[Westheim]

2061 CONTINENTAL LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
Portland Raccoons (94-68) @ San Francisco Bayhawks (100-62)

The Raccoons entered the playoffs as the bottom seed so we wouldn’t have home field advantage in any scenario for the rest of the month.

Game 1 – Tyler Riddle (13-5, 2.87 ERA) vs. Joe Chalmers (15-3, 3.40 ERA)

Joe Chalmers, who had gone 17-39 in the three prior seasons combined, had really shone with an offense that was putting up five-and-a-half runs per game, but his 2-0 record against Portland this year came from two solid starts in which he put up a 1.88 ERA. Riddle hadn’t met the Bayhawks all year long.

POR: LF Morris – SS Lavorano – CF Caswell – RF Brassfield – 1B Starr – C Perez – 3B N. Fowler – 2B Bean – P Riddle
SFB: LF Escalera – 1B P. Fowler – SS X. Reyes – 2B A. Montoya – 3B D. Sandoval – RF Grewe – CF D. Silva – C Redfern – P Chalmers

The Raccoons clipped Chalmers for five hits the first time through and barely scored a second-inning run on Tyler Riddle’s own 2-out RBI single; Lonzo and Cas hit singles and were stranded in the first, while Starr hit a leadoff double and Perez singled before two poor outs were made by Fowler and Bean in the top 2nd before the pitcher came through. Morris grounded out to end the inning, and then Armando Montoya immediately took it all away with a leadoff jack to right in the bottom 2nd, followed by a Dan Sandoval double, Bobby Grewe’s single, and after David Silva popped out, a run-scoring groundout for Keith Redfern, flipping the score to 2-1 Bayhawks.

Armando Montoya was ready to be his usual terror and drove in another run right away in the bottom 3rd when Xavier Reyes singled and stole second, setting Montoya up for a 2-out RBI single of his own. Sandoval grounded out to end the inning, but the Raccoons were not rallying in any shape or form at this point. Angel Perez reached on an error in the fourth, and that was about it for the time being.

Chalmers hit a leadoff double off Riddle in the bottom 5th that almost knocked out the Coons’ starter, but Jose Escalera grounded out, Pat Fowler whiffed, and then Reyes grounded out to short. As it was, knocking out the Coons’ starter was left to Bobby Grewe, knocking a solo homer over the wall in leftfield in the bottom 6th, which extended the Bayhawks’ lead to 4-1. Abrams would get the last out of the inning, then was hit for in the top 7th after Jon Bean’s leadoff single off Chalmers. Tomlin struck out, and the 1-2 batters didn’t do much better.

Pat Fowler and Reyes hit singles off LaBat in the bottom 7th, with Ryan Sullivan required to get Montoya out without completely exploding the score.

Chalmers pitched into the eighth, but allowed a 1-out single to Brassfield before being removed. Ryan Dow immediately surrendered an RBI double to left-center to Joel Starr, narrowing the score to 4-2 and bringing the tying run to the plate but Perez struck out. Lefty Zane Fenlon then appeared against Nick Fowler, who was hit for with Tim Fuller, who hit a fly to deep left, but it ended up with Escalera on the warning track and the inning ended. Grewe and Silva singles and Redfern’s sac fly then clawed the lone run scored right back again in the bottom 8th.

The tying run did come back to the plate in the ninth, however. Southpaw Travis Davis issued a leadoff walk to Bernie Ortega, batting for Bean, and Morris hit a 1-out single. Lonzo, who hadn’t homered since April, flew out to Silva in shallow center before a 2-out walk to Caswell loaded the bases for Brassfield. The count ran full before Brass struck a fastball into centerfield for a 2-run single, narrowing the score to 5-4, and with Caswell dashing to third base with the tying run! The Bayhawks reacted with a pitching change, bringing righty Zach Johnson for Joel Starr, a curious choice (regardless, the Coons had already emptied their bench entirely). Starr popped out to Montoya on a 1-1 pitch to end the game.

Bayhawks 5, Raccoons 4 – Bayhawks lead series 1-0

Caswell 2-4, BB; Brassfield 2-5, 2 RBI; Starr 2-5, 2 2B, RBI; Bean 2-3;

Pfffff….

