2033 St. Louis River Walkers: And the saga continues

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St. Louis won the regular-season series 5-1.
April 28 -- At St. Louis
St. Louis 3, Rockford 0
W - Edward Kunselman 2-0, 1.12. L - G. Krawczyk 2-1, 1.48. Sv - N. Ruffalo 1, 0.00.
HRs: None.
April 29 -- At St. Louis
St. Louis 3, Rockford 1
W - B. Weldon 1-0, 0.00. L - K. Halter 0-1, 2.19. Sv - N. Strother 3, 0.00.
HRs - St. Louis: Coke 6.
April 30 -- At St. Louis
Rockford 11, St. Louis 5
W - B. Ashcraft 2-0, 3.58. L - C. Eason 1-1, 4.72.
HR -- Roc: D. Blanton 5, A. Penucci 6. StL: M. Francis 3.
Sept. 8 - At Rockford
St. Louis 7, Rockford 5, 10 innings
W - N. Strother 6-2, 1.42. L - F. Stelk 3-5, 3.25.
HRs - Roc: J. Braude 6.
Sept. 9 - At Rockford
St. Louis 5, Rockford 3, 10 innings
W - B. Weldon 6-2, 5.04. L - F. Stelk 3-6, 3.56. Sv - N. Strother 27, 1.39.
HRs - StL: J. Segura 13, N. Shaw 21. Roc: W. Martin 25.
Sept. 10 - At Rockford
St. Louis 8, Rockford 3
W - E. Kunselman 10-3, 3.45. L - R. Nelson 1-5, 5.88.
HR - StL: M. Francis 19, bin Amr 5, E. Estrella 4. Roc: W. Martin 26.

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MBL news: Oct. 9 -- ALCS Game 1 -- Akron 6, Detroit 3

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MBL news: Oct. 10 -- ALCS Game 2 -- Detroit 2, Akron 0, Series tied 11

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Rockford scored three unearned runs in the bottom of the fourth inning -- and added two more in the fifth off St. Louis starter Josh McDonad -- and the Lightning went on to defeat the River Walkers 5-3 in Game 1 of the National League championship series at RFK Stadium (2005).
McDonald retired the first two Rockford hitters in the bottom of the fourth, but Javy Monjaraz got things rolling with a single.
The Lightning then loaded the bases after Adrian Penucci drew a walk and Daylen Reyes reached on an infield single.
With pitcher Melvin Chavez at the plate, McDonald was called for a balk, bringing in Monjaraz with the game's first run.
The next two followed when St. Louis second baseman Marcos Francis made a wild throw to first on a ground ball hit by Chavez.
Rockford added two more in the fifth.
Again, McDonald struggled issuing a pair of one-out walks, and then moving the runners to second and third with a wild pitch.
He did get two outs, but after an intentional walk to Monjaraz, Penucci singled between the short and third to score a pair.
Chavez dominated the Walkers through a scoreless first five innings -- during which he allowed three hits and struck out eight -- but let St. Louis back into the game when Manuel Coke connected for a three-run homer in the sixth.
Chavez (1-0) exited after the homer, having allowed three runs on five hits. He struck out eight and walked one.
After that four relievers, all pitched scoreless innings for the Lighting.
Kurt Halter handled the rest of the sixth.
Pablo Ochoa pitched the seventh.
The eighth belonged to Ferrie Stolk and former River Walker reliever Scott Von Lehmden set St. Louis down in order in the ninth.

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Rockford cracked four home runs and Bob Singer pitched a shutout into the sixth inning as the Lightning downed St. Louis 7-1 at RFK Stadium (2005) to grab a 2-0 lead in the National League championship series.
Three of the Lightning's homers came off River Walkers starting pitcher Xavier Wigfall, with two of them coming from David Blanton.
Blanton's first homer provided the first run of the game leading off the bottom of the second.
His second came in the fifth, it was a two-run shot, as Rockford took a 5-0 lead.
Between's Blanton's homers, Javy Monjaraz hit a two-run homer off Wigfall in the fourth.
Ernesto Ferreras completed the scoring for the Lightning in the bottom of the sixth with a two-run homer off reliever Armando Cintron.
The lone Walkers run came from Manuel Coke, who homered for the second game in a row.
This time it was a solo homer coming in the top of the eighth off reliever Travis Gettemy.
Singer (1-0) worked 5.2 scoreless innings, allowing no runs on five hits. He struck out five and walked one.
Rich Nelson finished the sixth inning for Rockford.
Gettemy pitched a pair of innings, allowing the lone run scored by the Walkers.
Former St. Louis reliever Josh Forgy took care of the ninth without incident.

