Midland upset by Owen Sound, then upsets Chicago/NY
The Midland Explorers, who have beefed up their roster for a run at the ISC World Title in 2010, while hosting the ISC World Tournament, showed fastball fans that they are prepared to compete, knocking off the #4 ranked Chicago/New York team at the Boulevard Lounge tournament at Midland. The tournament will conclude tomorrow.
Click here for the Midland-Chicago/NY box score.
Click Als Fastball logo for all of the results and box scores and schedule of games for Sunday.
The game was the marquee matchup on Saturday, pitting two of the three highest ranked teams in the tournament against each other. (The NY Gremlins are ranked #3). Midland’s Mike Joseph picked up the win over Sean Whitten, on loan to Chicago/NY from last week’s Best of the West winners, the California A’s.
The game was a see-saw battle with never more than a single run plated in an inning by either team. Midland took a 2-1 lead into the bottom of the 7th, but Chicago/NY rallied to send the game into extra innings, on a solo home run by Chicago/NY third baseman Wilson Cabrrera.
In the international tie breaker, Midland scored one in the top of the 8th, on a Dan Loney sacrifice fly, only to have Chicago/New York answer back with one of their own on an RBI single by Steve Mullaley.
Midland notched the eventual game winner in the top of the 9th to take a 4-3 lead on an RBI single by Midland first baseman Steve Roberts. The game ended in dramatic fashion, with pinch runner Jordan Taveras thrown out at the plate trying to tag up on a fly out to left fielder Dan Skillings.
Midland was not the only upset winner of the day. They themselves fell to a lower ranked team, the Owen Sound Junior Selects, 1-0 in a late afternoon game, in another extra inning affair, with the game winning run coming home on ground out to third base hit by Owen Sound’s Jared Clancy. Owen Sound entered the tournament at the #13 ranked team in the ISC rankings released earlier this week, while Midland was # 6.
No-No by Jeremy Manley
Another Michigan team, # 24 ranked Marshal Lightning, also delivered an upset, knocking off the #13 ranked Owen Sound Junior Selects, 2-1 behind the pitching of Sean Kelly. The Lightning played the #4 ranked Chicago/NY team tough, falling 1-0, with the game’s lone run coming home in the bottom of the 6th inning on a sac fly. Chicago/NY pitcher Jeremy Manley tossed a no-hitter against the Lightning, striking out 15 while walking none. The lone base runner for the Lightning was Adam Saylor, who reached on an error in the 4th.
In their first game of the tournament, on Friday night, the Lightning competed well against the #6 ranked host, the Midland Explorers, falling 4-1. A three run outburst in the 5th by Midland was the difference in that game. With two wins over higher ranked teams in recent weeks (#23 Ashland, 9-2 over Memorial Day), and now the win over #13 ranked Owen Sound, look for the Lightning to move up in the next set of rankings.