Canaries Win American Association Championship
Published on September 6, 2008 under American Association (AA)
Sioux Falls Canaries News Release
Sioux Falls, SD - Patrick Reilly singled through the right side with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 12th inning to lift the Sioux Falls Canaries to a 5-4 win over the Grand Prairie AirHogs on Friday night in Sioux Falls. The victory sealed the American Association League Championship, with the Canaries winning the Best-of-Five Series three games to one.
The Canaries scored in their first turn at the plate. In the bottom of the first inning, Will Smith hit a two-out home run. Smith's first home run of the playoffs gave the Canaries a 1-0 lead after one inning.
Grand Prairie quickly tied the game. Billy Munoz, the first batter in the top of the second inning homered to left field to tie the game, 1-1. Later in the inning, Brandon Carter blasted a ball to deep right-field, and nearly gave the AirHogs the lead. Canaries Right Fielder Ben Van Iderstine leapt at the wall and robbed the potential Carter home run to keep the game tied, 1-1.
The Birds jumped right back in front in the bottom of the second inning. Josh Patton homered to right field to put the Canaries back in front, 2-1.
The Canaries added another run in the third inning. Tim Hutting reached on a single. J.D. Reininger followed with a bunt to the right side. AirHogs pitcher Jose Cordero tried to get Hutting at second base, but his late throw sailed into centerfield. The pitcher's error allowed Hutting to advance to third base. With runners on the corners and two outs, Beau Torbert singled to score Hutting and give the Canaries a 3-1 lead.
The Birds extended their lead to three in the bottom of the seventh. With two outs, Hutting tripled and scored on a single by Reininger. After seven innings, the Canaries led by a score of 3-1.
Grand Prairie mounted their comeback in the eighth. David Espinosa started the inning with a walk. Derek Nicholson followed with a homer to put the AirHogs within one run, 4-3. J.B. Tucker followed with his third home run of the post-season, and evened the score at 4-4.
The game remained tied until the bottom of the 12th inning. Beau Torbert led off with a single, Josh Patton followed with a walk, and Ben Van Iderstine reached on a bunt single. With a Canary perched on every bag, Patrick Reilly snuck a ground ball through the right side to deliver the Championship Clinching run.
American Association Stories from September 6, 2008
- American Association Playoff Recap - AA
- Canaries Win American Association Championship - Sioux Falls Canaries
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
