[Westheim]

2044 CONTINENTAL LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
Portland Raccoons (96-66) @ San Francisco Bayhawks (91-71)

The Coons arrived in San Francisco with the best possible outcome from their first two home games. The goal now had to be to only have another home game against the Federal League representative. The FLCS was tied at one at that point, so there was no point of musing about it.

Game 3 – Corey Mathers (10-11, 3.92 ERA) vs. Garrett Sutherland (11-7, 3.69 ERA)

Mathers had won ONE game after the All Star Game, a complete-game effort against the Titans in August. He had lost nine. Somehow, that still made him the third-most attractive option against the Bayhawks, who he had faced twice this year, going 1-0 with a 3.75 ERA. Sutherland had not faced the Critters in the regular season.

We still hung with the lineup that had won two games so far. San Francisco brought back the Game 2 lineup.

POR: CF Baskins – 1B Ayala – 3B Maldonado – RF Toohey – LF Fernandez – SS Waters – C Zarate – 2B Carreno – P Mathers
SFB: 2B Quiroz – 3B Sifuentes – 1B N. Duncan – CF McGuigan – RF Platero – SS K. Saito – C J. Wilson – LF M. Castillo – P Sutherland

The Coons disappeared in order in the first, but the Bayhawks wouldn’t bloody quite. Sifuentes singled up the middle – warming up now, the bugger! – and Duncan singled to right. McGuigan, annoyingly, hit a double right over the bag that Ayala couldn’t reach, and that hit off the sidewall to fool Toohey and allow both runners to score for an early 2-0 deficit. Mathers, annoyed, struck out the next two to end the inning. The Raccoons opened the second with Toohey and Manny singles, but then choked. Waters hit into a fielder’s choice, Zarate lined out to Quiroz, and Carreno grounded out to Saito.

Two were on again in the third inning, Mathers hitting a leadoff single before being forced out by Baskins, while Ayala walked on five pitches. Maldonado flew out to center, but Toohey walked on four pitches, presenting three on with two outs for Manny Fernandez, who had his 0-1 grounder snatched by Duncan and taken to first to end the inning. The Raccoons FINALLY reached the board in the fourth, when Waters singled, stole second, and was driven in with two outs by … Mathers, with another single. Baskins grounded out, keeping it a 2-1 game.

That Mathers guy kept shedding runners. The Bayhawks had gotten two in the second, one in the third, and by the fourth Wilson and Castillo reached base with one out. Sutherland bunted badly into a force on Wilson at third base, but that still left two on with two out for Quiroz. The switch-hitter spanked one up the middle, but Carreno warped over and made the play to put away the side. There was still pepper in this game for sure…!

Maldo and Platero were stranded on second base by either team in the fifth inning before Matt Waters opened the sixth with a wallbanger in right, hitting for a leadoff double to become the tying run in scoring position. Zarate hit a soft liner up the middle on which Waters at first had to dive back for the bag, fearing Saito could reach it and double him off if he went, and as a consequence had to park it at third base. Runners on the corners, no outs for Carreno – and he DID line out to Saito …! Oh bother. Mathers was hit for now, Mal Phinazee grabbing a stick in his stead, but also taking him off the hook by poking a 1-2 pitch over Quiroz for an RBI single, leveling the score at two. Sutherland began to lose command now, walked Baskins to fill the bases, and gave up a first-pitch single to Ayala that gave Portland a 3-2 lead! And just as quickly, Maldonado hit into a double play, 6-4-3.

The lead went to Jon Craig, who walked Saito to begin the bottom 6th, but got a double play grounder from Wilson, and another grounder to short from Castillo to exit the inning. Toohey hit a leadoff jack off Sutherland to send him to bed in the seventh, while Jesse Bulas walked Zarate and allowed a single to Carreno with two outs, but Gene Pellicano would line out to end the inning, and the bullpen exploded in the bottom 7th. Norris got two outs before Sifuentes singled, and then Zack Kelly came on and allowed a single to Duncan and a game-tying double to McGuigan. At this point the Raccoons went to Jason Wheatley for length; he struck out Platero to at least bow out of the seventh inning with a tie on the board…

Bulas was still on in the eighth, but walked Baskins and Ayala to gift a chance to the Critters. Maldonado hit a soft dinker to Platero’s feet, loading the bases – but there it was! The old trap! Three on and nobody out! Surely we’d lose this game now! Well, for the time being, Toohey hit a sac fly to center, which brought in Baskins with the go-ahead run. Despite a wild pitch by Bulas, that was the only Coons run in the inning. Manny popped out, Waters whiffed, and it was only 5-4 in the middle of the eighth. Wheats retired the side in order in the eighth, however, so things were still pointing upwards. Hunter, Carreno, and Kilmer made outs in order in the ninth against Jeremy Mayhall, and so it was on Josh Rella again, now with a 1-run lead.

Gonzalez popped out to Ayala to begin the bottom 9th. Quiroz ran a full count for seven pitches, then popped out over the infield. Waters and Carreno bumped into each other, but Waters held on to the ball while I shrieked. One out to go for a 3-0 series lead, and Sifuentes was the batter, 2-for-4 on the day, and reaching 3-for-5 with a single to left. That brought up Duncan, and bringing Chuck Jones was *an* option, but he would probably run into Bobby Hennessy as pinch-hitter, and this was not desired. Rella faced the left-hander. And walked him. McGuigan next. Mound conference. Endless seconds. The tension. Oh god, make it stop. McGuigan made it stop –

… by striking out!

