Thurs, 9/30 (Watervliet NY) - Under the threat of showers and darkness, the Pirates and Peppers averted both, in a neat 1 hour :20 minute tilt, with the Buccos coming out on top, surviving and advancing to their 5th game in the 62-Playoffs (3-1). The will now face the Arachnids (season series was 1-1), on Monday, at the A-Diamond and will look to avoid the Spider's web, and punch their ticket to the Finals!
The Pirates rode the left-wing of Bill Farrell as they have all playoff run long, who has a fashioned a (3-0) record and a log of (4-0) overall including the 55 Playoffs, spinning four complete games! With the season on the line again, the ball will be in his locker come Monday.
Farrell set the tone against the Peppers, setting down the first 7, and 10 of the first 12 batters faced. Farrell was never in trouble scattering 8 hits, with 1 walk, and 3 Ks, giving up a single run in the 7th. A Rick Knipper 5-5-3 DP in the 5th, and an over the shoulder grab by Paul Peters for the final out hi-lighted solid Pirates defense all night. Howard Becker was a wall with no passed balls!
The Swashbucklers scratched out two in bottom of the first with a Jim Jasiewicz single igniting the line-up, and adding two more in the bottom of the 2nd on a Ken Shaw single, Howard Becker Sac Bunt, and seeing eye bingle by Jimmie Dalton. One in more tacked on in the 3rd, before the bottom of Bucs order helped out again, with a Becker single, a perfect Sacrifice by Mike Hart and a Dalton single. Jazzy followed with a ribby knock and came around on a 2-run single by Jim Ansel, to extend the lead to 8-0. Farrell took the Pirates home from there, despite some Peppers traffic in the 5th and 6th, and plating their run in the 7th on the second of two Dan Durback hits.
Durback was solid in a complete game effort on the hill working around 10 hits, and just a single free pass, but was victimized by 4 errors, that all figured in the Pirates getting on top 5-0 after 3 innings.
IP H R ER BB K WP Durback (0-1) 6 10 8 3 1 0 1 Farrell (3-0) 7 8 1 1 1 3 0
Peppers: Durback 2-3,rbi; Frank Kerben and Ben Phillips 2-2 Pirates: Jasiewicz 3-4, rbi, 2 r; Dalton 2-2, rbi, Ansel 1-3, 2 rbi
JD, as always, it takes time but you have put together a solid team that no one can take lightly. Solid lineup, pitching and defense throughout. Good luck the rest of the way. Nice job!
