April 28, 2007

ML Game 20

Hagan’s Funeral Home   3

Campbell’s Boat House   2

Leonard Delivers Knockout

Hagan’s Funeral Home and Campbell’s Boat House, two evenly-matched teams, squared off in the midday contest on Saturday at the MLL complex.  Bryan Leonard (2 for 3, 2 RBI) delivered a dramatic walk-off single with 2 out in the bottom of the 6^th inning to steal the win for Hagan’s.

As the Major League schedule approaches its midpoint, this may well have been the best game so far this season.  The game featured outstanding pitching and tight defense with runs being as scarce as players at dugout clean-up time.  Neither team led by more than one run at any time.

Shane Williams got the start and pitched a masterpiece for Campbell’s.  He went 5.67 innings, gave up just 3 hits and 2 walks while fanning 12 Hagan’s batters before reaching his pitch count limit.  John Fender finished the game on the mound for Campbell’s.  Hunter Tierney (5.33 IP, 3 hits, 1 walk, 7 K’s) and John Owens (1.67 IP, 2 hits, 2 walks, 2 K’s) shared the pitching duties for Hagan’s. 

Campbell’s got on the board first in the top of the 2^nd inning when Lee Miller roped a 1-out single to left centerfield.  Williams followed with an RBI single.  Hagan’s answered with a single run in the bottom of the inning when Owens led off with a walk and advanced to 3^rd base on a Leonard single before scoring on a passed ball.

The score held at 1-1 until the top of the 6^th when Matt Rushton and John Fender opened the inning with back-to-back singles.  Daniel Grandieri loaded the bases when Hagan’s was unable to make the play on an infield grounder.  Rushton then scored on a wild pitch before Chris Miller walked to reload the bases.  That when Owens went to work.  Kyle Tommasino fielded a ground ball at second base and gunned down Fender on a force play at the plate.  Then, Owens struck out the last two batters of the inning, leaving 3 stranded on base. 

Hagan’s was down 2-1, but not yet out.  Brian Gross led off the bottom of the 6^th with an infield single.  Connor Martin followed with a perfectly-executed bunt single with the runners advancing to 2^nd and 3^rd on an overthrow.  With runners in scoring position and nobody out, Campbell’s got the next two hitters on strikes.  That is when Leonard capped this dramatic game by looping a 1-1 pitch to shallow right-center field that just eluded the grasp of a diving Lee Miller.  Despite Miller’s phenomenal effort, both runners, who were running on contact, scored easily on the play.