Game 2 – Bobby Herrera (14-8, 3.19 ERA) vs. Hector Montenegro (6-5, 5.57 ERA)

When a back injury wasn’t putting him on the sidelines in 2061, Hector Montenegro had been terrible. He faced the Coons once, allowing four runs in five innings in a no-decision in April. Tipsy Bobby went 0-2 in three starts against the Baybirds. Once it was his fault, twice the offense’s refusal to do anything, but the resulting 5.19 ERA was still ghastly. For what it was worth, the 6-run shellacking he received from the Bayhawks in June was his second-worst start of the year. Only the Loggers had mauled him harder at one point.

The Loggers…!

POR: LF Morris – SS Lavorano – CF Caswell – RF Brassfield – 1B Starr – C Perez – 3B N. Fowler – 2B Bean – P B. Herrera
SFB: SS X. Reyes – LF Escalera – 2B A. Montoya – 3B D. Sandoval – 1B P. Fowler – C Cantu – RF Grewe – CF D. Silva – P H. Montenegro

The Raccoons took the lead again, this time in the first inning, when Ben Morris singled and stole second base, then came home on Brass’ 2-out RBI double to right. Perez’ sharp grounder up the middle was intercepted by Reyes, and taken for the third out, though. Jon Bean hit a double in the second inning, but was left on by Herrera, and Morris was on base with another leadoff single in the third inning, but then doubled up by Lonzo. Brass hit a leadoff single in the fourth, but was caught stealing.

Meanwhile, Bobby H. retired the Baybirds in order for 24 pitches the first time through, which looked treacherously easy. Reyes then strung a single to left on an 0-2 pitch to begin the bottom 4th, and Escalera legged out an infield roller for another single right away. Montoya spanked a ball into a 4-6-3 double play, and Herrera got the K in on Sandoval to strand Reyes and the tying run at third base. Pat Fowler drew a leadoff walk in the bottom 5th from Herrera, but San Fran continued with two pops to the left side of the infield and then Silva struck out.

While Tipsy Bobby had to fight his way around a leadoff single by Montenegro in the bottom 6th and barely got Montoya to fly out to keep the tying run at third base once more, the Raccoons got as much as a second run to the game when Brassfield socked a leadoff jack to left-center in the seventh inning after the team had pretty much disappeared in order since he had been caught stealing in the fourth. Starr hit a double to right, but Perez popped out and Fowler drew a walk from Montenegro before Bean found a spot in right-center to drop an RBI single into, 3-0. Herrera batted for himself and popped out, but when Montenegro walked Morris, he was axed. Right-hander Jorge Solis got Lonzo with the bases loaded and two down, but gave up a cracking 2-run single to left-center. Cas’ groundout ended a 4-spot.

The Baybirds reached the board in the same inning… getting a double from Jose Cantu, and Tipsy Bobby plating their first run with a 2-out wild pitch before letting David Silva fly out to Caswell…

Top 8th, Brass hit a leadoff double and Starr was walked with intent for Solis to get a double play grounder from Perez, which he did. Nick Fowler flew out to Silva and that was the inning. The Coons ran Herrera back out for the bottom 8th, where he allowed a pinch-hit double to Hugo Munoz and a 2-run homer to Reyes, then was yanked without getting anybody out anymore. Justin Rocco got out of the inning for nothing further than a 2-out single by Sandoval, but the lead was down to 5-3.

But, boy, did the Coons answer to that! Ryan Dow allowed leadoff doubles to Bean and Nick Fox to begin the ninth inning, so one run was already in, then a 2-out RBI single to Caswell. Fenlon replaced him, walked Brass, saw Tomlin (batting for Starr) reach on an error by Sandoval, and then allowed another two runs on a Perez single before the inning fizzled out. The 6-run lead that resulted emboldened us to send Justin DeRose into the bottom 9th, so he had to put the first two batters on base and allowed a run, but at least he ended the game and tied the series.

Raccoons 9, Bayhawks 4 – seried tied 1-1

Morris 2-3, 2 BB; Brassfield 4-4, BB, HR, 2 2B, 2 RBI; Bean 3-4, 2 2B, RBI; N. Fox (PH) 1-1, 2B, RBI; B. Herrera 7.0 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, W (1-0);

Back home to Portland with a 1-1 tie.