Dramatic Comeback Sends Captains to Championship Series

Published on September 5, 2010 under American Association (AA)
Shreveport-Bossier Captains News Release


SHREVEPORT, La. - All season long the Shreveport-Bossier Captains have found ways to get dramatic victories at Fair Grounds Field. On Sunday night, with their season down to five outs, the Captains got one more. Down 6-3 heading to the bottom of the eighth inning, Shreveport-Bossier rallied for three runs to tie it, and then clinched the best-of-five South Division Championship Series three games to two with a sacrifice fly from veteran Jorge Alvarez in the bottom of the ninth, beating the Pensacola Pelicans 7-6 in the decisive Game 5 to set off the pennant-winning celebration.

Jovanny Rosario, whose three-run home run off Jared Gothreaux in the second inning gave the Captains an early 3-2 lead, tied the game with a one-out single against Ron Hill in the eighth, after hits by Palmer Karr, Andres Rodriguez and Brian Peterson had cut the deficit to one.

Karr lined a one-out single in the ninth off Pelicans closer Seth Overbey (0-1) to set the stage for the winning rally. After he was pinch-run for by Mike Provencher, Andres Rodriguez lined one off Overbey's glove towards right field. Provencher hesitated and then decided to go to third, and just beat Dallas Christison's throw to the bag, with Rodriguez taking second on the play. That brought up the 42-year-old Alvarez, who took a pitch high and then hit a high fly to right-center. He raised his hands in triumph as Chase Porch caught the ball going back but stumbled down and could never make a throw, as Provencher tagged and scored the series-winning run.

The Captains then poured out of the dugout to mob first Provencher and then Alvarez at second base, after they earned the organization's first championship series berth since 2004, and their first in the American Association.

For the third day in a row, it was the Pelicans scoring in the first inning to take the lead, getting a two-run, two-out double by John Alonso against Richard Salazar after Robert Perry threw Francisco Leandro out at the plate on Lou Palmisano's single.

But that was all Salazar allowed in 5 1/3 innings, despite a season-high six walks. Rosario's homer in the second was the difference as Dan Griffin came in and got a first-pitch double play from Carlos Leon to end the sixth with runners at the corners and one out. However, Javier Brito had another big hit in the seventh, tying the game with a single up the middle against Griffin.

With the Captains offense stalling against Gothreaux in the third and fourth, and then relievers Lee Henry (fifth and sixth) and Jason Franzblau (seventh), Shreveport-Bossier turned to Jameson Maj in the eighth inning. The righty, who pitched in all five games of the series allowed an 0-2, two-out hit for the second day in a row, this time with Adolfo Gonzalez hitting a wall-scraping, bases-clearing, three-run double to give the Pelicans that 6-3 lead.

But after the Captains rallied in the eighth, their closer Hector Carrasco (1-0) went through the Pensacola 3-4-5 hitters in just seven pitches, while the Shreveport-Bossier 3-4-5 and eventually 6 hitters came through to win the series.

Notes: Eight of the nine Captains had at least one hit.Shreveport-Bossier had not been swept at home all season long and only lost three in a row at home once, back in May.The home team won for the first time in the series.The team that won each game hit the only homer of each contest.Rosario hit two home runs during the regular season.Carrasco was the only pitcher who appeared in multiple games of the series and did not allow a run.

The Shreveport-Bossier Captains will host the first two games of the 2010 American Association Championship Series against the North Division Champion Sioux Falls Fighting Pheasants, starting on Tuesday night, September 7, at 7:05 p.m. Tickets are on sale now at Fair Grounds Field. All games are broadcast streaming live on ustream.tv. For information on tickets, promotions, advertising, and other opportunities with the Captains, check out the team's Web site at www.sbcaptains.com, or call the Fair Grounds Field office at (318) 636-5555.

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