Tues. 8/13, New Scotland, NY - The 55-Pirates hosted the 55-Twins, in their 3rd meeting of the season. Pirates edged Twins 7-6, in Game 1, while Twins punished the Bucs 14-0 in the last meeting. These teams usually match up in competitive contests, and Tuesday was more of the same. There were some flashes of leather, some miscues, some clutch hitting and gutsy pitching by both team's hurlers.
Twins and Pirates got scoring going early, with Steph Koutsakis reaching on an E-4, followed by a Jeff Whitehead 2-Bagger, and being plated on a Gary Webber rbi ground out. Buccos answered back with two of their own on Jim Jasiewicz and Dom Carnibucci knocks, driven home by Jose Moreno, and Gerry Foti singletons to go up 2-1.
Twins pushed ahead, as Bucs gift-wrapped 2-runs with 2 errors, and an EJ Seney rbi ground out. Eric Sundwall got the party started with a base hit, but looked to be stranded, until Carnibucci clutched up a double to knot things at 3 all. Starters Webber (Twins) and Eric Westfall (Pirates) started to take command, and were matching each other limiting traffic, with Webber working around a couple of hits, and Westfall retiring 6 in a row. Pirates played small ball in the 4th, with Sundwall's 2nd hit, and perfectly executed sac bunt by Kenny Shaw. A costly error, allowed Sundwall to scamper home with the lead tally, 4-3. Westfall went back to work in the 5th, and walked Terry McCarthy to open the frame (it always starts with a walk...), and came around on an error to get things square at 4-4. In the Pirates half, Webber, featuring a great Uncle Charlie, was really getting into a groove and proved to be a tough customer. With 1-0ut, Greg Allen singled, and the Bucs utilized force plays to wheel him around, to make it 5-4, Swashbucklers. Westfall continued to dazzle with an effective mix, stranding Webber after his 1-0ut double. Webber came back out for the 6th and was in shutdown mode, hanging zeroes in the 6th, and working out of a bases loaded jam in the 7th! Greg Briscoe reached on an error and promptly swiped 2nd. He would tie the score on McCarthy's clutch triple to right! Westfall avoided further damage when Dane Dostie made an acrobatic grab of a foul pop-up at the 3B bag, and managed to reach back to turn it into a double play!
Extra buckets of beer ensued for the paid attendance of 7, as the game featured free baseball, with the start of the 8th inning. Westfall back to the hill, notched a K, but then a walk to Koutsakis, who nabbed 2nd on a steal and scored on an E-1, to make it Twins 6-Pirates 5, before retiring the last two Fraternals!
With daylight headed into the gloaming, Pirates last chance was going to be in the last of the 8th. Did the Buccos have a rally in their Cross Bones and Skull? Sundwall was in the mix again, drawing a lead-off free pass. Shaw followed with a right center gapper, and were set up with 2nd & 3rd, -0- outs. Dennis Newell got the tying tally in with an infield single and ribby. Jasiewicz then reach on a Fielder's Choice, forcing Newell, and Shaw had to hold at 3rd. Webber bearing down got a big strikeout, and the Twins elected to give Paul Peters the Aaron Judge treatment with an IBB to load them up, with Pirates down to their last out! It looked like ball game over when Allen hit a pop-up to the middle of the diamond, but it glanced off the fielder's glove, and Buccos avoided walking the plank, instead, walking it off for a 7-6 victory! Next Meeting (8/27) should be another good one - get tickets now!
