Record-breaking night in win for Tornadoes
August 29, 2008 - Canadian American League (Can-Am)
Worcester Tornadoes News Release
Ottawa, Ontario -- Chris Colabello and Scott Grimes both set new Can-Am League records and Alex Trezza and Francisco Caraballo drove in three runs apiece as the Worcester Tornadoes won their team-record 51st game of the season, 8-5, over the Ottawa Rapidz on Friday night.
For the second straight night, the Tornadoes cracked the scoreboard in the 1st inning, as Scott Grimes, B.J. Weed and Chris Colabello began the game with consecutive singles off Ottawa righty Adam Hawes (4-13), with Colabello's base hit plating Grimes for a 1-0 Tornadoes lead. One out later, an Alex Trezza groundout to second scored Weed, making it 2-0. Worcester tacked on another run in the top of the 3rd, when Francisco Caraballo doubled home Weed, who had begun the frame with a two-bagger of his own.
Tornadoes righthander Shaun McNamara (3-10) pitched scoreless 1st and 2nd innings, but ran into trouble in the 3rd. Jared Lemieux singled to center with one out and moved to second base when Colabello was unable to handle a Jose De Los Santos bounding ball for an error. Jabe Bergeron then looped a soft single to right-center, loading the bases. Catcher Kyle Geiger followed with a groundball up the middle that Chuck Jeroloman couldn't make a play on, with Lemieux scoring on the error while the bases remained loaded. The next hitter, Jereme Milons, made the Tornadoes pay for the miscues by lacing a McNamara offering over the leftfield fence for a grand slam and a 5-3 Ottawa lead.
But the Tornadoes kept chipping away. Grimes led off the 5th with a double, stole third and came home on a Colabello RBI double. On that play, Grimes set a new Can-Am League record for Runs Scored in a single season (84, he would score his 85th run later in the game) while Colabello set a new league mark for Doubles in a season with his 33rd two-bagger of the year (he would later add Double #34). With the Tornadoes still trailing by one run with two outs in the top of the 7th, Colabello doubled to left-center (his 51st Extra-Base Hit of the season, tying the Can-Am League record set by Quebec's Eddie Lantigua in 2005) and took third on a wild pitch. Caraballo walked and Hawes was lifted in favor of lefthander Matthew Tosoni, brought in to deal with the lefthanded-hitting Trezza. But Trezza greeted Tosoni by ripping a pitch off the top of the rightfield wall, scoring both baserunners and giving Worcester a 6-5 lead. Caraballo hit a mammoth two-run home run off the top of the batters' eye in dead straightaway centerfield in the top of the 9th for a little insurance. It was his 8th home run in the last 11 games and league-leading 23rd longball of the season. McNamara ended up going 7 strong innings, allowing just two hits and no runs after the five-run 3rd.
McNamara (3-10) turned in his third straight start of 5+ innings pitched with 3 earned runs or less allowed to win for the first time since June 21 at Atlantic City. Hawes (4-13) took the loss. Eddie Pena inherited a two-on, none-out situation in the 9th and promptly recorded a double-play ball and a groundout to short to end the game and pick up his 9th save of the season. The victory was the Tornadoes' 51st win of the year, setting a new franchise record for wins in a single season. The Can-Am League Champion 2005 Tornadoes team won 50 games during the regular season. With the win, the Tornadoes are assured either a #2 or #3 seed in the playoffs and will meet either Sussex or Atlantic City in the first round, beginning Wednesday. The win also moved Worcester to 11 games over .500 (51-40) on the season, matching their high-water mark of '08. The Tornadoes will try to make it back-to-back wins over the Rapidz and three straight victories overall when they send righty Kyle Jackson to the mound on Saturday afternoon opposite Ottawa righthander Noel Baca. First pitch is set for 1:05pm.
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