As expected, the Yankees started Craig Miller who had 1 day of rest after winning a complete game victory against the Cardinals on Tuesday. Stefan Koutsakis opened the game flying out to fairly deep left and Kenny Wellington followed with a clean line drive single to right raising Arachnids spirits in this win or go home and stay home game. Miller promptly picked off Wellington at first to throw a wet blanket on on the Spiders hopes. Septuagenarian Wayne Nicholsen, the battle hardened veteran of numerous challenging campaigns embraced the call to take the hill for the Arachnids and proceeded to set the home team down in order in the bottom of the first. Top of 2nd Nicholsen singles, Joey Parker walks, Jim Wing sac bunts the runners to 2nd and 3rd, Mike Ruslander is hit in the back, Nicholsen scores on a passed ball, Tom King singles scoring Parker and the inning ends on a double play. 2-0 Arachnids. Bottom of 2nd Pete Geanellis, a throughly dangerous man with the bat leads with a double to left center. Ron Smaka reaches on an infield error, Tim Brown singles plating Geannelis. The inning ends on 3 infield ground outs but not before Smaka scores on one of them. Game tied 2-2 after 2. Koutsakis opens the third with a single, steals 2nd and is driven home when Darrell singles. 3-2 Spiders. Down by 1 entering the bottom of the 5th Poleto singles with one out, steals 2nd, advances to 3rd on a passed ball and scores via a McQuade single. Tie ballgame again at 3. Arachnids go down 1-2-3 in the top of the 6th. It got real interesting in the bottom of the inning. Nicholsen digs deep and leadoff hitter Nardacci goes down swinging for 1 huge out. Kevin Carpenter singles and steals 2nd. Holmes singles putting runners at 1st and 3rd with just 1 out. Up strides cleanup hitter Geannelis who already has 2 exclamation mark hits. The decision was made to issue a free pass to Geannelis. Bases now loaded and here comes the talented Smaka. Grounder to Nicholsen on the mound who, in a split second of senior confusion almost goes to first with the ball, but snaps out of it, fires to catcher Duncan at home for the second out and Duncan makes a control throw to first to end the inning. Top of the 7th John Weber on in relief for the Yankees. King flies to center, Edelman walks, Scorsone Ks, Koutsakis singles putting the go ahead run in scoring position. Weber gets Wellington 4-3 to end the threat. Farmer strong Nicholsen, who seems to be feeding on the challenge doubles down gets the Yanks 1-2-3 in the bottom of the inning. EXTRAS ! Duncan walks. Nicholsen walks. Parker is walked intentionally to load the bases with no outs. Wing lays it down but too close to the pitcher and Duncan is out at home. Bases still loaded with 1 out now. Mike Ruslander hits a grounder to the right side, only play is to first and Nicholsen scores the go ahead run. King is intentionally walked to load the bases with 2 outs. Edelman hits an 0-1 pitch hard and deep in the hole between 3rd and short but the Yankees short stop, who was playing on the outfield grass, made a terrific back handed grab and threw to 3rd forcing Parker to keep the game very tight. Bottom of the eighth, 4-3 Arachnids. Spiders third baseman Don Wixon makes another outstanding play on a hammered grounder to throw out Steve VanGelder for out #1. Nicholsen walks Hervieux on 8 pitches. Hervieux swipes 2nd. McQuade hits an infield grounder and the Spiders tag Hervieux out in a rundown as he attempts to advance to 3rd. McQuade winds up at 2nd, the tying run in scoring position with 2 outs. Nicholsen gets in front of Ferguson 0-1 and fields a come backer to end the game on a 1-3 out. Arachnids victorious 4-3 forcing a 3rd and final game at A Diamond, Tuesday, September 5th. 5 PM start. Nicholsen expends 109 pitches over 8 innings picking up the win. Yankees pitchers delivered 145 pitches. 7 hits for the Arachnids and 8 for the Yankees. 3 Yanks walked, 1 intentionally while 8 Spiders walked, 2 intentionally. Time of game 2 hours and 23 minutes. Perfect weather.
-- Edited by crowbait on Friday 1st of September 2023 10:02:50 AM
-- Edited by crowbait on Friday 1st of September 2023 10:53:06 AM
-- Edited by crowbait on Friday 1st of September 2023 11:04:37 AM
