Milleteers Take Game 1 in A Thriller

Game one of the 2013 PBL championship series wasn’t necessarily the most well played ball game, but it sure was exciting.  The Milleteers limped into Holden tonight with a short bench and a bunch of wounded bodies as they took on the regular season champs.

 

The Milleteers looked poised to jump on Blue Jay starter Grayson Suprovich in the first as catcher Shane Gerein lined one over the infield, but Suprovich caught him sleeping at first and picked him off.  Jon Anstey would then line a single the other way, but could only get as far second as the Pahl brothers Trevor and Steven failed to cash him in.  In the second the Milleteers got a one out walk, but failed to cash it in as well.

On the other side of the ball Milleteers starter Jon Anstey was cruising early as the Blue Jays couldn’t catch up with the fire baller as he sat the first nine batters he faced down, including a handful of strikeouts.  The Milleteers would give him some run support in the third as Gerein would plate on a throwing error on the third baseman on a Trevor Pahl grounder after the Milleteers got a two out rally going.  Steven Pahl would then cash in Anstey with a bloop double down the third base line, but the Pahl brothers would be stranded in scoring position.

 

The offense would strike again in the fourth for the Milleteers as veteran second baseman Shawn Brinkworth would reach on another Blue Jay error.  After a wild pitch moved him to second Brinkworth would score on a Mark Walker double, but just  barely.  Brinkworth had to hold up as center fielder Alan Zeigler looked like he might get to it, but when it fell, Brinkworth started hobbling around the bases nursing his cracked tibia.  After a great rely to the plate it looked like Brinkworth would be dead in the water, but a high tag allowed him to slide in underneath safely to give the Milleteers a three run lead.

 

Holden would answer back in their half of the fourth as the leadoff hitter got on with an infield error.  Then he stole second and got the benefit of the doubt on a bang bang call at the bag.  He would then score on another infield error before Anstey would strike his way out of the jam to keep the Milleteers in front.

 

In the fifth the Blue Jays continued to try and claw their way back in it after they got their first hit of the game to lead off the fifth.  Then after Anstey threw away the sac bunt, the Blue Jays had runners at first and third.  Anstey would promptly pick the runner at first off, but another hit and error would plate the run and setup another first and third.  The next hitter would then hit a little bloop behind second that the second baseman got to, and then doubled off the runner at first as the Blue Jays ran themselves out of a potentially huge inning with two big base running blunders.

 

In the sixth the Milleteers went to the bull pen as Anstey was tiring, but Chad Soucy was greeted with a leadoff single.  After a successful bunt that moved the runner over, another error scored the run as the Blue Jays got another unearned run.  Soucy would then buckle down and get out of the inning with a strikeout with the game tied again.

 

In the top of the seventh the Milleteers had the meat of the order up, but Suprovich finally got Gerein and Anstey out as they had been thorns in his side all night.  Then he needed to just get 0.185 hitting Adam Pahl out, who was in for his injured brother Trevor, to give his team a chance for the walkoff.  Adam had better ideas as the speedster hit a slow roller down the third base line that the third baseman would probably have been better off eating, but made an ill advised throwing error to allow Adam to cruise into second.  Then for the second time in the contest Steven Pahl delivered a two out RBI hit, this one lined just over the short stop’s head to send the Milleteers to the bottom of the seventh with a one run lead.

 

The Blue Jays weren’t ready to go quietly though as catcher Dylan Boyko led off with a HBP after being grazed with an 0-2 pitch.  After a successful sacrifice moved the runner into scoring position the next batter then hit a grounder down the third base line that third baseman Brad Engel dove an stopped, but had to eat as he had no play.  With the tieing and go ahead runs on base Holden turned the lineup over as Suprovich tried to help his own cause as he hit a grounder up the middle, but Anstey got to it and stepped on the bag for one, but the throw was a little late to first to setup up a first and third with two out.  Soucy then dug deep and got a swinging strike three to end it with the tieing run on third.

 

The tight win was a big one for the Milleteers, but also a costly one as they may have lost their clean up hitter Trevor Pahl for the series with a leg injury.  With Ryan Walker being a question mark with a fractured finger and Brinkworth hobbling the Milleteers are quickly running out of healthy infielders.  Next game will be Thursday in Leduc with the probable starters being All Star Logan Skori for the the Blue Jays and veteran Steven Pahl for the Milleteers.  First pitch at seven bells.