OPENING DAY ARRIVES!

OPENING DAY ARRIVES!
ST. FRANCIS 6, FROSTBITE FALLS 5
WP: Justin Verlander (1-0, 2.25)
LP: Carlos Marmol (0-1, 99.99) SV: Francisco (1)

Former Black Mesa ace Justin Verlander’s Friars debut was memorable, as he watched his teammates come from behind in the eighth to not only get him off the hook of a 4-0 deficit, but make a winner of him as the expansion squad scored five times off a previously-unhittable Tim Lincecum and reliever Carlos Marmol to upset the defending world champs, on the road in Frostbite Falls!


Early on it was all Frostbite. Lincecum scattered three hits over seven frames, and the Squirrels had cashed in two unearned runs courtesy of a throwing error by erratic 2B Felipe Lopez. But the Finches got a run back in the seventh on a pinch-hit home run by Ben Zobrist to narrow the gap to 4-1. Still, Lincecum was allowed to start the eighth in command, and things looked good when the diminuitive fireballer fanned Shin Soo-Choo to start the frame.

But Casey Blake pulled a ball on the ground between J.J. Hardy and Evan Longoria. Overbay chopped at a ball with Pujols covering the bag, a swinging bunt, an infield hit. Nick Punto then lined a single underneath Longoria’s glove to load the bases. Marmol relieved, but his gas didn’t faze contact-minded Cesar Izturis, who lined a single over short to score two and send the hustling Punto to third, where he scored four pitches later on a sac fly off the bat of catcher Brian Schneider. The game was tied! Johnny Damon then squared up on a Marmol fastball and PULLED it out of the yard, a home run, and a 6-4 Friars lead! How about that!

Frostbite made the whole thing very interesting in the ninth, as closer Frank Francisco loaded the bases in the bottom of the ninth with nobody out! Carlos Pena CRUSHED an outside pitch, but the plucky Zobrist (playing CF) reeled it in just shy of the wall. The sac fly scored Jayson Werth, but the next batter (Nate McLouth) pulled a liner to slick-fielding Lyle Overbay, who started a 3-6-3 double play to end the game....!

POTTSYLVANIA 8, BROOKLYN 2
WP: Chris Carpenter (1-0, 1.00)
LP: Roy Oswalt (0-1, 13.50)

Ryan Ludwick homered in his first-ever BARB at-bat, collecting three hit in his Creepers debut and Rick Ankiel hit a bases-loaded triple off Roy Oswalt to back a strong effort by Chris Carpenter in his first start since an injury-plagued 2008 campaign. Pottsylvania won convincingly on the road with 17 hits against Brooklyn, and it was Oswalt who gave up ten of the safeties in three-plus innings. But, in fairness to the Moabs ace, Oswalt was also hurt by the poor play of 3B Miguel Cabrera, who threw away a grounder by the fleet Jose Reyes and also failed to barehand a pair of bunt singles from 2B Ryan Theriot.

It was a rough beginning for the Moabs, who finished last (78-74) in the rugged Eastern Division, and who begin their 2009 campaign with arguably the league’s youngest team with an average age of 25.6 years. In fact, Oswalt (30) is the oldest hurler on their roster, and at 34 Jermaine Dye would be the ‘old man’. Not too shabby, and it bodes well for the Moabs future. But, on Opening Day, it was all Carpenter (8 IP, only one earned run).

YUMA 6, BLACK MESA 4
WP: Roy Halladay (1-0, 2.25)
LP: Ted Lilly (0-1, 6.75)

Firebirds ace Roy Halladay worked eight strong frames, and Ryan Braun’s first homer of the year was a fifth-inning grand slam off reliever Takashi Saito as the five-time playoff club got off to another rolling start at the expense of the visiting Anomalies, whose roster looks both cluttered and bare as this season begins.

Cluttered, because the club is limping along carrying nine eligible outfielders, but no bench help to speak of in the pen. Bare, because with an average age of 29.6 and a rotation including Jarrod Washburn and Kevin Millwood, there are very few options for this club other than to go to the bullpen early and often, a recipe for disaster in April. Insiders speculate that the club will soon feel pressure to either cut or (hopefully) trade some of their extra flychasers for some arms to help their staff.

DARWIN 7, LAS VEGAS 1
WP: Gil Meche (1-0, 1.13)
LP: A.J. Burnett (2.25)

Josh Hamilton broke a 1-1 tie in the fourth with his first homer of the year, and Gil Meche scattered just two hits over eight frames to lead the defending Eastern champs to a surprisingly-easy win over Las Vegas. The Finches added four insurance runs late when Milton Bradley doubled with the bases loaded, allowing new Finches 1B Adam LaRoche to score his third run of the game, an auspicious debut for the former Firebird.

The Luchadores, coming off two consecutive division titles, have had a star-crossed off-season, losing their GM, forfeiting their draft position, and suddenly looking like one of league’s thinnest (roster size: 29) and oldest (average age: 29.2) clubs. Currently in receivership, there is little hope on the horizon and concern about rumors of steroid use in the clubhouse.

WORCESTER 4, CASSELTON 3
WP: Joba Chamberlain (1-0, 1.13)
LP: Johann Santana (0-1, 6.00) SV: Morrow (1)

Joba Chamberlain, a surprise nod for Opening Day starter, proved his worth with eight strong frames and the Eliminators cashed in a rare balk from Johann Santana in a shaky first to take an early lead, then held on to beat the Horned Toads’ new ace, who never once looked comfortable. Adding insult to injury, former Casselton 3B Adrian Beltre homered off Santana, a two-run shot in the fifth that made Worcester’s lead 4-0 after six.

But the Horned Toads made things interesting in the last three innings, where another surprise awaited from Eliminators management: instead of summoning RHP Heath Bell, who had been unhittable in the spring, the Elims have anointed Brandon Morrow their ‘go-to’ guy in the bullpen. Morrow got the job done, but not before coughing up a two-out, two-run blast to Casselton backstop Geovanny Soto.