April 17, 2017
AL Game 14

Coldwell Banker Preferred    13
Quotations Restaurant    9

Six innings weren't enough to decide this one as Coldwell Banker came from behind to beat Quotations 13-9 in 7 innings Monday night. Coldwell struck first in the top of the first when Mike Phillips (single), Jason DiRita (RBI single), and Avi Patel (RBI single) scored for Coldwell. Sean Gorman (walk) and Jack Gill (RBI single) also reached base in the inning. But Quotes roared back in the bottom half hanging 7 on the visitors. The green and gold batted around +1 in the first. Logan (double), Paulie Graham (HBP), Colin Eckels (E6), Hoole (single), Cropper (single), Colin Hefferan (single) and Gavin (last name? Walk), all scored for Quotes. Coldwell went down 1-2-3 in the second. Sean Gorman came on to pitch for CB in the second. He allowed a line-drive single to Jonathan Hoole but struck out three in the inning and allowed no runs. Coldwell chipped away at the lead in the third. Patel drove in DiRita (single) with a single and then Patel scored on an RBI single off the bat of Jack Gill and Coldwell cut the Quotes lead to 7-5.

Colin Heff led off the third with a single and stole three bases to stretch the lead to 8-5. In the top of the fourth, Coldwell returned the favor as Shawn Welsh lined a single and stole second. When he attempted to steal third, an errant throw to third allowed him to score to make it 8-6. In the bottom half, Gorman allowed Eckels to reach on a single but Coldwell used solid defense to make three put-outs to strand him. Coldwell did some 2-out damage in the top of the 5th. DiRita (single, stole second) scored on another Patel RBI single and the Quotes lead shrunk to 8-7. In the bottom of the 5th, Gorman worked out of a bases-loaded jam and Quotes left the bases loaded and did not score. Coldwell took the lead in the top half of the 6th when Joe Arizin (reached on catcher's interference) and Matt Halpin scored. After stealing second and third, Arizin scored on a Welsh RBI grounder. With the score tied, Halpin, with ice-water in his veins, stole home on a passed ball for the go-ahead run. The inning ended when Tristan McLean hit a laser to center but was robbed by a great play by the Quotes centerfielder.

DiRita came on to pitch in the bottom half of the 6th. Paul Graham started things off with a bunt single. Graham was then thrown out at second on a Colin Eckels fielder's choice. After a Hoole single and a Cropper walk, Colin Heff walked and Eckels waltzed home for the game-tying run. But DiRita got the next two batters with a strikeout and a pop-out and it was onto extra innings! Coldwell struck with some more two-out magic in the seventh. After Ryan Gauffreau (pop out) and Phillips (ground out) were put-out, DiRita (4-4 on the day) got things rolling with his fourth single. He stole second and scored on a Patel (also 4-4 on the day) RBI double. Gorman walked and Gill had his third RBI single to score Patel. Arizin drove in Gorman and Gill with a moon shot double to left-center and Coldwell took a 13-9 lead into the bottom of the 7th. DiRita took the hill again and benefited from some excellent defense, including his own. Gill dropped a liner at second base but stuck with it and threw out Eli at first. DiRita then field a dribbler up the first base line and, from his knees, threw out Logan at first. Paul Graham was hit by a pitch. Then Eckels grounded to Phillips at SS who threw to Gill at second to retire Graham and end the ballgame.

Big Blue will be back in action Thursday night when they try to avenge their only loss against Sposato.


Pitch counts:
Coldwell:
    Phillips – 29
    Gorman – 68
    DiRita – 32

Quotations Restaurant:
    Eckels – 70
    Killeen – 46