Game 2). In the 3rd inning, the Ocelots extended their lead to 3-0 on an RBI triple by Sizemore and a sacrifice fly by Joe Mauer.

Meanwhile, Ocala's Nick Blackburn dominated Fleetwood's strong lineup. He would end up surrendering zero runs on just 2 hits and 2 walks before giving way to his bullpen after 6 full innings.

Once again, Fleetwood needed a late-inning rally. And, once again, the team was not up to the task. The Walkers went down in order in the 7th and 8th innings. Nick Markakis managed a one-out hit-by-pitch in the 9th, but was doubled-off first base on a David Wright lineout to end the game.

Ocala had taken a surprising 3-0 series lead, and was just one victory from a BRASSball World Series berth.

Final score: Ocala 3, Fleetwood 0.
W: Blackburn (2-0). L: Santana (0-1). SV: Arredondo (3).
HR: Sizemore (2).
Ocala leads series 3-0.


Game 4 - Fleetwood at Glen Allen
Daisuke Matsuzaka (16-6, 4.32 ERA) vs. Roy Oswalt (16-6, 3.75 ERA)

On the brink of elimination, Fleetwood turned to the shaky-but-perseverant Daisuke Matsuzaka. Meanwhile, Ocala brought back Game 1 starter Roy Oswalt on three-days rest.

For the 4th game in a row, Ocala scored in the opening frame. Matsuzaka began the game with back-to-back walks to Sizemore and Mauer, and then hit Nick Johnson with a pitch to load the bases. A groundout by J.D. Drew plated one run, but Matsuzaka was able to escape the jam without allowing another.

Fleetwood's Carlos Beltran quickly tied the game again in the 2nd inning, belting a lead-off homer off of Oswalt. Later in the same inning, Jason Bartlett followed a Howie Kendrick double with an RBI single, giving Fleetwood just its second lead of the series and its first since Game 1.

Ocala quickly erased that lead with 2 runs in the 3rd inning, and yet another run in the 4th on Grady Sizemore's third home run of the series. Through 4 innings, Ocala led 4-2.

Neither team scored in the 5th or 6th innings. In the top of the 7th, Fleetwood tied the game on RBI singles by Nick Markakis and pinch-hitter Ryan Doumit. The runs marked the team's first 7th-inning-or-later runs of the series, and kept the Fleetwood faithful's hope alive.

Neither team scored in the 8th. In the 9th, Sizemore reached base with a one-out single off of Fleetwood reliever Heath Bell. After a Sizemore stolen base, Fleetwood intentionally walked Joe Mauer to set up a double-play. Bell retired Todd Helton on a flyout to left field, but J.D. Drew delivered a clutch walk-off double with two outs. The hit scored Sizemore, and ended the series. Ocala had completed a shocking series sweep of the Fleetwood Walkers.

Congratulations to Corey and his Ocala Ocelots, who will face either Plaza or Hessville in the 2009 BRASSball World Series.

Final score: Ocala 5, Fleetwood 4.
W: Rowland-Smith (1-0). L: Bell (0-1).
HR: Beltran (1), Sizemore (3).
Ocala wins series 4 games to 0.

Series MVP: Ocala center fielder Grady Sizemore, who went 6 for 16 (.375) with one triple, three home runs, 2 stolen bases, 2 walks, one hit-by-pitch, and 8 runs scored.




BOXSCORE: 2009 Ocala Ocelots At 2009 Fleetwood Walkers 10/21/2009

Ocelots AB R H RBI AVG Walkers AB R H RBI AVG
G.Sizemore CF 4 1 0 0 .308 N.Markakis RF 5 0 1 0 .455
J.Mauer C 4 1 2 2 .320 D.Wright 3B 4 0 0 0 .300
T.Helton 1B 5 1 3 1 .286 C.Pena 1B 3 0 0 0 .167
J.Drew LF 3 0 0 1 .200 M.Cabrera DH 4 0 1 0 .350
M.Lowell 3B 4 1 0 0 .348 C.Beltran CF 4 1 1 0 .273
R.Ibanez DH 5 1 1 0 .320 C.Iannetta C 3 1 1 0 .056
M.Kemp RF 4 1 2 1 .217 E-M.Cabrera PR,LF 0 0 0 0 .500
S.Drew SS 4 1 1 0 .250 J.Edmonds LF 2 2 1 3 .167
E.Bonifacio 2B 2 0 1 2 .167 D-C.Ross PH 1 0 0 0 .300
B-D.Murphy PH 0 0 0 0 ---- F-A.Cabrera 2B 0 0 0 0 .429
C-S.Rodriguez 2B 0 0 0 0 .167 H.Kendrick 2B 3 1 2 1 .556
G-R.Doumit C 1 0 0 0 .000
J.Bartlett SS 2 0 0 1 .273
A-R.Furcal PH,SS 2 0 0 0 .111
-- -- -- --- -- -- -- ---
Totals 35 7 10 7 Totals 34 5 7 5

A-Pinch Hit For Bartlett In 6th Inning
B-Pinch Hit For Bonifacio In 8th Inning
C-Subbed Defensively (2B) For Murphy In 8th Inning
D-Pinch Hit For Edmonds In 8th Inning
E-Pinch Ran For Iannetta In 8th Inning
F-Subbed Defensively (2B) For Ross In 9th Inning
G-Subbed Defensively (C ) For Kendrick In 9th Inning

