April 6 – Game 5
Queensland hung on to finally win their first game of the Series and look to build on that momentum. RHP
Logan Belsey (0-1, 1 SV, 5.59 ERA), who threw 15 pitches in the bottom of the 9th to seal the win in Game 4, gets the start today for Queensland. He once again faces Stratford’s RHP
Joseph Sellwood (1-0, 4.50 ERA), who picked up the win in Game 1.
Bottom of the 2nd:
Matthew Channing drives a 0-1 slider down the line toward deep rightfield. Hal Dhu races back and leaps at the wall but it sails over his head, landing 339 ft. into the stands for a lead-off
solo home run.
Queensland 0 – Stratford 1
Top of the 3rd:
Matsua Oyama and Noel Eissens lead off with back-to-back singles. Logan Belsey successfully lays down a sac bunt down the first base line to advance the runners. Hal Dhu then grounds out to short. Oyama comes into score on the play, tying up the game.
Queensland 1 – Stratford 1
Top of the 5th:
Matsua Oyama punches one into centerfield for a lead-off single. As Noel Eissens strikes out swinging, Oyama breaks for second base. C Aaron Skidmore rifles it to second, but it sails wide into the outfield. Oyama scampers to third on the error. Logan Belsey then sends a towering fly ball to rightfield. RF Kosaku Fukushima hauls it in, but Oyama tags up and scores without a throw.
Queensland 2 – Stratford 1
Bottom of the 6th:
Joseph Sellwood lines a fastball into shallow right centerfield for a lead-off base hit. Roberto Ríos bunts one down the third base line and is thrown out as Sellwood takes second. But C Robbie Leivers can’t hang onto Logan Belsey’s first pitch to Sherwin Carasig and is charged with a passed ball as Sellwood moves over to third.
Sherwin Carasig then drives one straight up the middle past the drawn-in infield for a base hit as Sellwood comes home to tie up the game.
Queensland 2 – Stratford 2
Top of the 9th:
RHP José Rodríguez comes on in relief of Joseph Sellwood to start the 9th. After getting Rod Dennis to fly out to rightfield, Rodríguez hits PH John Rose on a 1-0 pitch, putting him on base. Two pitches later, Rose breaks for second and beats out the throw from C Aaron Skidmore. Robbie Leivers then grounds out to 2B Matthew Channing, moving Rose to third. PH Joshua Challen then jumps all over Rodríguez’s first pitch, sending it soaring into deep centerfield. As it bounces off the wall for a double, Rose crosses the plate to put the Eagles back on top.
Queensland 3 – Stratford 2
Bottom of the 9th:
Logan Belsey gets two quick outs before surrendering a 4-pitch walk to Eiichi Nakashima. Walter Beauvais and Aaron Skidmore then follow with back-to-back singles, driving home Nakashima to tie up the game once more and sending it into extras.
Queensland 3 – Stratford 3
Top of the 11th:
Zhao-dao Liu pounds a hard grounder through the hole into rightfield off RHP William Say for a lead-off single. After John Rose strikes out swinging, Robbie Leivers bangs out a slow bouncer toward left. SS Jeff Houston throws out Leivers at first as Liu takes second.
John Oldknow then connects on a 1-1 slider, sending a towering fly ball to deep leftfield. LF Roberto Ríos races back for it but runs out of room as it sails 361 ft. into the stands for a
2-run home run.
Still with two out, Noel Eissens raps a hard grounder toward short. SS Jeff Houston picks it up and hurries his throw to first. It bounces in the dirt and into the first base dugout. Eissens advances to second on the error.
Logan Belsey then smashes the next pitch to deep centerfield. CF Alfonso León races back but it’s off the wall for a double. Eissens hustles home, increasing the Eagles’ lead to three.
Logan Belsey stays in to try and close out the game in the bottom of the 11th. But Eiichi Nakashima connects on the first pitch for a lazy fly ball that drops in for hit in shallow leftfield. After Walter Beauvais flies out to leftfield, Aaron Skidmore drives a 1-1 fastball through the infield and into centerfield as Nakashima takes second.
