The 55+ championship series got underway Wednesday, at the A-Diamond, in Schenectady.
The Yankees got on the scoreboard first , in the bottom of the 3rd. Tim Brown, got things going with a single to right center, and a stolen base. John Weber followed with a single, moving Brown to third, with still one out. Steve Van Gelder got a third straight single for the Yankees, scoring Brown, and moving Weber to second. Just when it looked like it would be a big inning for the Yankees, leadoff man Paul Post hit a line drive right at second baseman Dave Shillinger. Schillinger snagged the line drive and double Weber off second, to put the fire out. Yankees lead would remain at 1-0.
Things would continue to go downhill for the Yankees from there. The Cubs came up in the top of the fourth down 1-0, but left the frame with a 10-1 lead. With one out, Ron Massaroni singled and stole second. Mike Girard followed with a RBI single up the middle, and the game was tied at 1. Girard stole second, and after Dave Mitchell walked, both runners worked a double steal putting runners on second and third with one out. Jerry Rosen singled and the Cubs had the lead. Andy Hoyle, would add a RBI single to make it 3-1. The Cubs would get walks from Alex Marin and Jim Bonaparte, and the Cubs were up 4-1, with the bases loaded. After a strike out provided the second out for Weber, George Schillinger came through with a clutch 2-RBI single to push the score to 6-1. Paul Miles followed with a RBI single. Ron Massaroni was next with a RBI double. Girard followed with his second RBI single of the inning, and Dave Mitchell ended the scoring with a RBI single of his own, making the score 10-1. This inning was where the game was decided.
Mike Girard settled in on the mound, with a comfortable lead, allowing only a one out single to Jack Griffin, in the 4th, and a two out single to Paul Cerone, in the 6th. Girard would end his night after the 6th, allowing just 5 singles and no walks, while striking out 3. Jim Bonaparte came on to pitch a scoreless 7th, to finish the game.
The Cubs 17 hit attack was led by Ron Massaroni, Jerry Rosen and Andy Hoyle, who all had 3 hits each. Andy Hoyle had a booming triple and double, to the fence mixed in with his 3 hits. Paul Miles and Mike Girard added two hits each.
The post game celebration was a little muted as we were all thinking of Darrell Duncan and his family, as Darrell was unable to play due to a family emergency. All of our thoughts and prayers are with Darrell, Karen, and the entire Duncan family this morning! We all love the Duncans, and hate to see them going through these tough times! May the peace and love of the Lord be with the family.
Game two is today, at the A-Diamond, at 4:15 pm. The Yankees will look to even the score, and the Cubs will be looking to lock up their second title in a row. It is likely to be a much closer game.
-- Edited by mgirard11 on Thursday 15th of October 2020 07:30:56 AM
What did the Yankees and Atlanta Braves have in common last night? Let's just say both teams never want to experience an inning like that again in their career. Kudos to the Cubs, who played well in all facets of the game. The Yankees believe in each other and look to rebound tonight.
