June 8, 2005

NL Playoff Game 5

Caramanico    4

Conley Ward    3

What a game!  Conley Ward got one in the first off 4 walks.  Bryan Leonard settled down after early wildness to strike out the side in the first.  In fact, Caramanico pitchers struck out the side in the first 5 innings, allowing no hits and no runs after the first.  Ethan Heller pitched 2 scoreless, hitless innings.  Meanwhile, Tobias Gabel was matching Caramanico, holding Caramanico to 1 run off 5 hits (2 each by James Kantnor and Ethan Heller) through 3 innings.

In the top of the sixth, Conley got 2 runs to take the lead.  After Ethan Heller threw out a runner attempting to steal 3d base (great catch and tag by Brian Dougherty), Conley got runners on 2d and 3d.  Tobias Gabel hit a bullet ground ball to short.  Shortstop Bryan Leonard made a great play but Caramanico's first baseman was asleep and didn't cover first base.  By the end of the play, Conley had 2 runs and the lead.  Alex Mclaughlin, who pitched great in his two innings, ended the inning with a strikeout, the 17th recorded by Caramanico pitchers.

In the bottom of the sixth, Alex Mulhearn started things off with a line drive single to center.  After Alex stole second and third, Ethan Heller got his third hit of the game, a single to left, to tie the score.  With one out and after an error allowed Ethan to get to third, James Kantnor won the game with a bullet up the middle for his third hit of the game.

Peter Wallace pitched 3 strong innings for Conley Ward.