Ocelots......... 1 2 0 1 0 0 1 2 0 - 7 10 0
Walkers......... 0 3 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 - 5 7 1

Ocelots (5-1) IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA SCORESHEET
R.Oswalt WIN(3-0) 7 2/3 7 5 5 3 9 2 1.90 A1 D6
J.Arredondo SAVE(1st) 1 1/3 0 0 0 0 1 0 0.00 D7
Totals 9 7 5 5 3 10 2

Walkers (4-1) IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA SCORESHEET
J.Duchschere 6 8 4 4 2 2 0 4.85 A1 C9
H.Kuo BS(2nd) 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 4.15 D1 D4
C.Billingsle LOSS(1-1) 0 2/3 1 2 0 1 0 0 3.60 D5 D9
J.Howell 0 1/3 0 0 0 2 0 0 0.00 E1 E4
H.Bell 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0.00 E5
Totals 9 10 7 5 5 3 1

ATTENDANCE- 47,776 DATE- Wednesday, October 21st 2009 TIME- Night WEATHER- Good
UMPIRES- Joe West, Ed Rapuano, Cb Bucknor, Ed Hickox
T- 2:54
LEFT ON BASE- Ocelots: 8 Walkers: 5
DOUBLE PLAYS- Ocelots: 0 Walkers: 1
ERRORS- C.Beltran
DOUBLES- J.Mauer(3rd), T.Helton(1st), M.Kemp(3rd), S.Drew(3rd)
HOME RUNS- T.Helton(2nd), J.Edmonds(1st), H.Kendrick(1st)
SACRIFICE FLIES- J.Drew
WALKS- J.Mauer, J.Drew, M.Lowell, E.Bonifacio, D.Murphy, C.Pena, C.Iannetta,
J.Edmonds
HIT BY PITCH- G.Sizemore
STRIKE OUTS- G.Sizemore, R.Ibanez, E.Bonifacio, N.Markakis, D.Wright-2,
M.Cabrera-3, C.Beltran-2, C.Iannetta, J.Edmonds
GIDP- M.Lowell



BOXSCORE: 2009 Ocala Ocelots At 2009 Fleetwood Walkers 10/22/2009

Ocelots AB R H RBI AVG Walkers AB R H RBI AVG
G.Sizemore CF 4 2 2 1 .333 N.Markakis RF 4 1 1 2 .423
J.Mauer C 4 1 2 0 .345 D.Wright 3B 4 0 0 0 .250
T.Helton 1B 5 1 1 1 .269 C.Pena 1B 4 0 0 0 .136
J.Drew LF 4 1 3 2 .292 M.Cabrera DH 4 1 1 1 .333
M.Lowell 3B 5 0 1 1 .321 C.Beltran CF 4 0 0 0 .231
R.Ibanez DH 5 0 2 0 .333 J.Edmonds LF 3 0 0 0 .111
M.Kemp RF 5 0 1 0 .214 A-C.Iannetta PH 1 0 0 0 .053
S.Drew SS 4 0 0 0 .214 R.Doumit C 3 0 1 0 .125
S.Rodriguez 2B 4 1 2 1 .300 B-C.Ross PH 1 0 0 0 .273
H.Kendrick 2B 3 1 1 0 .500
R.Furcal SS 1 1 1 1 .200
-- -- -- --- -- -- -- ---
Totals 40 6 14 6 Totals 32 4 5 4

A-Pinch Hit For Edmonds In 9th Inning
B-Pinch Hit For Doumit In 9th Inning

Ocelots......... 3 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 - 6 14 0
Walkers......... 0 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 4 5 0

Ocelots (6-1) IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA SCORESHEET
J.Peavy WIN(2-0) 8 5 4 4 2 8 2 2.12 A1 D4
J.Arredondo SAVE(2nd) 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0.00 D5
Totals 9 5 4 4 2 9 2

Walkers (4-2) IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA SCORESHEET
Z.Greinke LOSS(1-1) 5 1/3 8 5 5 3 4 2 3.97 A1 C9
H.Kuo 1 3 1 1 0 1 0 5.06 D1 D6
C.Billingsle 2 2/3 3 0 0 1 2 0 2.35 D7
Totals 9 14 6 6 4 7 2

ATTENDANCE- 46,017 DATE- Thursday, October 22nd 2009 TIME- Day WEATHER- Good
UMPIRES- Tom Hallion, Brian O'Nora, Paul Naubert, Jerry Crawford
T- 2:52
LEFT ON BASE- Ocelots:11 Walkers: 3
DOUBLE PLAYS- Ocelots: 0 Walkers: 1
DOUBLES- J.Mauer(4th), T.Helton(2nd), J.Drew-2(4th), M.Lowell(3rd),
R.Furcal(1st)
TRIPLES- H.Kendrick(1st)
HOME RUNS- G.Sizemore(1st), S.Rodriguez(1st), N.Markakis(2nd), M.Cabrera(2nd)
STOLEN BASES- R.Furcal(1st)
WALKS- G.Sizemore, J.Mauer, J.Drew, S.Drew, R.Furcal-2
STRIKE OUTS- T.Helton, M.Kemp-3, S.Drew, S.Rodriguez-2, N.Markakis, D.Wright-2,
C.Pena, M.Cabrera-2, C.Beltran, J.Edmonds, C.Ross
GIDP- J.Mauer
WILD PITCHES- Z.Greinke



