REBELS SWEEP ATHLETICS WITH A WALKOFF

The rivalary with the Bardo Athletics swung back into the Rebels favour tonight with a 2-1 walk off win in Ryley to sweep the seasons series 2-0 in 2014. It took a strong pitching performance by P Corey Epp, who ended up with the no decision, and a bases loaded single in the bottom of the seventh by Rebels rookie 3B Shawn Pilgaard to move the Rebels to a 3-1 record and a tie for first place.

Win - Craig Koughan (1-0)

Loss - Ryan Olson

P Corey Epp would pitch extremely well but pick up the no decision for the Rebels

Fans were treated to a pitching duel on this night as veterans Corey Epp and Ryan Olson traded scoreless frames until the fifth inning. But it wasn't with chances by the offences. With one out and runners on first and second in the third inning, Rebels LF Jimmy Robertson would make a diving catch on a line drive off the bat of Athletics 3B Ken Braget. Ranging to his right Robertson would fully extended to take away a sure double and pair of RBIs and for his trouble the Rebels left fielder would land on a patch of rock hard dried up clay to knock the wind out of him. The defensive play was huge and kept the game at 0-0. 

The Rebels also had there chances as twice, one in the first inning and once in the third inning, SS Brian Tavaroli and C Chad Nelson would reach safely with one out but were unable to cross the plate as Olson would settle down and end the threats. Olson would be the first to break though as the Rebels offence finally got to him in the fifth inning. After hitting SS Brian Tavaroli for the second time in the game with a pitch, Olson would quickly retire Nelson and RF Kevin Reinholt to force 1B Craig Koughan to hit with two outs for the third time in the game. Koughan might have been bested twice to end an inning, however he would finally clutch up and extend an inning which would prove huge for the Rebels. Koughan would drive a ball into left field sending Tavaroli into scoring position. CF Kris Kushnerick drive a Olson curveball deep into the left field corner pushing the Athletics left fielder all the way back to the 295 sign. The towering fly ball combined with the two out jump allowed Tavaroli to score, Koughan to make it to third base and Kushnerick to stroll into second with his first double of the season and second RBI. Olson would limit the damage after walking 3B Shawn Pilgaard to load the bases by getting P Corey Epp to line out to centre field to end the inning. 

P Ryan Olson of the Bardo Athleics would allow two runs in the loss

The Athletics would finally get to Epp in the seventh to tie the game and end his night with a no decision after a marvelous performance on the mound for the Rebels. Epp would get LF Joel Hendrickson to strikeout but would surrender a double to right centre gap by leadoff hitter RF Chris Kallal. With a runner in scoring position Epp would once again get a huge out by getting his counterpart, P Ryan Olson, who was already 2 for 3 at this point, to pop up to 1B Craig Koughan for the second out. The Athletics would get a clutch double by PBL President, CF Craig Neufeld. With the Rebels playing a shift towards right field, Neufeld would pick a pitch that drifted out over the outside of the plate to drive a ball into the deepest part of the Ryley Ballpark, the 340' centre field corner. CF Kris Kushnerick tried running the ball down in the gap and attempted the Jim Edmonds diving over the shoulder catch but had the ball just glance off of the tip of the glove for a game tying RBI double. Not out of the woods yet, Epp would intentionally walk 3B Ken Braget to put runners on first and second with two out for the Rebels bullpen. 1B Craig Koughan would come in to pitch a single pitch to end the inning and eventually earn the win as he would get SS Chris Middlestat to pop up to 3B Shawn Pilgaard to send the Rebels up to bat with a chance to win it.

1B Craig Koughan would connect on his first hit of the game in the fifth inning

It looked like luck was on the side of the Athletics in the bottom of the seventh as C Chad Nelson would hit a ball back up the middle and past P Ryan Olson but somehow SS Chris Middlestat was able to field the ball on the right side of the base while tripping over the bag to get the speedy Nelson at first base. With one out RF Kevin Reinholt would line a single in to right followed by P Craig Koughan flaring a ball infront of a diving LF Joel Hendrickson to put the game winning run into scoring position. Reinholt was able to move from first to third on the play while Koughan slide into second base on the throw to third base. With a base open and CF Kris Kushnerick coming up to bat the Athletics had a mound meeting to decide between putting a runner on first base intentionally to load the bases but put the possibility of a double play on, or to pitch to Kushnerick who in the fourth inning hit a hard ground through SS Chris Middlestat and in the fifth inning missed a three run home run by a couple of feet. The Athletics elected to pitch to Kushnerick and after all of the tension with the game on the line, Olson ended up hitting his third batter of the game by putting a 1-2 curveball into the back of the Rebels centre fielder. It set the stage for Rebels 3B Shawn Pilgaard to play the hero in his first game with the team and he wasted little time. With the infield in and the outfield shallow Pilgaard would line a first pitch from Olson into left centre to score Reinholt and end the game in a 2-1 win. 

While the Rebels franchise has seen a zero pitch save, from P Curt Stensrud who elected to pick off a runner at first base with the tying run at third base instead of pitching to the batter in his only out of the the game, it had never seen a one pitch win until tonight. P Craig Koughan would earn his first victory of 2014 by throwing one pitch and getting an out to end the seventh inning for the Athletics. 

CF Craig "El Presidente" Neufeld would reach base twice in the game including a game tying RBI double in the seventh inning

The win moves the Rebels to 3-1 which ties them with the Armena Royals, who were idle on this night, and the Holden Blue Jays who were defeated 8-2 by the Beaumont Angels. It also sets up a huge match up next Tuesday as the 3-1 Rebels travel to the 3-1 Armena Royals for a chance at first place. Both teams will be looking for a win as the Jays will be taking on the Roadrunners, a team who has gone 0-4 so far in the season and has been out scored 55-5 over that span with all four losses being a mercy stop to the game after five innings. First pitch will be at 7:00pm at Anniversary Park in the first meeting of the season between the Rebels and the Royals.