SERIES SHIFTS TO FROSTBITE

Game Three: The first two games of the 2011 BARB World Series were split, one each, by Frostbite Falls and Yuma. Now the series shifts for three games to the frozen tundra of northern Minnesota.

It didn’t take long for the scoring to start. After Felix Hernandez set down the Firebird hitters with a groundout, walk and double play in the top of the first, Evan Longoria greeted David Price with a one-out bomb.

FROSTBITE FALLS 1, YUMA 0

The Squirrels scored again in the third. After Jose Reyes lined a one-out double to the gap, “Longo” drove him in by dumping the ball down the left-field line.

FROSTBITE FALLS 2, YUMA 0

After an uneventful top of the fourth, the Squirrels bats increased their lead one more time. In quick succession, Rickie Weeks led off with a single and Jeff Francouer launched one to left. Just like that, the Frostbite Falls lead had doubled. Price allowed one more single in the inning, but the damage had been done:

FROSTBITE FALLS 4, YUMA 0

In the meantime, “King Felix” was pitching well, but not his best. The only inning of the first five frames in which he didn’t allow a runner was the second, but in no inning was there more than one Firebird treading the basepaths.

That changed in the sixth. Vladimir Guerrero grounded out as a pinch hitter for Price (5 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 5 K), but Rafael Furcal walked and stole second base. One out later, Ryan Braun took a mighty cut but only squibbed the ball back to Hernandez, who didn’t have a play. With runners on first and third and two out, Joey Votto came up. Surely, this was the time for Yuma to make a comeback, right?

Sadly, no. Votto reached for an outside pitch on a 1-0 count and grounded right to Reyes, who fed Weeks to put out Braun.

The failure of the middle of the lineup, however, had no effect on the bottom of the order. With two out and the bases empty in the seventh, Shane Victorino drew a walk. That brought up the all-or-nothing stick of Rod Barajas. Finally, for the first time since the first round, the swing gave “all”. A soaring drive sailed out over the wall in left-center field, and Francouer and Drew Stubbs could only watch it go!

FROSTBITE FALLS 4, YUMA 2

The Firebird hitters (mostly the vaunted middle of the order) were back at it in the eighth. Votto came up with a two-out single off of Eric O’Flaherty. Chris Perez was wild out of the bullpen and walked Ryan Zimmerman. Up came Martin Prado with a chance to bring Yuma within one or even tie the game. The scrappy keystoner battled Perez and drove the count full. Perez was forced to come in with a challenge fastball or risk loading the bases for Victorino. Prado took a cut the opposite way and lined it…RIGHT AT Weeks. The catch was made, the side retired, and the Firebirds still trailed by two with just three outs to go.

Closer Andrew Bailey worked the Squirrel ninth and struck out Victorino (though the “Flyin’ Hawaiian” fouled off four straight offerings to prolong the at-bat) before pinch hitters Jason Bartlett and Ivan Rodriguez flew and grounded out, respectively, to end the game.

The Flying Squirrels had taken a two-games-to-one lead and had the advantage of two more contests at home before having to travel back to the desert, if necessary. Chris Melkonian, however, had to be comforted with how his team’s bats began battling back in the late innings. If they could keep hitting and start getting clutch knocks, the Series would surely turn around.