BOXSCORE: 2009 Fleetwood Walkers At 2009 Ocala Ocelots 10/24/2009

Walkers AB R H RBI AVG Ocelots AB R H RBI AVG
N.Markakis RF 3 0 0 0 .379 G.Sizemore CF 4 2 2 2 .353
D.Wright 3B 4 0 0 0 .214 J.Mauer C 3 0 0 1 .313
C.Pena 1B 1 0 0 0 .130 T.Helton 1B 3 0 0 0 .241
B-R.Doumit PH,1B 1 0 0 0 .111 J.Drew LF 4 0 0 0 .250
M.Cabrera DH 3 0 0 0 .296 M.Lowell 3B 4 0 1 0 .313
C.Beltran CF 3 0 0 0 .207 R.Ibanez DH 3 0 1 0 .333
C.Iannetta C 2 0 0 0 .048 M.Kemp RF 3 0 0 0 .194
J.Edmonds LF 3 0 0 0 .083 S.Drew SS 3 0 1 0 .226
H.Kendrick 2B 3 0 0 0 .400 E.Bonifacio 2B 2 1 1 0 .250
J.Bartlett SS 1 0 1 0 .333 C-N.Johnson PH 0 0 0 01.000
A-R.Furcal PH,SS 1 0 1 0 .273 D-S.Rodriguez PR,2B 0 0 0 0 .300
E-R.Cedeno PH 1 0 0 0 .000
-- -- -- --- -- -- -- ---
Totals 26 0 2 0 Totals 29 3 6 3

A-Pinch Hit For Bartlett In 6th Inning
B-Pinch Hit For Pena In 7th Inning
C-Pinch Hit For Bonifacio In 7th Inning
D-Pinch Ran For Johnson In 7th Inning
E-Pinch Hit For Furcal In 9th Inning

Walkers......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 2 0
Ocelots......... 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 - 3 6 0

Walkers (4-3) IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA SCORESHEET
E.Santana LOSS(0-1) 6 1/3 6 3 3 2 8 1 3.77 A1 C9
H.Kuo 1 2/3 0 0 0 0 1 0 3.86 D1
Totals 8 6 3 3 2 9 1

Ocelots (7-1) IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA SCORESHEET
N.Blackburn WIN(2-0) 6 2 0 0 2 1 0 2.45 A1 C2
G.Sherrill 0 2/3 0 0 0 0 1 0 0.00 C3 C4
C.Marmol HOLD(1st) 1 1/3 0 0 0 0 1 0 0.00 C5 C8
J.Arredondo SAVE(3rd) 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0.00 C9
Totals 9 2 0 0 2 4 0

ATTENDANCE- 49,904 DATE- Saturday, October 24th 2009 TIME- Night WEATHER- Average
UMPIRES- Brian Runge, Charlie Reliford, Kerwin Danley, Greg Gibson
T- 2:33
LEFT ON BASE- Walkers: 2 Ocelots: 5
DOUBLE PLAYS- Walkers: 0 Ocelots: 3
DOUBLES- M.Lowell(4th)
TRIPLES- J.Bartlett(1st), G.Sizemore(1st)
HOME RUNS- G.Sizemore(2nd)
SACRIFICE FLIES- J.Mauer
WALKS- C.Pena, C.Iannetta, T.Helton, N.Johnson
HIT BY PITCH- N.Markakis
STRIKE OUTS- R.Doumit, C.Iannetta, H.Kendrick, R.Cedeno, G.Sizemore, J.Mauer,
J.Drew-3, M.Lowell, R.Ibanez, M.Kemp, S.Drew
GIDP- M.Cabrera, J.Edmonds
WEB GEMS- Top 2nd: J.D. Drew robbed Chris Iannetta of an extra base hit.



BOXSCORE: 2009 Fleetwood Walkers At 2009 Ocala Ocelots 10/25/2009

Walkers AB R H RBI AVG Ocelots AB R H RBI AVG
N.Markakis RF 5 0 1 1 .353 G.Sizemore CF 4 3 2 1 .368
D.Wright 3B 3 0 0 0 .194 J.Mauer C 3 1 2 0 .343
C.Pena 1B 2 0 0 0 .120 N.Johnson 1B 2 1 0 0 .333
C-R.Doumit PH,1B 1 0 1 1 .200 D-S.Holm PH 1 0 0 0 .000
M.Cabrera DH 4 0 0 0 .258 E-T.Helton 1B 1 0 0 0 .233
C.Beltran CF 4 1 1 1 .212 J.Drew RF,LF 5 0 2 3 .273
C.Iannetta C 4 0 0 0 .040 M.Lowell 3B 2 0 0 0 .294
J.Edmonds LF 4 1 1 0 .125 R.Ibanez DH 4 0 1 0 .324
H.Kendrick 2B 4 2 3 0 .474 D.Murphy LF 0 0 0 0 ----
J.Bartlett SS 2 0 1 1 .357 A-M.Kemp PH,RF 3 0 0 0 .176
B-R.Furcal PH,SS 2 0 0 0 .231 S.Drew SS 4 0 0 0 .200
S.Rodriguez 2B 4 0 0 0 .214
-- -- -- --- -- -- -- ---
Totals 35 4 8 4 Totals 33 5 7 4

