SQUIRRELS, REBELS IN EXTRA-INNING CLASSIC

Lexington----Trailing 0-1 in their playoff series, the host Rebels and visiting Squirrels got locked into a game in which each of them sent a left-handed ace against their former club, ratcheting up the personal dimension in a contest that would tie a playoff record for most innings played, and either tie the series or else place one club a victory away from the BARB version of the Fall Classic! Who would prevail?

The game itself offered Squirrels ace (and former Rebels prospect) Cole Hamels, 8-13 with a 3.83 ERA in 27 starts this year. He would be matched by former Squirrels #1 (and present Rebels ace) Johann Santana (13-10, 3.39). Again, which southpaw would have the advantage?
The bottom of Lexington’s lineup got to Hamels first. In the second, C Benji Molina drilled a solo shot off the youngster, and in the fourth they put together another ‘small ball’ rally to plate a pair of runs: Curtis Granderson worked a leadoff walk, Jay Bruce doubled and both Santana and David Eckstein squeezed in runs with back-to-back bunts. An ebullient Ronald Melkonian beamed: he had Santana on the hill with a 3-0 lead! What could happen?

As it turned out, a lot, and very fast. Santana entered the sixth having tossed only 67 pitches through five frames and seemed very much in command as the first batter of the inning (CF Carlos Beltran) flew out to right. But 1B Albert Pujols pulled an 0-1 pitch between third base and short for a base hit, and OF Magglio Ordonez (another former Rebel) smacked a two-strike pitch DEEP into the left-field bleachers. Four pitches later, OF Corey Hart did the same exact thing, so in a span of just nine pitches, the Squirrels had tied the game 3-3 against a previously-untouchable Santana!

A dismayed Rebels club escaped without further damage, but that was it for Santana. The Rebels sent out Danny Haren (who had also worked long relief in Game 1) out to work for them, while Frostbite Falls tried to gut it out with Cole Hamels. In the seventh, this backfired on GM Andrew Haynes, as CF B.J. Upton and 1B Adrian Gonzalez singled with two out. With the bullpen working, Hamels was allowed to pitch to 3B David Wright, who sliced a double over the head of Beltran (who usually catches such things), scoring two: the Rebels led again: LEXINGTON 5, FROSTBITE FALLS 3!

Could the Squirrels come back from this? A succession of relievers (starting with B.J. Ryan to bail out Hamels) would post scoreless frames for the time being, but they needed two runs to keep themselves alive. In the top of the ninth, pinch-hitter Carlos Pena (batting for Evan Longoria) drew a walk on a 3-2 count to lead off the inning against Danny Haren. The Rebels brought in reliever Joey Devine, who had a hot hand down the stretch in September with seven straight scoreless outings. Not this time! Brad Hawpe was summoned to pinch-hit for Ryan, and (if you recall) hit the epic game-winning blast in the series opener that broke Huston Street’s heart. This time, Hawpe singled down the right-field line to send Pena all the way to third and bring the go-ahead run to the plate! Encarnacion pinch-ran for Hawpe, and made it to second while Edgar Renteria’s slowly-hit grounder to short scored Pena. Michael Young struck out, but with Game 1 goat Huston Street still warming in the pen, Devine was allowed to work to Carlos Beltran with two out and the game on the line. Owch! Beltran hit a long single that easily scored Encarnacion running on the play. With two strikes and two out, the Squirrels had once again tied the game: FROSTBITE FALLS 5, LEXINGTON 5!

The Rebels could’ve made this a moot point by scoring just one run in the bottom of the ninth, but Squirrels closer Joe Nathan just came in and blew them away. On to extra innings, where first Street, and then Mike Gonzalez would similarly frustrate Frostbite batsmen. Meanwhile, first Joakim Soria and then Game 1 winner Carlos Marmol would do yeoman work against the Rebels hitters. But these innings were not without drama!

In the top of the 10th, Ordonez singled to center off Street. Corey Hart beat out an infield hit to put two runners on and no out....but Victor Martinez flew out, Mike Gonzalez relieved Street and fanned pinch-hitter Aki Iwamura and got Encarnacion to ground harmlessly to short. SQUIRRELS....denied!

In the top of the 11th, Renteria tripled to lead off the inning versus Gonzalez...owch! But Gonzalez fanned Michael Young, got a break when Beltran’s scorching line drive was drilled right at Eckstein, then intentionally walked Pujols. Derek Lowe then relieved and got Ordonez to ground out. SQUIRRELS....denied!

What a game, and a frustrating one at that! But in the top of the 14th, with Derek Lowe on his third inning of work, Beltran then got another shot at extra-frame heroics. This time, Beltran hit a line drive that kept climbing into the gap in right-center, up, up and OUT......a solo homer giving Frostbite Falls a 6-5 lead. Pujols doubled, took third on an Ordonez grounder and scored on Corey Hart’s sac fly, taking their first lead of the game in the 14th!......FROSTBITE FALLS 7, LEXINGON 5!

The Rebels still had a shot, though. Pinch-hitter Carlos Delgado singled off Marmol to start the bottom of the 14th. Veteran Russ Springer, the sixth Squirrels hurler in the marathon, promptly walked pinch-hitter Jeremy Hermida to put two runners on and nobody out! Then J.J. Hardy beat out an infield single to the shortstop hole! BASES LOADED, NOBODY OUT, A BASE HIT WOULD TIE THE GAME!

But Springer fanned B.J. Upton.

Adrian Gonzalez lined out sharply to Michael Young.

David Wright worked the count full......then DROVE the ball into the left-field corner.....racing back was Hart, reaching up for the ball as he SLAMMED into the fence, falling down.....

...and HOLDING ON THE BALL!

The final out!

Ballgame!

In a 14-inning thriller, Frostbite Falls had come up with a huge defensive play to deny a bases-clearing (and likely game-winning) bid from Lexington’s biggest bat: FROSTBITE FALLS7, LEXINGTON 5!

Carlos Marmol (2-0, 0.00) got the decision in long relief for the second straight game, and Derek Lowe (0-1, 5.40), despite making some good pitches, took the loss. The Rebels now face a 2-0 deficit in the series and will need to sweep two games on the road with ‘Canada’s Team’ in order to force a Game Five. Can they do it? Stay tuned!