PH Roberto Pérez then slaps a ground ball out toward leftfield. 3B Bob Sobel snares it, throws to second for one and 2B Dennis Purcell in turn fires it to first to complete the game ending double play. The Eagles win it in extras to send the Series back to Queensland for Game 6.
FINAL: Queensland 6 – Stratford 3
--------
April 8 – Game 6
Despite the rainy skies, renewed optimism has returned to Wagner Stadium in Queensland. The Eagles have fought tenaciously to stay alive in the Series and have their second ace ready to take the mound. RHP
Stiofan Micklethwait (0-1, 5.62 ERA) did not have the playoff debut he was hoping for back in Game 2 and is looking for redemption. Meanwhile, LHP
Robin Wadsworth (1-0, 1.23 ERA) is focused on leading the Barons to one more victory and put the Series to bed.
Bottom of the 2nd:
Wadsworth get two quick outs before Matsuo Oyama works the count full and draws a walk. Noel Eissens then smashes a 2-2 slider down the third base line and into the left field corner. Oyama moves up to third, then breaks for home. SS Callum Spalton whips the relay home, but Oyama slides under the tag to get Queensland on the board.
Stratford 0 – Queensland 1
Top of the 3rd:
Robin Wadsworth comes to the plate sporting a .198 AVG on the season. But he connects on an 87 mph fastball, sending it high in the air to deep centerfield. Matsuo Oyama reaches for it, but it sails past him and bounces to the wall as Wadsworth slides in safely for a lead-off double. Roberto Ríos then punches a 2-0 fastball through the box and into centerfield, putting runners on the corners. Sherwin Carasig follows and sends a chopper out to 2B Dennis Purcell. Purcell throws to second for one while SS Noel Eissens guns it to first to complete the double play as Wadsworth comes home to tie the game.
Stratford 1 – Queensland 1
Bottom of the 8th:
The game remains deadlocked until the bottom of the 8th as RHP José Rodríguez takes over from Robin Wadsworth. With one out, Dennis Purcell jumps all over a 2-2 fastball, sending it soaring 430 ft. into the right centerfield bleaches for a
solo home run giving the lead back to Queensland.
In the top of the 9th, Micklethwait looks to finish what he started. Alfonso León leads off and lifts one out to deep centerfield, but Matsuo Oyama backs up and reels it in. Matthew Channing follows and strikes out looking. PH Don North then lines the first pitch out toward short. But Noel Eissens leaps and spears it for the final out. The Queensland Eagles fight their way back to even the Series and force a winner-take-all Game 7.
FINAL: Stratford 1 – Queensland 2
--------
April 9 – Game 7
The Queensland Eagles have seemingly pulled off the improbable by fighting their way back to even the Series. Now they look to complete the impossible, win four straight games after losing the first three in a best of seven matchup. And they have a chance to do that right in their own backyard under warm, sunny skies.
The Game 3 pitchers square off once again in this final showdown. RHP
Tyler Gissing (0-1, 9.00 ERA) is another Queensland starter looking to redeem himself after a disappointing previous outing, while RHP
Ted Smith (0-0, 6.00 ERA) also looks for a stronger outing to help avert a potential historic collapse by the Barons.
Bottom of the 1st:
Smith and the Barons struggle right from the start. After surrendering a lead-off walk to Hal Dhu, Smith induces a towering pop-up toward short right center from Apia Yarrah. But either through miscommunication or misjudgement, it falls in for a base hit in front of 2B Matthew Channing. Dhu moves up to second on the play. Dennis Purcell then slices a liner to leftfield for a base hit. Dhu takes third then heads for home, beating out the tag for the game’s first run.
Rod Dennis steps into the box and on a 2-1 count, crushes Smith’s 91 mph fastball down the line to deep leftfield. Roberto Ríos chases after it but it sails 388 ft. over the wall for a
3-run home run.