A-Pinch Hit For Murphy In 3rd Inning
B-Pinch Hit For Bartlett In 7th Inning
C-Pinch Hit For Pena In 7th Inning
D-Pinch Hit For Johnson In 7th Inning
E-Subbed Defensively (1B) For Holm In 8th Inning

Walkers......... 0 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 - 4 8 1
Ocelots......... 1 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 1 - 5 7 0

Walkers (4-4) IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA SCORESHEET
D.Matsuzaka 2 2 3 1 4 2 0 4.70 A1 B5
H.Kuo 5 2 1 1 0 6 1 3.00 B6 D3
H.Bell LOSS(0-1) 1 2/3 3 1 1 2 1 0 3.37 D4
Totals 8 2/3 7 5 3 6 9 1

Ocelots (8-1) IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA SCORESHEET
R.Oswalt 6 6 4 4 2 5 1 2.73 A1 C8
A.Brown HOLD(1st) 0 1/3 1 0 0 0 1 0 0.00 C9 D1
C.Marmol HOLD(2nd) 0 1/3 0 0 0 0 1 0 0.00 D2 D2
G.Sherrill BS(1st) 0 1/3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 D3 D4
R.Rowland-Sm WIN(1-0) 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 2.35 D5
Totals 9 8 4 4 2 8 1

ATTENDANCE- 46,057 DATE- Sunday, October 25th 2009 TIME- Day WEATHER- Good
UMPIRES- Jerry Crawford, Tom Hallion, Brian O'Nora, Paul Naubert
T- 3:05
LEFT ON BASE- Walkers: 6 Ocelots: 8
DOUBLE PLAYS- Walkers: 1 Ocelots: 0
ERRORS- J.Bartlett
DOUBLES- H.Kendrick-2(3rd), J.Mauer(5th), J.Drew(5th)
HOME RUNS- C.Beltran(1st), G.Sizemore(3rd)
STOLEN BASES- G.Sizemore-2(4th)
WALKS- D.Wright, C.Pena, G.Sizemore, J.Mauer-2, M.Lowell-2, D.Murphy
HIT BY PITCH- N.Johnson
STRIKE OUTS- N.Markakis, D.Wright, C.Pena-2, C.Beltran, J.Edmonds, J.Bartlett,
R.Furcal, G.Sizemore, J.Mauer, N.Johnson, J.Drew, R.Ibanez-2,
M.Kemp, S.Drew, S.Rodriguez
GIDP- R.Ibanez
WEB GEMS- Top 8th: Sean Rodriguez robbed Chris Iannetta of a base hit.

Saturday, October 03, 2009

NLDS Game Summaries: Glen Allen vs. Fleetwood

Game 1 - Glen Allen at Fleetwood
Hiroki Kuroda (16-7, 3.15 ERA) vs. Justin Duchscherer (13-3, 3.16 ERA)

This series between the N.L. East Champion Glen Allen Mets (95-67) and the N.L. Central Champion Fleetwood Walkers (122-40) began with an excellent pitching match-up. Hiroki Kuroda took the hill for the Mets, while Justin Duchscherer did the same for the Walkers.

Fleetwood drew first blood with a run in the 1st inning, but Glen Allen responded immediately with 3 runs in the 2nd, highlighted by a solo home run from Rick Ankiel.

The Walkers tightened the score to 3-2 in the 5th inning when Nick Markakis plated Howie Kendrick with an RBI single.

In the 7th, Fleetwood tied the game 3-3 on a run-scoring Hiroki Kuroda wild pitch and then grabbed a 4-3 lead on a two-out single by Carlos Pena.

Hong-Chih Kuo relieved Justin Duchscherer (7 IP, 3 R) to begin the 8th, and pitched two scoreless innings for the save. Kendrick finished the game 3 for 3 with a double and two runs scored.

Final score: Fleetwood 4, Glen Allen 3.
W: Duchscherer (1-0). L: Kuroda (0-1). SV: Kuo (1).
HR: Ankiel (1).
Fleetwood leads series 1-0.


Game 2 - Glen Allen at Fleetwood
Jamie Moyer (11-11, 5.44 ERA) vs. Zack Greinke (24-2, 2.42 ERA)

On paper, this pitching match-up between veteran Jamie Moyer and youngster Zack Greinke appeared to be a mismatch. After all, Greinke had enjoyed a phenomenal breakout season in 2009, leading the National League in wins (24) and finishing second to Ionia's Ryan Dempster in ERA (2.42).

True to form, Fleetwood jumped out to an early 4-0 lead in the 2nd inning. An RBI double by Asdrubal Cabrera and a two-run single by Nick Markakis highlighted the inning's scoring.

