Brassball NLCS Metropolis vs. Springfield - Game Six

The NLCS moved back to Metropolis for Game Six after the Avengers won two of three games in Springfield.  The Isotopes needed a win to force a deciding Game Seven and sent C.J. Wilson to the mound.  Metropolis countered with Game Two starter Alexi Ogando.

Cabrera watches as his ground ball single
scores two runs.

Nyjer Morgan got the game started right for the visitors, singling up the middle.  A throwing error by Avenger shortstop Jose Reyes's moved Morgan to third and put Todd Helton on second with no outs.  Ogando struck out Lance Berkman for the first out, but then walked Hunter Pence to load the bases and bring Melky Cabrera to the plate.  Ogando thought he got a double play ball to end the inning, but Cabrera's ground ball found a hole between Avenger first baseman Jesus Guzman and second baseman Robinson Cano and scored two runs.  Marco Scutaro followed with a sacrifice fly to score another run, putting the visitors up 3-0 before all the fans had even found their seats.

Matt Wieters thought he had a home run, but had
to settle for a sacrifice fly.

The Avenger hitters got right to work on the deficit, as Jose Bautista walked with one out in the bottom of the inning and Alex Gordon moved him to third with a base hit.  Cleanup hitter Andrew McCutchen doubled in the left field gap to plate Bautista and put the tying run in scoring position.  Wilson threw a hanging curveball that Matt Wieters crushed to deep left-center, the deepest part of the park.  Everyone in both dugouts thought it was a three-run homer and an Avenger lead, but Wieters had to settle for a fly ball deep enough to score a run and send McCutchen from second to third.  Cano walked to keep the rally going, but Metropolis right fielder Corey Hart hit a soft line drive to end the inning.

Ogando settled down after a rough first inning.

After that start, everyone expected Game Six to be a slugfest, but the pitchers quickly established control.  Wilson was great after the first inning, giving up few base runners and benefiting double plays in the fourth and fifth innings.  Similarly, Ogando was in complete control through the sixth inning, rarely allowing a hard hit ball and keeping the Avengers within a single run.

Alburqueque retired Hafner and stranded
three runners in the eighth

With the game still 3-2, Springfield called on Edward Mujica to replace Wilson in the bottom of the sixth inning.  Mujica kept the Avengers from gaining any traction and easily finished off the inning, but ran into trouble in the seventh.  He walked Jonny Gomes and Jose Reyes to start the inning, putting two on for the Avenger's biggest slugger - Bautista.  Mujica didn't get the chance to face Bautista, as the Isotopes brought in Troy Patton after he hurried to warm up in the bullpen.  Patton got Bautista to fly out and then struck out Alex Gordon, but lost Andrew McCutchen on four balls to load the bases with two outs.  Wieters was once again up in a clutch spot and Springfield called in Al Alburquerque to face the catcher.  Metropolis also went to their bench, calling back Wieters and sending Travis Hafner to pinch hit, knowing a base hit could put the team into the World Series.  Alburquerque got the better of Hafner and the slugger lifted an easy fly into right field to strand all three runners.

Alburquerque retired the first two Avengers in the eighth before giving way to Santiago Casilla.  Casilla finished the eighth and then started the ninth by retiring Reyes and Bautista to put Springfield within one run of tying the series at three.  Being cautious, the Isotopes made another move and brought in Bill Bray to face lefty Alex Gordon.  Metropolis countered with Jerry Sands, who had the platoon advantage and was the tying run.  Sands swung at the first pitch and hit an easy pop up, which Todd Helton put away for the final out to set up the winner-take-all Game Seven.

