Sugar Factory Elephants @ Spice District Roosters
Pitching for Sugar Factory: RHP Gabe Wallman (10-17, 5.03 ERA)
Pitching for Spice District: RHP Sylas Lang (13-13, 4.13 ERA)
If you're the Elephants then this is the game you've gotta win. This is the most glaring weakness of the Roosters. Sylas Lang, with his 102 ERA+ is merely average and not some outer worldly pitching talent like Max Steel or Jared Way. Lose this and you're facing a sweep at the hands of those maniacal little pitching wizards.
It's not looking good until 2B Glenn Reinhard happens. It's the top of the 4th, with one out on the board. Reinhard watches the first fly by for a strike, nods, and then smashes the next one for a home run. The Elephants now have their first run for the series.
A spark of energy goes through the Elephants, 3B Jaden Tenneh hits a single the very next pitch, and then CF Sean Newton hits a fly ball out to RF Roman Karabanov -- he should catch it -- but he loses it in the sun and it drops right by him harmlessly. Suddenly, the Elephants have a runner in scoring position.
But they waste it. RF Patrick Wright slaps it weakly to Second Base who tags out Newton. Tenneh moves to third but 1B Elias Ballard can't get Tenneh home. Still, they move into the bottom of the 4th with a 1-0 lead. Could be worse.
Things got worse.
Elephants pitcher Gabe Wallman wrecked
something. We're not totally sure what it was but it sounded bad. As he cautiously moved off the field, Seth Dudas took the mound. That's Seth Dudas of 6.54 ERA Seth Dudas.
He gets the final out of the 4th but he walks SS Dex Kruys, a Sylas Lang bunt gets Kruys over to second and then all Kruys needs is a Tommy Glass single out to Right Field to glide in for the game-tying run.
Shift to the next inning and Dudas is against the muscle of the order. 1B Neil Spurrier gets a single, LF Odin Bendig gets a single, and then RF Roman Karabanov makes up for his earlier error and sends the ball to the stands. The Roosters are up 4-1.
Damage done, Seth Dudas is benched for Max Collins. Collins is able to keep the Roosters under control but the Elephant hitters aren't making any headway. Finally, they run out of outs and the game is done.
The Roosters are up 2-0 in the series.