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MBL news: Oct. 12 -- ALCS Game 3 - Detroit 5, Akron 4, 17 innings; Detroit leads 2-1

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MBL news: Oct. 13 -- ALCS Game 4 - Detroit 2, Akron 1; Detroit leads 3-1

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Marcos Francis hit a three-run walk-off as part of a four-run bottom of the ninth inning as St. Louis rallied to defeat Rockford 8-6 in Game 3 of the National League championship series at Busch Stadium (2006).
Thanks to a five-run top of the third inning against River Walkers starting pitcher Shane Drogo, the Lightning led 6-1 going into the bottom of the eighth.
St. Louis trimmed a pair of runs off of that deficit in the bottom of that inning.
Two walks and a single against reliever Stephen Von Lehmden loaded the bases with one out.
Mark Herman drove in the inning's first run with a single.
A fly ball to right by Jose Segura plated the other, making it 6-4.
Von Lehmden was still on the mound to start the bottom of the ninth.
He struck out pinch-hitter Zach Wenman to open the inning, but followed that by allowing a single to Bob Saavedra and a walk to Jackson Miller.
Pablo Ochoa took over and got Manuel Coke to hit into a fielder's choice, putting runners at first and third.
Nick Shaw then singled, scoring Saavedra to make it 6-5.
Francis won it, hitting a 2-1 pitch 451 feet over the wall in left-center.
Drogo lasted just 3.1 innings, allowing five runs on seven hits.
Edward Kunselman finished off the fourth for St. Louis, and worked a scoreless fifth.
After that, it was an inning apiece from Scott Rissler, Greg Sones, Bobby Westerman and Nick Ruffalo.
Westerman allowed the Lightning's final run in the eighth.
A scoreless ninth earned the win for Ruffalo.

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MBL news: Oct. 14 -- ALCS Game 5 - Akron 5, Detroit 2; Detroit leads 3-2

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Manuel Coke hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth inning to wipe out a 3-2 deficit and help lift St. Louis to a 4-3 win over Rockford in Game 3 of the National League championship series at Busch Stadium (2006).
The series is now even at 2-2, with both teams winning a pair of games at home.
Bob Saavedra was on base in front of Coke, doubling with one out off former River Walkers reliever Josh Forgy.
Coke then cranked a 100-mph fastball 388 feet over the wall in left field to put St. Louis on front.
It was Coke's third homer of the NLCS.
Down 1-0, Rockford took a 2-1 lead with a pair of runs off St. Louis rookie starter Kevin Hrdlicka in the top of the second.
Daylen Reyes drove in the first run with a triple.
Reyes scored on a two-out double by Ernesto Ferreras.
St. Louis tied it in the bottom of the third on a Jose Segura RBI single off Rockford starting pitcher Gregg Krawczyk.
Wade Martin homered off Hrdlicka in the top of the fifth to make it 3-2.
Hrdlicka (1-0) worked the first six innings, allowing three runs on seven hits. He struck out eight and walked one.
Greg Sones pitched a scoreless seventh for St. Louis.
Ron Cox and closer Nick Strother did the same in the eighth and ninth.

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Rockford's Ernesto Ferreras led off the game with a home run, he also scored his team's second run and drove in its third and as the Lightning downed St. Louis 3-2 win in Game 5 of the National League championship series at Busch Stadium (2006).
Ferreras, who is now hitting .353 in the series after a 3-for-3 performance, turned on a 3-1 fastball from River Walkers starter Josh McDonald and plopped it into the right-field seat some 378 feet away for the game's first run.
In the top of the third, Ferreras doubled off McDonald with one out.
He then stole third and scored when Wade Martin hit into a fielder's choice.
St. Louis got onto the scoreboard in the bottom of the third off Lightning starter Melvin Chavez.
Abdul-Nasser bin Amr led off with a single and scored on a Bob Saavedra single.
But Rockford got that run back in the fourth, again helped y Ferreras.
Adrain Penucci doubled off McDonald with one out.
He scored when Ferreras connected on a two-out single.
The Walkers made it interesting in the ninth.
Manuel Coke singled with one out off Stephen Von Lehmden and scored when Nick Shaw followed with a triple.
But Pablo Ochoa struck out Marcos Francis and Mark Herman to end it.
Chavez (2-0) went 5.1 innings, allowing one run on three hits, to earn his second win of the series.
He struck out five and didn't issue a walk.
Josh Forgy finished the sixth for the Lightning.
Kurt Halter worked a scoreless seventh for Rockford.
Von Lehmden did the same in the eighth before running into trouble in the ninth.
The save was Ochoa's first of this postseason.