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BOXSCORE: 2012 Springfield Isotopes At 2012 Metropolis Avengers    10/27/2012

  Isotopes           AB  R  H RBI AVG     Avengers           AB  R  H RBI AVG

  N.Morgan CF         3  1  1  0 .273     J.Reyes SS          4  0  0  0 .278 

  T.Helton 1B         4  1  1  0 .217     J.Bautista 3B       3  1  0  0 .326 

  L.Berkman DH        4  0  1  0 .244     A.Gordon LF         3  1  1  0 .176 

  H.Pence RF          3  1  1  0 .245   H-J.Sands PH          1  0  0  0 .000 

  M.Cabrera LF        4  0  1  2 .295     A.McCutchen CF      3  0  1  1 .271 

  M.Scutaro SS        2  0  0  1 .234     M.Wieters C         2  0  0  1 .200 

  R.Zimmerman 3B      3  0  0  0 .383   D-T.Hafner PH         1  0  0  0 .200 

  J.Posada C          4  0  1  0 .333   E-I.Rodriguez C       0  0  0  0 .500 

G-J.Thole C           0  0  0  0 .429     R.Cano 2B           3  0  2  0 .160 

  J.Hairston Jr 2B    2  0  0  0 .161     C.Hart RF           3  0  0  0 .227 

A-R.Doumit PH         0  0  0  0 .385     J.Guzman 1B         3  0  0  0 .158 

B-M.Downs PH          1  0  0  0 .111     J.Gomes DH          1  0  0  0 .000 

C-M.Cairo 2B          1  0  0  0 .273   F-L.Duda PH,DH        1  0  0  0 .222 

                     -- -- -- ---                            -- -- -- ---     

         Totals      31  3  6  3                 Totals      28  2  4  2

A-Pinch Hit For Hairston Jr In 7th Inning

B-Pinch Hit For Doumit In 7th Inning

C-Subbed Defensively (2B) For Downs In 7th Inning

D-Pinch Hit For Wieters In 7th Inning

E-Subbed Defensively (C ) For Hafner In 8th Inning

F-Pinch Hit For Gomes In 8th Inning

G-Subbed Defensively (C ) For Posada In 9th Inning

H-Pinch Hit For Gordon In 9th Inning

Isotopes........ 3 0 0  0 0 0  0 0 0  -  3  6  0

Avengers........ 2 0 0  0 0 0  0 0 0  -  2  4  1

Isotopes (7-5)           IP       H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR    ERA  SCORESHEET

C.Wilson WIN(2-1)         5       3   2   2   6   4   0   2.63  A1 C4

E.Mujica HOLD(2nd)        1       1   0   0   2   1   0   2.20  C5 D1

T.Patton HOLD(2nd)        0 2/3   0   0   0   1   1   0   5.79  D2 D4

A.Alburquerq HOLD(3rd)    1       0   0   0   0   1   0   0.00  D5 D7

S.Casilla HOLD(2nd)       1       0   0   0   1   1   0   1.17  D8 E2

B.Bray SAVE(1st)          0 1/3   0   0   0   0   0   0   2.08  E3

Totals                    9       4   2   2  10   8   0

Avengers (7-6)           IP       H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR    ERA  SCORESHEET

A.Ogando LOSS(0-2)        6       4   3   1   2   4   0   3.07  A1 C6

S.Santos                  0       1   0   0   1   0   0   6.23  C7 C8

S.Strasburg               1       0   0   0   0   0   0   5.19  C9 D2

C.Kimbrel                 2       1   0   0   0   3   0   0.00  D3

Totals                    9       6   3   1   3   7   0

ATTENDANCE- 49,501 DATE- Saturday, October 27th 2012 TIME- Night WEATHER- Average

UMPIRES- Derryl Cousins, Angel Hernandez, Eric Cooper, Marty Foster

T- 2:38

LEFT ON BASE- Isotopes: 6  Avengers:10

DOUBLE PLAYS- Isotopes: 2  Avengers: 2

ERRORS- J.Reyes

DOUBLES- T.Helton(3rd), J.Posada(5th), A.McCutchen(1st)

SACRIFICE FLIES- M.Scutaro, M.Wieters

WALKS- H.Pence, M.Scutaro, R.Zimmerman, J.Reyes, J.Bautista-2, A.Gordon,

       A.McCutchen, R.Cano, C.Hart, J.Guzman, J.Gomes-2

HIT BY PITCH- N.Morgan

STRIKE OUTS- L.Berkman, H.Pence, M.Cabrera-2, M.Scutaro, J.Hairston Jr, M.Cairo,

             J.Bautista-2, A.Gordon, A.McCutchen, C.Hart-2, J.Guzman, J.Gomes

GIDP- R.Zimmerman, A.Gordon, J.Guzman