Meanwhile, on the mound, Greinke's magical season continued. He pitched 6 shutout innings before giving way to Fleetwood's bullpen. A 3-run homer by David Wright in the 7th inning put the game further out of Glen Allen's reach.

Final score: Fleetwood 7, Glen Allen 0.
W: Greinke (1-0). L: Moyer (0-1).
HR: Wright (1).
Fleetwood leads series 2-0.


Game 3 - Fleetwood at Glen Allen
Ervin Santana (18-9, 3.43 ERA) vs. Johnny Cueto (17-7, 4.34 ERA)

Back at home for Game 3, Glen Allen's offense fed off the crowd for four consecutive hits to lead off the game. This led to two quick runs, although Fleetwood prevented a third when left fielder Cody Ross threw out Ian Kinsler at home plate following an Andre Ethier RBI double.

Ross silenced the hometown crowd again in the 2nd inning, this time with a game-tying two-run single. A solo home run by Nick Markakis in the 3rd inning gave Fleetwood its first lead of the game at 3-2.

Both starting pitchers, Ervin Santana for Fleetwood and Johnny Cueto for Glen Allen, threw scoreless frames in the 4th and 5th innings. In the 6th, Glen Allen's David Murphy hit a one-out double and was later driven in by a Rick Ankiel single. The game was now tied 3-3.

Through seven innings, Cueto had struck out 11 batters and walked none. In the 8th, though, he hung a breaking ball to Fleetwood first baseman Carlos Pena. Pena crushed the pitch for a solo home run, putting Fleetwood ahead 4-3 with just 6 outs remaining.

Santana pitched a scoreless 8th, but Fleetwood brought in lefty Hong-Chih Kuo to pitch the 9th. With one out, Chris Snyder came to the plate. Snyder owned left-handed pitching during the regular season, hitting 18 home runs in only 144 at-bats versus southpaws (good for a .785 slugging percentage). Kuo, though, held right-handed hitters to just a .193 average and 2 home runs in 166 at-bats. Something had to give.

This time, it was Kuo who wavered. Snyder crushed a Kuo fastball deep into the left field seats, tying the game and sending the hometown crowd into a frenzy. Kuo shook off the blown save and retired the next two batters. That said, the game was now headed to extra innings.

Neither team scored in the 10th inning. In the 11th, Fleetwood's Miguel Cabrera took Glen Allen's Justin Hampson deep for a solo home run. Carlos Beltran followed with a walk and a stolen base, and scored two outs later on an Asdrubal Cabrera double. Fleetwood now led 6-4.

Down to its last 3 outs, Glen Allen's David Murphy kept hope alive with a solo home run off Fleetwood's Chad Billingsley. Billingsley retired the next two batters, which brought 9th-inning hero Chris Snyder back to the plate in another crucial spot. Snyder drew a walk this time, keeping Glen Allen's hope alive.

Alas, with the tying run on 1st base, Alexi Ramirez grounded out to Billingsley to end the game. Despite blowing a 9th inning lead, the Walkers had successfully hung on in the 11th.

Final score: Fleetwood 6, Glen Allen 5 (11 innings).
W: Billingsley (1-0). L: Hampson (0-1).
HR: Markakis (1), Pena (1), Miguel Cabrera (1), Murphy (1), Snyder (1).
Fleetwood leads series 3-0.


Game 4 - Fleetwood at Glen Allen
Daisuke Matsuzaka (16-6, 4.32 ERA) vs. Randy Wolf (13-9, 4.84 ERA)

On the verge of elimination, Glen Allen turned the ball over to veteran lefty Randy Wolf. Fleetwood did not greet Wolf kindly, though, scoring 2 runs in the first on a two-run triple by Miguel Cabrera. The Walkers scored 4 more in the 3rd inning, highlighted by an RBI double from Carlos Beltran and a two-run double by Jason Bartlett.

Glen Allen was down by six, but did not give up. In the bottom of the 3rd, the Mets scored two runs on a Yunieski Betancourt home run. Fleetwood's lead was now 6-2.

Fleetwood extended their lead back to 6 runs on a 5th inning RBI single by Nick Markakis and a 6th inning sacrifice fly by Chris Iannetta.

Glen Allen once again retaliated, scoring one run in the 6th on a Rick Ankiel single and mounting another rally in the 8th. Andre Either and Albert Pujols began the 8th inning with a single and a walk respectively, driving Fleetwood reliever Chad Billingsley from the game in favor of lefty J.P. Howell.

Howell retired pinch hitter Carlos Gomez on a failed-bunt popout to first, but then surrendered a pinch-hit single to Chris Coste. The single scored Either, and put runners on 1st and 3rd with only one out. Unfortunately for the Mets, Howell coaxed Ty Wiggington into a double-play groundout to end the threat.

With the wind seemingly out of its sails, the Mets surrendered a two-out, two-run double to Fleetwood's Nick Markakis in the 9th. This hit gave the Walkers a 10-4 lead, which is how the game -- and series -- would end.

Congratulations to Jim Clark on a great season.

Final score: Fleetwood 10, Glen Allen 4.
W: Matsuzaka (1-0). L: Wolf (0-1).
HR: Betancourt (1).
Fleetwood wins series 4 games to 0.

