The Bombers lost a tough 10-5 decision to the Detroit 60's in game one on Tuesday, but bounced back in the afternoon game for a 17-8 victory over New Orleans. That victory coupled with Detroit and the Snowbirds going 0-3, means that the Bombers have clinched a playoff birth. Now the Bombers will attempt to gain one of the two byes for the first round of the playoffs bye beating the Triad Jaguars on Wednesday and the Snowbirds on Thursday. The boys are banged up and tired, but so is the competition. I like our chances! I do not have the scorebook, so I will have to post later the details of games two and three.
Game Two: The Albany Bombers got off to a great start in game two by plating three runs in the first inning on a bases loaded two-out double by Ted Poleto. The Detroit Sixties plated a run in the top of the second and another run in the top of the fourth to close the gap to 3-2. The Bombers got a little breathing room in the bottom of the fourth, when Mike Girard led off with a double and was moved to third on a single by Ted Martin. Ted Poleto followed with the sacrafice fly to make the score 4-2. The Detroit team then got back to within one run by scoring a run in the top of the sixth inning. The Bombers again had an answer in the bottom of the inning. Ted Poleto doubled with two out and scored when Pete Geanellis followed with a RBI single. With the score at 5-3, going into the seventh inning, Pete Westphal came in to relieve starter Jimmy K. Pete ran into a little trouble, giving up 3 walks and 3 singles, and Detroit knotted the score at 5. It looked like the Bombers might again answer right back, when they loaded the bases, with two outs, on consecutive singles by Tom Maney, Tim Brown, and Ralph Caputo; but on came a reliever who got Mike Girard to ground out to second and the game went to the eighth inning with the score still tied at 5. Pete Westphal then suffered a back injury while warming up for the eighth and had to be removed. That seemed to un-nerve the Bombers and the inning was a disaster, as Detroit plated 5 runs on 4 singles, a walk, and two errors, and that was the ball game, as the Detroit reliever that came on to get out of the jam in the 7th, then retired 6 out of the 7 batters that came to the plate. Game over: Detroit 10 - Albany 5. Ralph Caputo had two hits and Ted Poleto was 3 for four, with 4 RBI's.
Game Three: Deflated by the outcome of the morning game, and the hot Florida sun, The Blue Bombers came out a little flat in the afternoon game and found themselves down to New Orleans 4-1 after two innings. Albany got back to 4-3 on a two-out 2 RBI double by Mike Girard, in the top of the 3rd inning. New Orleans got one back in the bottom of the 3rd, to make the score 5-3. That is when Tim Brown called the team over in front of the Albany dugout and tried to shake us out of this funk we were in. Basically he said that we were better players than New Orleans, but we needed to start playing like it, or we would embarrass the league we came from. Those words shook the team into action, and the Bombers put a six-spot on the board in the top of the 4th, to take a 9-5 lead. Tom Maney, Tim Brown, and Mike Girard all had RBI base hits in the rally. The New Orleans team answered with three runs in the bottom of the sixth, to close the gap to 9-8. Most of the damage was done with four walks. Jimmy K, again came on in relief and threw strikes to get Albany out of the inning with the lead. The Bombers took control of the game in the top of the 6th, when they scored 7 runs on hits by Ralph Caputo, Girard, Ted Martin, Matt Kelly, and Jon Martin. With the lead now at 16-5, and Jimmie K on the mound throwing strikes, Albany eased to the finish line a 17-7 winner. Tom Maney, Ralph Caputo, and Matt Kelly all had two hits each, and Mike Girard went 5 for 5, with 6 RBI's.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The New Orleans team answered with three runs in the bottom of the sixth, to close the gap to 9-8. Most of the damage was done with four walks. Jimmy K, again came on in relief and threw strikes to get Albany out of the inning with the lead. The Bombers took control of the game in the top of the 6th, when they scored 7 runs on hits by Ralph Caputo, Girard, Ted Martin, Matt Kelly, and Jon Martin. With the lead now at 16-5, and Jimmie K on the mound throwing strikes, Albany eased to the finish line a 17-7 winner. Tom Maney, Ralph Caputo, and Matt Kelly all had two hits each, and Mike Girard went 5 for 5, with 6 RBI's.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note, New Orleans closed to within 9-8 in the 6th. We won 17-8 and New Orleans didn't score the rest of the way. jimk
