Bowman's The Man & Randy's Dandy!

Wednesday, May 12 2010 @ 02:22 AM EDT

The Jays affiliates managed a winning night by going 2-1 that included a shootout, an extra innings win and a game postponed due to the G20 Summit.  I'm not buying one word of this "postponed due to rain BS". However, the best news of the night came from the mound in Dunedin.

Iowa 15 Las Vegas 10

Las Vegas, NV - I stayed up late for this?  It was arena league baseball at Cashman Field.  The I-Cubs booted a first-inning field goal but the 51's rallied for single runs in the first two innings and nailed a trey in the fourth for a 5-3 lead.  However, the I-Cubs responded with 12 runs over innings five through seven.  The 51's could only manage five runs in that span.  With a football-like score, it was only fitting that former Notre Dame wide receiver Jeff Samardzija got the victory with 1 2/3 innings of shutout ball.

Batting - Every 51's batter had at least one safety.  Brett Wallace lifted the heavy lumber with four hits and four RBI, Brian Dopirak had three hits and Luis Figueroa had a hit and two walks.  Jarrett Hoffpauir, Jeremy Reed and Chris Lubanski each had a pair of hits.   Unfortunately, Jarrett was not the best Hoffpauir despite a pair of RBI.  His brother Micah had a homer, a double, five RBI and three runs scored for the I-Cubs.  Reed was one runner short of leaving a G8 summit on the basepaths.

Running - Luis Figueroa was thrown out trying to pilfer second.

Pitching - Rei Gonzalez did not have one of his best outings but he was in position for the "W' after five innings.  He allowed six hits, including a homer, and a pair of walks while striking out four.  Lefty Jesse Carlson's bid for a return to Baseball North hit a major pothole as he was torched for seven runs in two-thirds of an inning.  He gave up seven hits and struck out one to take the loss but at least he didn't walk anybody.  I guess that's like getting totally drunk out of your skull and puking your guts out but at least you came home wearing your own pants!  Merkin Valdez also won't be making travel plans to Toronto anytime soon.  He was burned for four runs (three earned) over 1 1/3 innings as he yielded five hits and a walk.  Maybe that's like getting hammered and finding this on your backside the next day.  Lefty Zach Jackson was easily the best man on the mound for the 51's with two perfect innings and struck out half of the six batters he faced.  Of his 25 pitches, 18 were strikes.

Defence - Like the Cleveland Cavaliers, it was non-existent!  Wallace and Jesus Merchan each threw one away and Hoffpauir booted one but only one of the 15 runs the 51's surrendered was unearned.  The defence did turn one double play.

New Hampshire 3 Reading 2 (12 Innings)

Reading, PA - The R-Phillies opened the scoring with one in the first but New Hampshire responded with singles in the fourth and fifth.  Reading battled back with a run in the seventh to tie the game at 2-2.  It remained tied until the twelfth when the F-Cats scored the winning run.

Batting - Shawn Bowman was the overtime hero with a solo blast in the top of the twelfth.  The New Westminster, B.C. native added a hit and a walk to his first long ball of the year.  Adam Calderone had two doubles off the wall and a run batted in while Darin Mastroianni had two hits and a ribbie.  The F-Cats were just 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position and left six men on base but winning covers a multitude of sins.  Adam Loewen, Brad Emaus and David Cooper were a combined 0-for-14 with a walk from Cooper.

Running - Mastroianni was picked off at second base in the fifth.

Pitching - Randy Boone gave up a solo homer to almost-Jay Domonic Brown in the first inning but he rendered Reading illiterate (get it?) over the next five frames.  He allowed one run on three hits and a walk while striking out five and getting nine groundball outs.  He retired 14 of the last 15 hitters he faced.  Unfortunately, Boone saw his "W" go out the window when lefty Tim Collins served up a solo shot to Brian Stavisky to lead off the seventh.  Collins would bounce back by striking out the side.  Danny "Lord" Farquhar delivered two shutout innings in spite of two walks and a hit batter and Adrian Martin earned the win with three scoreless frames by working around a hit and three walks.  Farquhar and Martin each struck out a pair of hitters.

Defence - Jonathan Jaspe was victimized on a double steal behind the plate but he did peg one runner to finish 1-for-3 in that department.

Dunedin 7 Palm Beach 0

Palm Beach, FL - Single runs in the second, third and fourth inning got the D-Jays rolling and a four-run seventh put the game away against the Cardinals affiliates.

Batting - The 7-8-9 hitters provided most of the punch in this one.  Yan Gomes had a three-hit night and an RBI, Jon Talley had two hits and an RBI and Welinton Ramirez had two hits and two runs knocked in.  Kevin Ahrens and Michael McDade each got aboard twice with a hit and a walk and they scored twice.  Ahrens hit a double while McDade had an RBI.

Running - Ramirez was thrown out at second trying to stretch a single into a double.

Pitching - It was a man against boys, taking candy from a baby, almost like a rehabbing big leaguer schooling some minor league punks.  Some righty named Jesse Litsch fired seven shutout innings with only four hits and two walks allowed.  He also added five strikeouts and a dozen groundball outs.  Stuff like that could lead to a promotion.   If he wants to spend the rest of his career in Dunedin, he simply can't continue to pitch like that.  Anyways, keener lefty Boomer Potts pitched a clean eighth and Matt Daly had a shutout ninth in spite of three walks.  Extensive studies have shown that when the other team scores no runs, your chances of winning are better than average.

Defence - The D-Jays turned one double play.  The Cards did manage a stolen base against the Litsch-Gomes battery.

West Michigan @ Lansing - Postponed due to rain.

The game will be made up as part of a doubleheader May 25th.

*** 3 Stars!!! ***

3.  Shawn Bowman, New Hampshire

2.  Randy Boone, New Hampshire

1.  Jesse Litsch, Dunedin

Very honourable mention to Brett Wallace!!

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