After Ryan Conisford strikes out, Robbie Leivers adds to the Eagles’ lead by smashing 1-0 fastball toward the alley in left centerfield. Ríos again is in pursuit and tries to time his leap but it’s out of his reach for a 418 ft.
solo home run.
Although Smith gets the next two outs to end the inning, his afternoon is over, as RHP Stephan Tindall takes over.
Stratford 0 – Queensland 5
Top of the 2nd:
But Tyler Gissing’s day doesn’t go any better. Matthew Channing leads off and sends a hard grounder toward the left side. 3B Apia Yarrah is there but bobbles it, allowing Channing to reach safely on the error. Callum Spalton hits a slow dribbler out toward the mound but beats out the throw from Gissing for an infield base hit. Kosaku Fukushima then draws a 4-pitch walk to load the bases with nobody out.
Walter Beauvais laces a hard grounder toward the left side hole. SS Noel Eissens fields it and throws it to second for the first out, but Fukushima’s hard slide prevents the double play. Channing scores on the play as Spalton takes third.
Aaron Skidmore lofts one out to leftfield. Rod Dennis comes in quickly to snag it and whips it home, but Spalton successfully tags up and scores.
PH Don North follows and rips a 2-2 changeup out to deep right centerfield. CF Matsuo Oyama races back as it caroms off the wall. North slides hard into third and beats out the throw for a 1-run triple.
Roberto Ríos steps to the plate and gets all of Gissing’s 2-2 changeup, sending it soaring over the head of RF Hal Dhu 357 ft. into the rightfield bleachers for a
two-run home run to knot the game up at five. Gissing heads to the showers as manager Daryl Rowde has seen enough and calls upon RHP Kaula Mafileo in relief to escape the inning.
Stratford 5 – Queensland 5
Bottom of the 6th:
Ryan Conisford jumps on the first pitch he sees from Tindall, slamming an 84 mph slider out to deep right center. CF Alfonso León has to play it off the wall as Conisford slides safely into second for a lead-off base hit. Robbie Leivers then punches a hard grounder past the reach of SS Callum Spalton to put runners on the corners.
After Tindall induces two shallow fly balls for the first two outs, Zhao-dao Liu works the count to draw a walk and load the bases. But Tindall’s first pitch to Hal Dhu is misplayed by C Aaron Skidmore. Conisford races in from third to score on the passed ball as the other baserunners advance.
Hal Dhu then lines a 2-1 slider to deep centerfield. Leivers comes in to score on the base hit adding to the Eagles’ lead. LHP William Say comes on in relief to end the inning.
Stratford 5 – Queensland 7
Top of the 7th:
With Queensland holding the lead, manager Daryl Rowde brings in his ace, RHP Logan Belsey, for this third relief appearance in the Series. But after Alfonso León flies out to deep centerfield on the first pitch, Matthew Channing drills Belsey’s 95 mph fastball into deep right center. CF Matsuo Oyama reaches for it but comes up short as it caroms off the wall. Channing tears around second and slides in safely for a one-out triple.
Callum Spalton then lofts Belsey’s first pitch to deep leftfield. Channing tags up and slides in awkwardly to beat out the throw before Belsey strikes out Kosaku Fukushima to end the inning.
In the top of the 9th with the Eagles clinging to a one run lead, manager Rowde sticks with his ace. Belsey strikes out Roberto Ríos for the first out. Sherwin Carasig then lofts a 2-2 slider over the infield and into short center for a base hit. PH Andy Faulkner crushes a high fly ball out to deep centerfield. Matsuo Oyama races back to the warning track and finally hauls it in for the second out.
After two failed pick-off attempts at first, Matthew Channing, who hit a triple in his last at-bat, jumps on a 1-2 changeup, sending it to deep rightfield. But Hal Dhu hustles over and makes the grab to end the game and complete the miracle comeback.
The Queensland Eagles win their second
Eastern League Pennant in historic fashion and are heading to the United Cup!
FINAL: Stratford 6 – Queensland 7
--------