Series MVP: Fleetwood right fielder Nick Markakis, who went 9 for 17 (.529) with two doubles, one home run, and 7 runs batted in.



BOXSCORE: 2009 Glen Allen Mets At 2009 Fleetwood Walkers            10/8/2009

Mets AB R H RBI AVG Walkers AB R H RBI AVG
I.Kinsler 2B 4 0 0 1 .000 N.Markakis RF 4 2 2 1 .500
A.Cora SS 4 0 0 0 .000 D.Wright 3B 3 0 1 0 .333
F-C.Coste PH 1 0 0 0 .000 C.Pena 1B 4 0 1 1 .250
A.Ethier LF 4 0 1 0 .250 M.Cabrera DH 4 0 1 0 .250
A.Pujols 1B 3 0 2 0 .667 C.Beltran CF 4 0 1 0 .250
P.Sandoval 3B 3 0 1 0 .333 C.Iannetta C 4 0 0 0 .000
B-T.Wigginton PH,3B 0 0 0 0 ---- J.Edmonds LF 4 0 0 0 .000
R.Ankiel RF 4 1 1 1 .250 D-A.Cabrera 2B 0 0 0 0 ----
M.Montero C 2 1 0 0 .000 H.Kendrick 2B 3 2 3 01.000
C-C.Snyder PH,C 1 0 1 01.000 E-M.Cabrera LF 0 0 0 0 ----
D.Murphy DH 4 1 2 0 .500 J.Bartlett SS 2 0 1 0 .500
C.Gomez CF 4 0 1 1 .250 A-R.Furcal PH,SS 1 0 1 11.000
-- -- -- --- -- -- -- ---
Totals 34 3 9 3 Totals 33 4 11 3

A-Pinch Hit For Bartlett In 7th Inning
B-Pinch Hit For Sandoval In 8th Inning
C-Pinch Hit For Montero In 8th Inning
D-Subbed Defensively (2B) For Edmonds In 9th Inning
E-Subbed Defensively (LF) For Kendrick In 9th Inning
F-Pinch Hit For Cora In 9th Inning

Mets............ 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 3 9 0
Walkers......... 1 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 - 4 11 0

Mets (0-1) IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA SCORESHEET
H.Kuroda LOSS(0-1) 6 2/3 9 4 4 1 3 0 5.40 A1 D2
J.Hampson 0 1/3 2 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 D3 D5
J.Nelson 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 D6
Totals 8 11 4 4 1 3 0

Walkers (1-0) IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA SCORESHEET
J.Duchschere WIN(1-0) 7 8 3 3 2 6 1 3.86 A1 D4
H.Kuo SAVE(1st) 2 1 0 0 0 1 0 0.00 D5
Totals 9 9 3 3 2 7 1

ATTENDANCE- 48,646 DATE- Thursday, October 8th 2009 TIME- Day WEATHER- Good
UMPIRES- Mike Reilly, Bob Davidson, Alfonso Marquez, Andy Fletcher
T- 2:38
LEFT ON BASE- Mets: 8 Walkers: 6
DOUBLE PLAYS- Mets: 2 Walkers: 1
DOUBLES- A.Ethier(1st), P.Sandoval(1st), C.Snyder(1st), D.Murphy-2(2nd),
H.Kendrick(1st)
HOME RUNS- R.Ankiel(1st)
STOLEN BASES- C.Gomez(1st), N.Markakis(1st)
SACRIFICE FLIES- I.Kinsler
WALKS- A.Pujols, M.Montero, D.Wright
HIT BY PITCH- T.Wigginton
STRIKE OUTS- I.Kinsler, A.Cora, A.Ethier, P.Sandoval, R.Ankiel, D.Murphy,
C.Gomez, D.Wright, C.Beltran, C.Iannetta
GIDP- R.Ankiel, C.Pena, C.Iannetta
WILD PITCHES- H.Kuroda




BOXSCORE: 2009 Glen Allen Mets At 2009 Fleetwood Walkers            10/9/2009

Mets AB R H RBI AVG Walkers AB R H RBI AVG
I.Kinsler 2B 4 0 2 0 .250 A.Cabrera 2B 3 2 2 1 .667
A.Ethier RF 3 0 1 0 .286 N.Markakis RF 3 1 2 2 .571
A.Pujols 1B 4 0 0 0 .286 D.Wright 3B 4 1 2 3 .429
R.Ankiel CF 2 0 0 0 .167 M.Cabrera DH 4 0 0 0 .125
T.Wigginton 3B 4 0 0 0 .000 C.Beltran CF 4 0 1 0 .250
D.Murphy LF 4 0 1 0 .375 C.Iannetta C 3 1 0 0 .000
M.Montero C 3 0 0 0 .000 C.Ross LF 2 1 1 0 .500
A.Ramirez SS 3 0 0 0 .000 A-C.Pena PH,1B 2 0 0 0 .167
J.Pierre DH 3 0 1 0 .333 R.Doumit 1B 3 0 0 0 .000
B-M.Cabrera LF 1 0 0 0 .000
J.Bartlett SS 2 1 1 1 .500
C-R.Furcal PH,SS 1 0 0 0 .500
-- -- -- --- -- -- -- ---
Totals 30 0 5 0 Totals 32 7 9 7

