[Westheim]

2028 WORLD SERIES
Portland Raccoons (98-64) vs. Topeka Buffaloes (90-72)

While these teams had never met in the World Series, they had actually met during the 2028 regular season, when the Coons took two of three from the Buffs in June. Nick Danieley shut out the Coons in the opener before Kyle Anderson unfurled 7.1 shutout innings in a rout of Joe Jones (who was on the DL) in the middle game. Fleischer got tagged for four runs late in that one. The rubber game saw Mark Roberts allow only an unearned run in a 2-1 pitching duel against Joao Joo, who had since also been moved to the pen.

Game 1 – Mark Roberts (16-5, 3.17 ERA) vs. Ernesto Lujan (13-14, 3.30 ERA)

Lujan could not have faced the Raccoons in the series earlier this season, having started the year with the Gold Sox, and had not been traded over to the Buffaloes until after our June series with them, while we had only played the Gold Sox in August.

TOP: LF Raynor – CF Coleman – SS Majano – 1B Elder – RF Benson – 3B P. Green – 2B M. Green – C Tarlton – P Lujan
POR: SS Ramos – 2B Stalker – CF Mora – LF Hereford – 1B Harenberg – RF Gomez – 3B Nunley – C Tovias – P Roberts

This series almost started like the last one, only that Ron Raynor flew out to center before Ian Coleman whacked a first-inning dinger off Mark Roberts, who desperately tried to keep his ERA away from the 8’s and more towards the 6’s and was not always successful.

Neither was the Coons offense. Ramos hit a leadoff single in the first, but was stranded, while Rafael Gomez ripped at a 3-0 pitch in the bottom 2nd and hit a triple into the leftfield corner, which spared him a spanking. Matt Nunley got him across with a groundout, tying the game at one run for each side after two innings.

For a while, Roberts went into beast mode; he struck out four Buffaloes the first time through, and seven through five innings while waiting on his team to generate a lead. Rich Hereford came up with two outs and Stalker and Mora aboard after a pair of 2-out singles in the bottom 3rd, but struck out, and then they did not reach base again until Roberts hit a single to center with one out in the bottom 5th. Ramos got him forced with a grounder to Alex Majano, but then stole second base off Nate Tarlton and came home on Tim Stalker’s single to right-center, putting the Coons up 2-1 before Abel Mora flew out softly.

Before long, Roberts was in another pickle; Ron Raynor and Ian Coleman, both longtime CL stalwarts, led off with singles to occupy the corners in the sixth, and Roberts did not get strikeouts in time. He DID strike out Jay Elder and Travis Benson… but by then Majano had tied the score again with a sac fly. The Raccoons stranded a pair when Tovias grounded out to end the bottom 6th, but the Buffaloes catcher Tarlton would be less picky when he batted with two outs in the seventh. He took Roberts deep to left, and Topeka held a 3-2 lead.

Jarod Spencer batted for Roberts leading off the bottom 7th, walked, but the Coons could not get him around. Ricky Ohl retired 1-2-3 1-2-3 in the eighth, and when Hereford singled off Lujan to begin the bottom 8th, the Coons were still alive. The Buffaloes probably fancied themselves a double play or sour pop from Kevin Harenberg, who denied them rudely with a gapper in left-center. Hereford had gone early and scored, and Harenberg reached second base as the go-ahead run in a 3-3 tie. Magallanes replaced him for some semblance of speed, but Topeka sought an intentional walk to Gomez, then got Nunley to spank into a double play. Tovias grounded out to Jay Elder to waste it all.

When Kevin Surginer retired Elder, Benson, and PH D.J. Fullerton in order, the Coons still had a chance to walk off, beginning with Jon Correa, who was in the #9 hole after Harenberg’s removal, while the pitcher was in the #5 hole. And to Correa’s credit, he made it quick. Wade Davis threw two pitches. A strike, and then a homer to right.

Raccoons 4, Buffaloes 3 – Raccoons lead series 1-0

Stalker 2-4, RBI; Hereford 2-4; Correa 1-1, HR, RBI; Roberts 7.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 11 K;

Wheeeeee, a squeeze win …! The entire park was shaking as fans were jumping up and down …!