Raccoons 5, Bayhawks 4

Maldonado 2-5; Toohey 2-3, BB, HR, 2 RBI; Waters 2-5, 2B; Phinazee (PH) 1-1, RBI;

So Jason Wheatley won a playoff game after all. Huh!

At this point we would have expected Noe Candeloro, the left-hander, but with their wings to the wall, the Bayhawks would go back to Eric Weitz on short rest. We had no reason to hurry – Brent Clark had been picked for Game 4 before the series, and Brent Clark got Game 4.

Game 4 – Brent Clark (12-12, 3.75 ERA) vs. Eric Weitz (15-8, 3.66 ERA)

With another right-handed starter up, there were also no changes to the lineup. With a playoff winning streak, I wasn’t changing my underwear, and I sure as hell wasn’t changing our lineup!

POR: CF Baskins – 1B Ayala – 3B Maldonado – RF Toohey – LF Fernandez – SS Waters – C Zarate – 2B Carreno – P Clark
SFB: SS J. Gonzalez – 2B K. Saito – LF Hennessy – 3B Sifuentes – RF Platero – C J. Hill – 1B M. Castillo – CF McGuigan – P Weitz

Maldonado put the Baybirds behind the 8 ball right away, hitting a 2-out solo jack in the first inning. Unfortunately, Clark’s charme didn’t play so well against a lineup where nobody would bat lefty against him. He retired the side in order in the first, but Sifuentes hit a single to open the second and Platero doubled immediately after that. John Hill hit a sac fly to tie the game, and Mel Castillo flew out to Toohey on an 0-2 pitch. The Baybirds smelled another sac fly and a lead, and sent Platero for home plate. Toohey threw him out by inches, keeping the game tied and sending Weitz back to the hill.

Instead, the Critters got another sac fly and the 2-1 lead in the third. Baskins opened with a double to center, advanced on Ayala’s grounder, and scored when Maldo flew out to McGuigan. That lead, too, was temporary, though, and Clark soon drowned in runners in the bottom 3rd. McGuigan hit a leadoff double and scored on Gonzalez’ single, 2-2, and then he walked the bags full. Sifuentes put San Fran on top with a sac fly. Platero grounded out on a 3-1 pitch, ending the inning.

Zarate got hit and Carreno singled, bringing up the pitcher’s spot for Portland with two outs in the fourth. Oh bother. That was a bad spot. Clark had nothing against the all-righty lineup, but we were not desperate; we were up 3-0. It could be 3-2 in a hurry if we burned down the pen again in this situation. Clark hit for himself, hit a stupid RBI single in a 1-1 count, and got himself off the hook. I couldn’t help but giggle. The baseball gods were rewarding the cautious. So far. Baskins grounded out to Saito to end the inning.

Clark had a clean fourth, but the fifth saw Weitz reach on an error by Baskins (…!), and then a 2-run crusher to left by Saito to put the Baybirds up, 5-3. Sifuentes’ double finally chased Clark, tattered and torn, and the Raccoons put Jon Craig in for long relief. He went into the last cleared spot, Manny’s, with Baskins to left and Phinazee to center, batting ninth. Craig gave up an RBI double to Platero, which deepened the hole to 6-3, before catching a comebacker from Hill. The Raccoons then hit balls hard in the sixth and seventh innings, but all into outs. Carreno hit a deep fly to the warning track to end the sixth, caught by Hennessy, who also shagged a Phinazee fly in a slide to begin the seventh. The game was clearly and obviously lost.

The Coons didn’t get back on base until Ricky Jimenez doubled in Craig’s spot with two outs in the eighth. Weitz struck out Waters to turn them away. Porter pitched a scoreless bottom 8th, but we got the bottom of the order up against Mayhall in the ninth. Pellicano hit for Zarate, .154 in the series, and singled to center. Carreno was next – a drive to right! High! Deep! OUTTA HERE!! The gap was down to one run! Phinazee singled to left-center. Baskins ran a full count, then hit a slow dribbler along the third base line. Sifuentes raced in, picked it, then gave up – Baskins had FLOWN up the line and got the infield single. Sal Ayala grounded out to first, at least advancing the runners! COME ON BOYS!! Next was Maldo. He reached for the first pitch offered by Mayhall and dumped it into center! RBI single! Tied game!!

That was the end of Mayhall, with Mike Mihalik replacing him. He struck out Toohey, with Jeff Kilmer hitting for Porter in the #5 hole. He took a high strike, then clubbed a low pitch to the left side. Sifuentes dove and missed it! Gonzalez reached and couldn’t get it! RBI single! COONS TAKE THE LEAD!!

Waters struck out in a full count, and now Josh Rella just had to get three outs without giving up a run, against the top of the order. Pellicano remained in the game over Toohey, so we wouldn’t have to lead off a potential 10th with our final man on the bench, Tony Hunter. Defensively that was even an upgrade. Quiroz popped out. Kenichi Saito struck out! Only Bobby Hennessy left between the Raccoons and the World Series! He struck the first pitch he saw to deep left. Baskins dashed back to the wall, looked up, parked himself in the middle of the warning track, and made the catch!

The Coons have won the pennant! The Coons have won the pennant! The Coons have won the pennant!!!

Raccoons 7, Bayhawks 6

Baskins 2-5, 2B; Maldonado 2-4, HR, 3 RBI; Jimenez (PH) 1-1, 2B; Kilmer (PH) 1-1, RBI; Pellicano (PH) 1-1; Carreno 2-4, HR, 2 RBI; Craig 2.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K;