A-Pinch Hit For Ross In 6th Inning
B-Subbed Defensively (LF) For Doumit In 7th Inning
C-Pinch Hit For Bartlett In 7th Inning

Mets............ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 5 1
Walkers......... 0 4 0 0 0 0 3 0 - 7 9 0

Mets (0-2) IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA SCORESHEET
J.Moyer LOSS(0-1) 5 7 4 4 1 3 0 7.20 A1 C5
T.Yates 1 1/3 2 3 3 1 0 1 20.25 C6 D3
L.Hawkins 1 2/3 0 0 0 0 1 0 0.00 D4
Totals 8 9 7 7 2 4 1

Walkers (2-0) IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA SCORESHEET
Z.Greinke WIN(1-0) 6 5 0 0 2 7 0 0.00 A1 C6
J.Howell 1 2/3 0 0 0 1 1 0 0.00 C7 D2
C.Billingsle 1 1/3 0 0 0 0 2 0 0.00 D3
Totals 9 5 0 0 3 10 0

ATTENDANCE- 47,215 DATE- Friday, October 9th 2009 TIME- Night WEATHER- Good
UMPIRES- Ed Rapuano, Cb Bucknor, Ed Hickox, Joe West
T- 2:57
LEFT ON BASE- Mets: 6 Walkers: 4
DOUBLE PLAYS- Mets: 2 Walkers: 2
ERRORS- J.Moyer
DOUBLES- I.Kinsler(1st), A.Cabrera(1st), D.Wright(1st), C.Ross(1st)
HOME RUNS- D.Wright(1st)
WALKS- A.Ethier, R.Ankiel-2, A.Cabrera, C.Iannetta
HIT BY PITCH- N.Markakis
STRIKE OUTS- I.Kinsler, A.Ethier, A.Pujols, R.Ankiel, T.Wigginton-3, D.Murphy,
M.Montero-2, M.Cabrera-2, C.Iannetta, C.Pena
GIDP- A.Pujols, M.Montero, M.Cabrera, R.Doumit
WILD PITCHES- Z.Greinke


BOXSCORE: 2009 Fleetwood Walkers At 2009 Glen Allen Mets           10/11/2009

Walkers AB R H RBI AVG Mets AB R H RBI AVG
N.Markakis RF 5 1 2 1 .500 J.Pierre DH 5 1 1 0 .250
D.Wright 3B 5 0 1 0 .333 I.Kinsler 2B 5 0 1 0 .231
C.Pena 1B 5 1 1 1 .182 A.Ethier RF 5 1 3 1 .417
M.Cabrera DH 5 2 3 1 .308 A.Pujols 1B 5 0 1 0 .250
C.Beltran CF 4 2 1 0 .250 D.Murphy LF 5 2 2 2 .385
C.Iannetta C 4 0 0 0 .000 T.Wigginton 3B 5 0 1 0 .111
C.Ross LF 3 0 1 2 .400 R.Ankiel CF 3 0 1 1 .222
B-M.Cabrera PH,LF 2 0 1 0 .333 E-C.Coste PH 1 0 0 0 .000
H.Kendrick 2B 3 0 0 0 .500 F-C.Gomez CF 0 0 0 0 .250
C-R.Doumit PH 1 0 0 0 .000 G-P.Sandoval PH 1 0 0 0 .250
D-A.Cabrera 2B 1 0 1 1 .750 C.Snyder C 2 1 2 11.000
J.Bartlett SS 2 0 0 0 .333 A.Ramirez SS 4 0 0 0 .000
A-R.Furcal PH,SS 3 0 0 0 .200
-- -- -- --- -- -- -- ---
Totals 43 6 11 6 Totals 41 5 12 5

A-Pinch Hit For Bartlett In 7th Inning
B-Pinch Hit For Ross In 9th Inning
C-Pinch Hit For Kendrick In 9th Inning
D-Subbed Defensively (2B) For Doumit In 9th Inning
E-Pinch Hit For Ankiel In 9th Inning
F-Subbed Defensively (CF) For Coste In 10th Inning
G-Pinch Hit For Gomez In 11th Inning

Walkers......... 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 - 6 11 0
Mets............ 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 - 5 12 0

Walkers (3-0) IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA SCORESHEET
E.Santana 8 9 3 3 2 5 0 3.38 A1 D6
H.Kuo BS(1st) 1 1/3 2 1 1 0 1 1 2.70 D7 E3
C.Billingsle WIN(1-0) 1 2/3 1 1 1 1 1 1 3.00 E4
Totals 11 12 5 5 3 7 2

Mets (0-3) IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA SCORESHEET
J.Cueto 8 8 4 4 0 11 2 4.50 A1 D5
L.Hawkins 0 1/3 1 0 0 0 1 0 0.00 D6 D7
J.Hampson LOSS(0-1) 1 2/3 1 2 2 1 1 1 9.00 D8 E5
J.Nelson 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0.00 E6
Totals 11 11 6 6 1 14 3