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MBL news: Oct. 16 - -ALCS Game 6 - Detroit 4, Akron 2; Detroit wins series 4-2

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MBL news: Oct. 16 -- American League championship series statistics

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Rockford spotted St. Louis a 4-0 lead, but by the bottom of the fourth inning the Lightning had the lead, and they went on to defeat the River Walkers 7-5 in Game 5 of the National League championship series at RFK Stadium (2005) and claim a berth in the World Series.
Rockford will host American League champion Detroit in Game 1 of the World Series on Oct. 19.
After being blanked over 5.2 innings by Lightning starting pitcher Bob Singer in Game 2, the Walkers had some early success against him in Game 6.
Bob Saavedra and Jackson Miller opened the game with back-to-back doubles to pave the way for a two-run first inning.
In the third, Manuel Coke hit his fourth home run of the series to make it 4-0.
St. Louis starter Xavier Wigfall didn't a base runner in the first two innings and retired first two batters in the third.
But everything seemed to change when pinch-hitter Joe Coffey smashed a 3-1 pitch 468 feet over the wall in right center for the Lightning's first hit and run of the game.
Ernesto Ferreras followed with a walk and Erik Stowe singled to put two runners on base.
Wade Martin drove them both in with a double, as the Lightning climbed to within 4-3 as the third inning drew to a close.
Rockford went right back to work in the fourth.
Javy Monjaraz led off with a single.
Adrian Penucci followed with a two-run homer to put the Lightning in front for good.
Rockford's lead grew to 6-4 in the bottom of the fifth as Martin hit a solo homer off reliever Ron Cox.
Ferraras drew a lead-off walk from the Walkers' Greg Sones in the seventh and scored on a David Blanton single, making it 7-4.
The Walkers sliced the deficit to 7-5 in the top of the eighth -- Mark Herman doubled off Pablo Ochoa and later scored -- but they would not get another base runner.
Singer lasted just three innings, allowing four runs on four hits.
Ryan Wimbush (1-0) pitched a scoreless fourth and earned the win.
Hien Tanh worked two innings of scoreless relief.
Kurt Hartler handled the seventh without allowing a run.
Ochoa allowed the one run in his two innings to earn his second save of the series.

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MBL news: Oct. 17 -- National League championship series statistics

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MBL news: Oct. 18 -- World Series - Detroit vs. Rockford head-to-head statistics
Postseason history
Detroit: Division titles 2024, 2026, 2035, 2036. WS titles: 2024, 2026, 2035, 2036.
Rockford: Division titles: 2033, 2036. NL titles: 2033, 2036.

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MBL news: Oct. 18 -- World Series preview - Detroit Diesels regular-season statistical package

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MBL news: Oct. 18 -- World Series preview - Rockford Lightning regular-season statistical package

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Rockford and Detroit split season series 2-2.
July 10 -- At Rockford
Detroit 5, Rockford 4, 10 innings
W - J. Harrison 1-0, 1.96. L - O. Gordon 2-6, 6.02. Sv - B. Webb 24, 2.08. HRs - Det. K. Allain 8, A. Richards 3. Roc : W. Martin 23, J. Petrucci 5.
July 11 -- At Rockford
Rockford 3, Detroit 1
W - S. Von Lehmden 6-3, 4.91. L - C. Hernandez 2-3, 12.19. HR - Roc: E. Ferreras 12.
July 12 -- At Rockford
Rockford 7, Detroit 1
W - A. Garcia 6-2, 3.69. L - J. Darling 3-7, 4.30. HR - Rock: J. Monjaraz 16, F. Tatis Jr. 11, D. Reyes 3.
July 14 -- At Rockford
Detroit 7, Rockford 6
W - D. Cloonan 2-3. 3.81. L - K. Halter 1-4, 3.73. Sv - B. Webb 25, 2.02.
HR - Det: J. Gorman 2 (4), K. Allain 9. Roc: E. Ferreras 13, D. Blanton 19.

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MBL news: Oct 19 -- World Series Game 1 - Detroit 3, Rockford 2, Detroit leads 1-0