[abell1198]

Welcome back for day 4 action here at March Madness 2015. Eight more games today will reduce the tournament to it's Sweet 16. Who will make it? Who will get upset? Let's find out!!!

Game 1: Ted Williams Region

#5 1912 New York Giants vs. #4 1912 Boston Red Sox
Red Ames (11-5, 2.46) vs. Eddie Cicotte (10-10, 3.50)

It's a rematch of the 1912 World Series that went the distance. Do the Red Sox win again or do the Giants finally get revenge for that loss? Interestingly enough, Cicotte is starting for the Red Sox. The problem? He never played in the 1912 World Series, because he was traded that year to the Chicago White Sox. Should he play? Should he not play? Well, he's on the roster, so play he will.

The Giants break the scoreless tie in the top of the 3rd. Red Murray triples and later scores on Ames' sacrifice fly to left. The Red Sox would tie the game in the bottom of the 6th. Cicotte hits a triple and Larry Gardner hits a double to score him. In the bottom of the 7th, the Red Sox break the game wide open when Gardner hits a grand slam!!! Boston scores five runs on five hits to take a 6-1 lead. New York would score one in the top of the 8th to make it 6-2, but the Red Sox put the final nails in the Giant's coffin by scoring twice more in the bottom of the 8th.

1912 Boston Red Sox 8 1912 New York Giants 2


Game 2: Willie Mays Region

#7 1942 Brooklyn Dodgers vs. #2 1907 Chicago Cubs
Whit Wyatt (19-7, 2.73) vs. Mordecai Brown (20-6, 1.39)

It's the Cubs who score first. In the bottom of the 4th, Chicago's Solly Hofman reaches first bast on an error. Two outs later, Johnny Kling triples to score Hofman and put the Cubs up 1-0. Brooklyn would strike in the top of the 6th. With one out, Wyatt helps his own cause with a single. Arky Vaughan and Joe Medwick also single to load the bases. With Pete Reiser at the plate, a wild pitch scores Wyatt to tie the game. Reiser strikes out to make it two outs. Dolph Camilli walks to load the bases again and Dixie Walker clears them with a 3 RBI double to put the Dodgers in the lead 4-1. The Cubs load the bases in the bottom of the 8th, but fail to score a runner.

***UPSET ALERT***
1942 Brooklyn Dodgers 4 1907 Chicago Cubs 1


Game 3: Babe Ruth Region

#15 1915 Detroit Tigers vs. #7 1910 Chicago Cubs
Hooks Dauss (24-13, 2.50) vs. Orval Overall (12-6, 2.68)

The Tigers start the scoring in the top of the 2nd inning when Mary Kavanagh scores on a Red McKee single with two outs. The score remains 1-0 Detroit until the top of the 7th. Donie Bush draws a walk to get on base. After McKee flies out to left, Ralph Young walks. With Bobby Veach at the plate, Bush and Young steal 3rd and 2nd on the first two strikes thrown to Veach. Veach then singles Bush home to give the Tigers a 2-0 lead. The Cubs, tired of the upset grumblings in the stands, go to work in the bottom of the 7th. Jimmy Sheckard and Johnny Kling both walk. Johnny Evers drops a sac bunt to advance the runners. Doc Miller hits an RBI single to cut the lead to 2-1. After Joe Tinker flies out to right, Frank Chance hits an 0-2 pitch for a 2 RBI single to give Chicago the 3-2 lead. The Tigers would answer in the top of the 8th, with Kavanagh doubling and later coming home on Bush's two out single. Game tied 3-3. In the top of the 9th, Detroit is able to load the bases with two outs, but Kavanagh doesn't come through, striking out and stranding the runners. To extra innings we go!!! The Cubs come up to bat in the bottom of the 11th. Sheckard walks and Kling doubles with no outs. Evers then hits the game winning RBI single to end it.

1910 Chicago Cubs 4 1915 Detroit Tigers 3 11 Innings


Game 4: Babe Ruth Region

#14 1994 Montreal Expos vs. #6 1946 Boston Red Sox
Pedro Martinez (11-5, 3.42) vs. Dave Ferriss (25-6, 3.25)