ATTENDANCE- 48,501 DATE- Sunday, October 11th 2009 TIME- Night WEATHER- Average
UMPIRES- Brian O'Nora, Paul Naubert, Jerry Crawford, Tom Hallion
T- 4:03
LEFT ON BASE- Walkers: 6 Mets: 7
DOUBLE PLAYS- Walkers: 2 Mets: 1
DOUBLES- A.Cabrera(2nd), A.Ethier-2(3rd), D.Murphy(3rd)
HOME RUNS- N.Markakis(1st), C.Pena(1st), M.Cabrera(1st), D.Murphy(1st),
C.Snyder(1st)
STOLEN BASES- C.Beltran(1st)
SACRIFICE HITS- A.Ramirez
WALKS- C.Beltran, C.Snyder-3
HIT BY PITCH- C.Iannetta
STRIKE OUTS- N.Markakis-2, D.Wright-2, C.Pena-3, C.Beltran, C.Iannetta-2,
C.Ross, H.Kendrick, J.Bartlett, R.Furcal, I.Kinsler-2, A.Ethier,
A.Pujols, T.Wigginton-2, R.Ankiel
GIDP- M.Cabrera, A.Pujols, A.Ramirez
WILD PITCHES- E.Santana


BOXSCORE: 2009 Fleetwood Walkers At 2009 Glen Allen Mets           10/12/2009

Walkers AB R H RBI AVG Mets AB R H RBI AVG
A.Cabrera 2B 3 1 0 0 .429 J.Pierre DH 4 0 1 0 .250
N.Markakis RF 5 1 3 3 .529 I.Kinsler 2B 4 0 0 0 .176
D.Wright 3B 4 2 2 0 .375 A.Ethier RF 4 1 1 0 .375
M.Cabrera DH 3 2 2 2 .375 A.Pujols 1B 2 1 1 0 .286
C.Beltran CF 6 1 2 1 .278 D.Murphy LF 3 0 0 0 .313
C.Iannetta C 4 0 0 1 .000 C-C.Gomez PH,CF 1 0 0 0 .200
C.Ross LF 4 1 1 1 .333 R.Ankiel CF 3 0 1 1 .250
A-M.Cabrera LF 1 1 1 0 .500 D-C.Coste PH 1 0 1 1 .333
C.Pena 1B 4 1 1 0 .200 E-A.Ramirez LF 0 0 0 0 .000
J.Bartlett SS 3 0 1 2 .333 T.Wigginton 3B 3 1 0 0 .083
B-R.Furcal PH,SS 2 0 0 0 .143 M.Montero C 3 0 1 0 .125
F-C.Snyder PH 0 0 0 01.000
Y.Betancourt SS 4 1 2 2 .500
-- -- -- --- -- -- -- ---
Totals 39 10 13 10 Totals 32 4 8 4

A-Subbed Defensively (LF) For Ross In 6th Inning
B-Pinch Hit For Bartlett In 7th Inning
C-Pinch Hit For Murphy In 8th Inning
D-Pinch Hit For Ankiel In 8th Inning
E-Subbed Defensively (LF) For Coste In 9th Inning
F-Pinch Hit For Montero In 9th Inning

Walkers......... 2 0 4 0 1 1 0 0 2 - 10 13 0
Mets............ 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 1 0 - 4 8 1

Walkers (4-0) IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA SCORESHEET
D.Matsuzaka WIN(1-0) 5 2/3 5 3 3 3 3 1 4.76 A1 C6
C.Billingsle 1 1/3 2 1 1 1 0 0 4.15 C7 D4
J.Howell 2 1 0 0 1 0 0 0.00 D5
Totals 9 8 4 4 5 3 1

Mets (0-4) IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA SCORESHEET
R.Wolf LOSS(0-1) 6 11 8 8 6 7 0 12.00 A1 D8
J.Nelson 2 2/3 2 2 2 4 2 0 3.86 D9 F4
K.Gregg 0 1/3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 F5
Totals 9 13 10 10 10 9 0

ATTENDANCE- 47,643 DATE- Monday, October 12th 2009 TIME- Day WEATHER- Average
UMPIRES- Mervin Hudson, Randy Marsh, Mike Winters, Hunter Wendelstedt
T- 3:38
LEFT ON BASE- Walkers:13 Mets: 6
DOUBLE PLAYS- Walkers: 3 Mets: 1
ERRORS- R.Ankiel
DOUBLES- N.Markakis-2(2nd), C.Beltran(1st), J.Bartlett(1st), A.Pujols(1st),
M.Montero(1st)
TRIPLES- M.Cabrera(1st)
HOME RUNS- Y.Betancourt(1st)
STOLEN BASES- C.Ross(1st), M.Cabrera(1st)
SACRIFICE FLIES- C.Iannetta
WALKS- A.Cabrera-3, N.Markakis, D.Wright-2, M.Cabrera-3, C.Pena, J.Pierre,
A.Pujols-2, T.Wigginton, C.Snyder
STRIKE OUTS- A.Cabrera, N.Markakis, D.Wright, C.Beltran-2, C.Iannetta, C.Pena,
J.Bartlett, R.Furcal, A.Ethier, T.Wigginton, M.Montero
GIDP- C.Ross, I.Kinsler, T.Wigginton, Y.Betancourt