Game 2 – Rico Gutierrez (12-7, 2.56 ERA) vs. Jose Lerma (16-10, 3.02 ERA)

The Coons would make a diversion from the left-handed lineup they had trotted out against the Condors four times and removed a weak Danny Morales for the man of the hour, Jon Correa, who had gotten very little playing time by the last six weeks of the season after largely acting as a disappointment after a midseason trade from the Bayhawks.

Neither of the pitchers in this Game 2 had lost any of their starts in the LCS. Lerma had gone 2-0, Rico had been 1-0 with a no-decision. Rico also started on short rest as the Coons were trying to make ends meet here.

TOP: LF Raynor – CF Coleman – SS Majano – 1B Elder – RF Benson – 3B P. Green – 2B M. Green – C Tarlton – P Lerma
POR: SS Ramos – 2B Stalker – RF Gomez – 3B Hereford – 1B Harenberg – LF Correa – CF Mora – C Tovias – P Gutierrez

Unfortunately, the lack of rest showed. Rico could not get strike three over in any form, and while the Buffaloes only got a walk and two singles the first time through, Ron Raynor went yard to start the top of the third to put them 1-0 ahead. At that point the Coons had seen Stalker on base and Gomez hit into a double play in the first, and the third produced Abel Mora with a leadoff single. He reached third base when Tarlton threw away the ball as Mora made a bid for second base, but then Tovias and Gutierrez struck out. Ramos had mercy on the runner, singled to left to score Abel, and the score was tied at one through three innings, with Stalker being rung up by Lerma, who now had 24 K in 20 innings in the playoffs.

The Green team, Pat and Mike, both hit singles to begin the fourth inning before Tarlton struck out, Lerma popped out after failing to bunt twice, and Raynor also popped out to Ramos. They got Majano on base in the fifth, but he was caught stealing, and the other two outs came from K’s as Rico slowly started to develop a groove here, and none too early. Pat hit a 1-out single in the sixth, but Mike Green hit a grounder right at Ramos, who turned two.

In between, the Raccoons had taken the lead on Abel Mora’s leadoff jack in the bottom 5th, so Rico was even in line for the W now, but then again the Coons wasted a Hereford triple with one out in the sixth when Harenberg made a pathetic infield out to keep the runner trapped, and Correa commonly grounded out to Pat Green.

But our hearts were not completely crushed until Rico’s 95th pitch of the day was… and it was crushed by Jose Lerma. The opposing pitcher hit a game-tying homer in the seventh… what a way to … not do… much of anything… of value. Like in the bottom 7th, where Mora hit a leadoff single, then got forced out when Tovias bunted badly. Tovias moved to second when Danny Morales walked in place of Billy Brotman, and here was Magallanes again to pinch-run. Maybe THIS time…? Ramos grounded to short where Majano handled the ball and stepped on second, but couldn’t get rid of the leather sphere before Morales ploughed into him. That broke up the double play, and Majano was removed from the game after landing on his head for some concussion tests. Giovanni James replaced him, since the Buffs were already out of infielders after pinch-hitting a few times in the top of the seventh. Stalker grounded out to Pat Green to strand runners on the corners.

The game got more intense still. Top 8th, Ricky Ohl opened with a K to Elder, then faced Benson, who hit a gapper for extra bases. He thought he had three, but Abel Mora thought he had two and fired aggressively to third base… and Benson was cut down when Hereford tagged him out! This was crucial, because Ricky coughed up another double right away against Pat Green, who actually stopped at second base and was stranded without giving his team the lead when Mike Green was rung up.

Lerma refused to let go of the ball despite a leadoff walk to Gomez in the bottom 8th. Hereford grounded to third for a fielder’s choice, and the Buffs would not make a move with Harenberg at the plate. The double play was in order and handedness matched. Kevin did less of the talk and more of the walk in the sense that he traversed 360 feet when he kicked a HUGE homer to right-center that put the Raccoons up 4-2! Better yet, Jon Correa went back-to-back with him, firing a shot to left-center!

And here came Josh Boles. Like so often, he sat down the first two batters before problems developed. Ken Hess singled. Ricky Loya doubled. All of a sudden, Giovanni James was the tying run at the plate. But Josh had not ever allowed a run in the postseason, and he did not aspire to allow one now, and not to James in particular! Four pitches later, James was wound up for a K.

Raccoons 5, Buffaloes 2 – Raccoons lead series 2-0

Harenberg 2-4, HR, 2 RBI; Mora 3-4, HR, RBI;

I would feel better though if I didn’t still remember how the last 2-0 lead was handled…