The Expos start the scoring with one out in the top of the 1st. Cliff Floyd singles and Larry Walker walks. Moises Alou then doubles Floyd home and Walker scores on Wil Cordero's ground out to short. Montreal 2-0. But the lead was brief. In the bottom of the 1st with one out, can you say deja vu? Dom DiMaggio singles and Ted Williams walks. Bobby Doerr doubles home DiMaggio to cut the lead to 2-1. After Rudy York strikes out with the bat on his shoulder, Hal Wagner steps to the plate and launches a three run shot out of the park in left center. Red Sox 4-2. In the bottom of the 2nd, Martinez goes out to the mound, only to be pulled by the manager and replaced by Kirk Rueter. Is he injured? Nope. Just on a very short leash, apparently. Boston scores again in the bottom of the 3rd with one out. Williams and Doerr single, followed by York walking to load the bases. Wagner hits a 2 RBI single and the Red Sox lead is 6-2. They would add to that lead in the bottom of the 5th with reliever Butch Henry on the mound for Montreal. Doerr and York both walk. Wagner's ground out advances the runners, but George Metkovich flies out to left for the second out. For some reason, Pinky Higgins gets the free pass to first to load the bases. Why didn't they do that to Metkovich? Anyway, Ferriss helps himself by hitting a 2 RBI single. Red Sox lead 8-2. Tired of getting beat up, the Expos mount a rally in the top of the 6th. Walker doubles and comes home on Alou's 2 run homer. After Cordero grounds out, Sean Berry doubles and moves to third on Darrin Fletcher's single. Mike Lansing singles to score Berry, but the others are stranded. Boston leads 8-5. To the top of the 8th we go and the Expos are scoring again. Cordero doubles and moves to third on Berry's single. Fletcher knocks Cordero in on a base hit. Boston lead 8-6. So, to the top of the 9th. Can the Expos come back and win the game? Relief pitcher Joe Dobson is on the mound for the Red Sox with two outs. Floyd hits a triple and scores on Walker's base hit. The lead is down to 8-7!!! Moises Alou is at the plate, but can't be the hero, as he grounds out to short, who takes it to second unassisted to force Walker out.

1946 Boston Red Sox 8 1994 Montreal Expos 7


Game 5: Ty Cobb Region

#9 1986 New York Mets vs. #1 2001 Seattle Mariners
Dwight Gooden (17-6, 2.84) vs. Jamie Moyer (20-6, 3.43)

What looks to be a pitchers duel is just that. In the top of the 2nd, the Mets would score their only runs of the game. With Ray Knight on first, Lee Mazzilli hits a two run home run to left center to give New York a 2-0 lead. Will it be enough for Doc? It's the bottom of the 6th with two outs. Ichiro Suzuki singles, as does Edgar Martinez, which advances Suzuki to third. With Bret Boone at the plate, Gooden unleashes a wild pitch, allowing Suzuki to score!!! But he gets Boone to fly out and the Mariners never threaten again.

***UPSET ALERT***
1986 New York Mets 2 2001 Seattle Mariners 1


Game 6: Willie Mays Region

#6 1909 Chicago Cubs vs. #3 1932 New York Yankees
Mordecai Brown (27-9, 1.31) vs. Johnny Allen (17-4, 3.70)

No one scores until the bottom of the 6th, when the Yankees take an early 1-0 lead on a sacrifice fly. The Cubs would tie the game with a sac fly of their own in the top of the 8th. But in the bottom of the 8th, Ben Chapman triples for the Yankees. Two outs later, Babe Ruth hits an RBI double to give New York a 2-1 lead. Jumbo Brown come into the game to close it out. Brown strikes out all three batters he faces and the Yankees are going to the Sweet 16!!!

1932 New York Yankees 2 1909 Chicago Cubs 1


Game 7: Ted Williams Region

#16 1909 Detroit Tigers vs. #8 1911 Philadelphia Athletics
Bill Donovan (8-7, 2.31) vs. Chief Bender (17-5, 2.16)

The cinderella story of the tournament shows they belong in the top of the 1st when they take an early lead. Tom Jones walks with one out and advances to second on Ty Cobb's ground out. Sam Crawford doubles Jones home with two outs. George Moriarty then steps up and hits a two run homer. Detroit leads 3-0. The Athletics cut the lead to 3-1 when they score a run in the bottom of the 2nd. But the Tigers would add to their lead in the top of the 4th with two outs. Donie Bush hits an RBI single to make it 4-1. The real damage comes in the top of the 6th, when Detroit scores four runs on three hits and an error to take an 8-1 lead. The Athletics erupt in the bottom of the 6th, scoring five runs on five hits to cut the lead to 8-6. Philadelphia couldn't score again and that's the final.

***UPSET ALERT***
1909 Detroit Tigers 8 1911 Philadelphia Athletics 6


Game 8: Ty Cobb Region

[B]#13 1903 Pittsburgh Pirates vs. #12 1934 Detroit Tigers[/B]
Sam Leever (25-7, 2.06) vs. Elden Auker (15-7, 3.42)

The Tigers take the early lead in the bottom of the 1st on a Charlie Gehringer solo home run. The score is still 1-0 Tigers in the bottom of the 7th. Detroit's Mickey Cochrane doubles and scores, two outs later, on an error by the Pirate's third baseman, Tommy Leach. With the lead at 2-0, Detroit brings in pitcher Tommy Bridges for the save in the top of the 9th. Jimmy Sebring hits a solo shot to cut the lead to 2-1. But Bridges settles down and strikes out the next three batters to end it.

1934 Detroit Tigers 2 1903 Pittsburgh Pirates 1


So, there you have it. The Sweet 16 is set and there are NO #1 or #2 seeds left in the tournament. Only two #3 seeds are left and only one #4 seed. There's even a #11, a #12 and a #16 seed!!! So, how's your bracket holding up?? All teams will play on the same day, March 26, 2015, followed by the Elite 8 on March 28, 2015. Join us then.