Colts shock Aces in ninth, stay alive in playoffs
Published on August 19, 2008 under United League Baseball (ULB)
San Angelo Colts News Release
SAN ANGELO, Texas - Foster Field was quiet, a crowd of 2,424 waiting for a chance to explode, but the hometown San Angelo Colts trailed the Alexandria Aces 5-1 in the bottom of the seventh inning, just eight outs away from playoff elimination. But just as Bryan Sabatella sparked an Aces rally in Game 1 with a bunt single, Bryan Frichter started the Colts' comeback with a beautiful bunt down the third-base line. A hit, an error, and a sac fly later, it was 5-3 and the crowd was into it.
The Colts got one in the eighth but a pumped-up Juan Carlos Ovalles stranded two baserunners to keep it 5-4. Ovalles was not as pumped up after the ninth, though. The Aces self-destructed in the frame, with a leadoff walk, two errors on one play, a botched fielder's choice, an infield hit, and a game-ending hit-by-pitch issued on the first delivery to Aaron Cone, giving the Colts a dramatic 6-5 win.
San Angelo evened the best-of-three first-round series with Alexandria at 1-1, and kept its season alive for at least another night. But it did not look so good early. Lefty Logan Williamson, who led the United League with 12 regular-season wins, gave up two runs in the second and three in the fifth, after the Colts closed to within 2-1 in the fourth. But Williamson, who threw more than 100 pitches in 5 1/3 innings, got out of jams in the third and fourth to keep the Colts in the game.
Wayne Hedden, a starter-turned-closer-turned-starter for Alexandria, was cruising through four innings, allowing an unearned run on just two hits. But after a leadoff walk in the fifth to Frichter and two more balls to Wyn Diggs, Hedden left with what appeared to be an arm injury. Alejandro Martinez came in and completed the walk to Diggs, which was charged to the starter Hedden, but then he retired the next seven hitters.
Martinez started the bottom of the seventh by getting Jason Landreth to pop out, but then Frichter's bunt began the comeback. After Diggs singled, pinch-hitter Albert Gonzalez hit a routine grounder to first. But instead of getting a sure out, Jose Umbria turned and threw to second, hitting Diggs with the throw, and allowing Frichter to score, Diggs to get to third, and Gonzalez to reach safely. Tyrone Pendergrass then hit a sacrifice fly to left to bring home Diggs and make it 5-3.
Alexandria was held at bay by the sidearming righty David Wasylak, acquired from Laredo on Sunday after Robert Romero was sold to the Red Sox. Wasylak pitched 2 2/3 innings of shutout relief, allowing just one single after coming on for Williamson.
In the bottom of the eighth, the Aces brought in their submarining righty, B.J. Litchfield, with two righties up, but Litchfield did not retire either of them. Jose Torres doubled to right, and Andres Rodriguez walked. Litchfield was still on to face lefty-hitting Aaron Cone, and the rookie third baseman singled to left to score Torres and bring the Colts to within a run at 5-4. Aces manager Ricky VanAsselberg then summoned his closer, Ovalles (0-1), and he got Jason Landreth to fly out, Frichter to strike out, and Diggs to ground out. Ovalles left the mound fired up, three outs away from a trip to the championship series.
Alex Merricks (1-0) kept it a one-run game with a scoreless ninth, getting two strikeouts and a comebacker after a leadoff single by Selwyn Langaigne.
That set the stage for the dramatic bottom of the ninth. Gonzalez battled back from an 0-2 count, and took two very close pitches on the way to a leadoff walk. Pendergrass tried to bunt him over, but Ovalles threw the ball away to first, moving Gonzalez to third and Pendergrass to second as the ball trickled down the right-field line. But Pendergrass strayed too far off the bag at second and Langaigne tried to throw behind him for an out. But Langaigne's throw was high, and the second error of the play brought Gonzalez home with the tying run. The next play was not scored an error, but was a mental one by Ovalles. John Anderson hit a comebacker, and again Pendergrass strayed off second, but not as far this time. Ovalles eschewed the sure out, threw late to second with Pendergrass sliding back safely, and the relay to first was not in time to get Anderson.
Torres followed with a grounder in the hole that shortstop Rafael Ozuna tracked down and turned into a 6-5 force out to eliminate Pendergrass at third. But Andres Rodriguez's grounder to nearly the same spot turned into an infield single, loading the bases for Cone. He did not have to wait long nor do much to end the game, as Ovalles's first-pitch fastball drilled him in the right knee to keep the Colts' season alive.
Notes: The Colts sent 41 men to the plate, and only hit nine balls to the outfield, with six outfield hits, three flyouts (including the sac fly), eight strikeouts, four pop-outs and eight groundouts, seven walks, the hit-by-pitch, and the three grounders that the Aces bungled...Righty Chris Weast goes for the Colts in Game 3, with lefty Alexis Sosa the likely starter for Alexandria...Cone finished with three RBIs, on a groundout, single, and the hit-by-pitch...The Aces out-hit the Colts 13-7. The Aces have now out-hit the Colts 30-15 in the series.
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The Colts and Aces finish their first-round showdown at 7:05 p.m. CT on Wednesday, August 20. The winner advances to the 2008 United League Championship Series. Advertising, ticket, and group information are available by calling the box office at (325) 942-6587. All Colts games are broadcast live on "Cool 100" - KCLL 100.1 FM and online at the Colts' official website, www.sanangelocolts.com, which is updated daily with the latest team news
United League Baseball Stories from August 19, 2008
- Colts shock Aces in ninth, stay alive in playoffs - San Angelo Colts
- Aces drop close game - Alexandria Aces
- Coyotes Drop Game One - Edinburg Roadrunners
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