JOHNSON EMBRACES INNER "HORSE"

Throughout his previous four starts in BARB’s 2011 season, AC/BC ace Josh Johnson went at least seven innings in three, including one nine-inning complete game. In start number five, however, Johnson set a career high for innings pitched in a single game—but this one didn’t count as a complete game.

Johnson, matching up with Pottsylvania ace Chris Carpenter in Anaheim, went 10 innings and gave up eight hits and three walks while striking out three. AC/BC staked their star to a one-run lead in the bottom of the first when Ryan Doumit grounded a seeing-eye single up the middle to score Alex Gonzalez. Gonzalez, who was hit by a pitch, advanced to second base when Howie Kendrick was thrown out trying to steal third. With his speed, Gonzalez scored well ahead of the throw from Creepers center fielder Matt Kemp.

That advantage didn’t last long. Erick Aybar, just activated off the disabled list, led off the top of the third inning with a liner down the right field line. Despite his speed, Aybar was held to a single with Doumit playing in. It mattered not, as Matt Kemp’s line drive shot past original Boise Brawler (Pottsylvania’s predecessor) Placido Polanco and into the left field corner for two bases. Creeper third base coach Boris Badenov, sensing an opportunity for his squad to scuttle a golden scoring opportunity (after betting against his own hapless team), held Aybar at third.

Badenov was left cursing himself, though, when consecutive groundouts by Carlos Pena and Aramis Ramirez brought in Aybar and Kemp, respectively, for a 2-1 Creeper lead.

Carpenter, who struggled with his command (four walks, two hit-by-pitch, and barely half of his pitches for strikes), managed to hold the lead into the eighth inning. But AC/BC tied it when Carpenter issued a one-out walk to Kendrick and hit Gonzalez with another pitch—the same sequence that had jump-started the Anaheim offense in the first. This time, David Ortiz smoked a line drive in front of right fielder Ryan Ludwick, whose throw home was just up the first-base line, allowing Kendrick to score.

Johnson got into a groove after the third inning, spreading just a single, double and base on balls through the ninth. With just over 100 pitches, however, manager Mike Scioscia decided to leave the big fish on the mound for frame number 10. He did bring in a new catcher (Miguel Olivo—remember that name) after removing Yadier Molina for a pinch-hitter in a failed attempt to create offense in the bottom of the ninth. Johnson sandwiched a force play and strikeout around a single and walk, creating a first-and-third, two-out situation with Ramirez striding to the plate. A 1-2 curve, however, was pounded into the ground at Polanco, who threw to second to end the inning.

The bottom of the 10th and top of the 11th passed relatively quietly, and Grant Balfour (who replaced Carpenter in the eighth) trotted out for more work. This time, Ike Davis, who Balfour struck out en route to escaping the jam in the eighth, belted a double over Ludwick’s head on the first pitch. Doumit was walked intentionally and Polanco grounded into a force at second to put the winning run on third base with just one out for Olivo, making his first plate appearance of the night. Just a simple sacrifice fly would do the job and give his team a win.

Olivo wasn’t satisfied with a sac fly. Sensing Balfour’s fatigue (nearly 50 pitches), Olivo guessed right and CRUSHED a first-pitch fastball, WAAAAY back into the left field bleachers for the walk-off, three-run homer!

After all of Johnson’s work, the beneficiary of Olivo’s shot was Jordan Walden, who earned his second victory against no losses with a scoreless 11^th inning. AC/BC moved to 12-9 on the young season, just two games behind the slumping Yuma Firebirds in the West, while Pottsylvania fell to 8-13, already six games back in the Central Division.

In other BARB action:

AC/BC 4, POTTSYLVANIA 1

WP: Clayton Kershaw (2-2, 1.62)

LP: Jeremy Hellickson (1-3, 5.58)

SV: Walden (2)

Clayton Kershaw and Jordan Walden combined on a three-hitter with 10 K to earn a series win for AC/BC. The team from Anaheim smoked 10 hits off of Creepers starter Jeremy Hellickson, but the youngster held them to just four runs. Pottsylvania scored an unearned run off of Kershaw in the seventh to close the gap to 2-1, but David Ortiz and Ike Davis went back-to-back on the first two pitches of the eighth for the final margin.

NEW ENGLAND 3, CASSELTON 2 (1^ST game of DH)

WP: Jon Garland (1-0, 0.00)

LP: Shawn Marcum (1-2, 5.31)

SV: Papelbon (2)

Jon Garland, making his first appearance of the year after being signed off the scrap heap, struck out three over three scoreless innings of relief after starter Tim Stauffer was battered for seven hits, two walks and two runs over 3.1 innings of work. Casselton’s only runs were one each in the first and second, and New England scored singles in the second and fourth. Dustin Pedroia’s sacrifice fly in the bottom of the eighth broke the tie and gave the Yankee Stompers their only lead of the game.

CASSELTON 11, NEW ENGLAND 7 (2^nd game of DH)

WP: Ernesto Frieri (2-0, 0.00)

LP: Dan Haren (2-2, 4.31)

Both teams’ bats broke out in a big way as Casselton earned a twinbill split with New England. The Horned Toads landed the initial blow, scoring eight times in the first inning. Yankee Stomper Dan Haren got stomped himself, getting just one out (a deep fly-out from Carlos Gonzalez) and allowing six hits and six runs, all earned, before Jon Garland replaced him. Casselton appeared headed to an easy win with an 11-0 lead after three innings, but New England made things interesting with five in the fourth (to knock out Casselton starter J.A. Happ) and two in the ninth.

CENTRAL CA 6, LOS ANGELES 0

WP: Daniel Hudson (1-2, 4.50)

LP: Jordan Zimmerman (1-1, 4.95)

SV: Wilson (5)

Daniel Hudson and Brian Wilson combined on a five-hit shutout to lead the .45s past the Wolverines in a battle for California. Jordan Zimmerman pitched well for SoCal, giving up just two runs in seven innings, but the bullpen allowed four unearned runs with two out in the bottom of the eighth to put the game out of reach. Wilson earned his fifth save with 1.2 innings of work, although there was a scary moment when Michael Bourn and Hunter Pence collided going for a Lance Berkman liner with two out in the ninth which saw Berkman end up on third base.

YUMA 6, ST. FRANCIS 5

WP: Matt Cain (2-2, 5.08)

LP: Bronson Arroyo (2-3, 5.35)

SV: Soriano (6)

Vladimir Guerrero’s blast to left field gave Yuma the lead for good in the bottom of the sixth as the Firebirds held on in a desert battle of division leaders. Yuma struck first, with three in the bottom of the first inning on back-to-back home runs from Joey Votto and Buster Posey. St. Francis tied it with a trifecta in the sixth on a Shin-Soo Choo double and Jose Bautista sacrifice fly. The Friar brain trust, however, may have left Bronson Arroyo in too long. He allowed single runs in the seventh and eighth, and although St. Francis scored two late runs, they weren’t able to make it all the way back.