| Game Summary | |||
| Result | Naturals 6 at Express 7 | ||
| (Extra Innings) | Team Pages | ||
| Scheduled | Naturals |
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| Location | Express |
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| ReScheduled | 4/28/2015 5:30p | ||
| ReSched Location | Back Caldecott | ||
| Game Type | Normal | ||
| Official(s) |
Plate Umpire: Rudy Broome Base Ump 1: Matt Carrere |
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| Game Summary | orig ump: RZaid | ||
| Team Summaries | Express Notes: Two days after leaving the winning run on second base in the bottom of the sixth against the Owlz and settling for a tie, the Express were looking for more on Tuesday night against the visiting Naturals. With the sun setting on Back Caldecott field and its sweeping view of the bay and the Golden Gate Bridge, the stage could not have been set any better for the dramatic win that eluded the Express on Sunday: Two outs; bottom of the seventh inning; tie game; bases loaded. This time, the Express came through, as Alex N. lofted a soft single that arced just past the reach of the Naturals second baseman before falling in shallow right field, sending Sam W-S scampering home from third and sending the Express home 7-6 winners. 'What a game,' said Coach Brook after the game. 'Hard fought and well played all the way through by both teams; it seems like both teams should get a win for that one.' Aidan D. had an impressive start for the Diesels. In the top of the first, he worked out of a bases loaded, nobody out jam, giving up just one run on a steal of home, getting back-to-back strike outs before retiring the last batter on a ground out to Cole E at third. In the second, Aidan was unhittable, striking out the side on 13 pitches. In the bottom of the second, the Express took the lead on singles by Cole, Kiran K, and Liam D. The Naturals bounced back in the third, tagging the Express with five runs on a combination of well-hit balls (by Bret K and Nathaniel I) and infield hits that the Express could not handle cleanly. Down 6-2 heading into the bottom of the third, the Express began another of their trademark comebacks. Two-out walks to Aidan and Alex and a catcher's interference call loaded the bases for Cole, who delivered with a two-run single for his fifth hit in a row going back to the second inning of Sunday's game. Cole delivered again in the fifth, tying the game at 6-6 with an RBI single for his sixth hit in a row. On the day, Cole was 3 for 3 with 3 RBI. While the Express offense chipped away at the Naturals' lead, the team's pitching and defense held fast, shutting out the Naturals over the last four innings of the game. In the fourth, Ari F. worked around a two-out walk and a double by Bret K to retire Nathaniel I on a ground ball to second. In the fifth, Cole pitched his first inning in more than a month and showed no signs of rust, striking out three and allowing just a walk. In the top of the sixth, it was Sam's turn to take the hill, where he turned in another efficient inning, retiring the side in order on 12 pithces. He was aided by a nice defensive play by C Ari who fielded a bunt directly in front of the plate and fired to Liam at first for the out. In the bottom of the frame, the Naturals' Patrick D matched Sam's performance, retiring the Express in order on a pop up, strike out, and a comebacker to the mound. With the game tied and time still showing on the game clock -- and, more importantly, sunlight left to play by -- the two teams headed to an extra frame. In the top of the seventh, Sam went back out to the mound and retired the first two Naturals on three pitches, aided by a nice catch at third by Tyler J and a heads-up play at second by Jonah L, who bobbled a hard-hit ground ball but recovered in time to get the out at first. The next two Naturals reached base, leaving the visitors with runners at second and third with two outs. Sam ensured that the game would remain tied going to the bottom of the seventh, however, ending the inning with a three-pitch strike out and setting the stage for Alex N.'s dramatic walk-off single. 'I was very happy with how everyone played tonight - there could have been twelve game balls,' said Coach Brook after the game. 'I was particularly pleased with our pitching - we had 11 strike outs against just 3 walks over seven innings. I was also pleased with how our guys bounced back after falling behind 6-2 - its been a hallmark of our team all year. Now, though, we're on to practice on Friday and our re-match with the Owlz on Saturday.' Naturals Notes: |
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| Pitcher Stats | ||||
| Express Pitchers | PPI | GP | IP | PC |
| 17.50 | 1 | 2.00 | 35 | |
| 19.00 | 1 | 1.00 | 19 | |
| 26.00 | 1 | 1.00 | 26 | |
| 30.00 | 1 | 1.00 | 30 | |
| 11.00 | 1 | 2.00 | 22 | |
| Naturals Pitchers | PPI | GP | IP | PC |
| 39.39 | 1 | 0.66 | 26 | |
| 15.00 | 1 | 3.00 | 45 | |
| 18.33 | 1 | 3.00 | 55 | |
