Flagstaff holds serve at home
Kicking of the 2018 BDBL Playoffs, the South Loop Furies and Flagstaff Outlaws started their Ozzie League Divisional Series. Despite a nearly 30-win difference between the two teams, South Loop won seven of their twelve matchups during the regular season, making this a series to watch.
Game 1: Nelson v. Sale – These two pitchers hooked up once in the regular season as both pitchers went six innings giving up two runs. Sale escaped with the decision thanks to a 7th inning run that ended being the difference in a 3-2 game.
To start off the OLDS, Chris Sale worked around a one run inning to start the game. Meanwhile Flagstaff got first-inning RBI singles from Aaron Judge, Travis Shaw and Caleb Joseph to give Flagstaff a 3-0 lead after just one inning. In the third inning, Khris Davis hits a solo homer to extend the lead.
In the fourth inning, Lorenzo Cain gets the Furies on the board with a clutch double with runners on the corners and one out. Only one run scored with Mike Zunino was held at third. Sale is able to get the next batters to get out of the inning.
Next inning, Sale gets the first out, but with Nelson up and untimely error lets him reach. Aaron Hicks follows with a walk.Eric Young runs for Nelson and scores when Asdrubal Cabrera comes through with an RBI single. Nick Castellanos drives a ball to left that Davis catches near the wall, but Hicks is able to score, pulling the Furies with a run.
Sale is able to get through the sixth, getting three fly ball outs. After 89 pitches, Flagstaff decides to go to the bullpen and plays matchup over the final three innings. South Loop gets a one out single in the 8th, but Bryan Shaw comes in and makes sure no further damage happens. In the ninth, Matt Albers gets the first two outs, but Jorge Polanco doubles to make the home crowd nervous. Blake Parker, who struggled down the stretch for Flagstaff, relieves Albers and promptly walks Nicky Delmonico. However, Parker gets Hicks swinging and Flagstaff holds on, 4-3.
W: Sale (1-0)
L: Nelson (0-1)
Sv: Parker (1)
HRs: SLF – none; FLG – Davis (1).
Game 2: Anderson v. Greinke – For the second straight game, Flagstaff jumps out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning when Aaron Judge cranks a long homer to score Elvis Andrus and Paul Goldschmidt.
But just like the opening game, South Loop answers back. In the second, back-to-back singles gives the Furies runners on the corners. Chase Anderson is due up, so Flagstaff brings the infield in. Anderson grounds to Joe Panik at second, but the throw home can’t get Mike Zunino and South Loop is on the board. Eric Young comes up and grounds into a 3-6-3 double play to end the threat.
In the fourth, Jorge Polanco draws a walk, but he is able to scamper home when Zunino follows with a double in the left-center gap. Zach Grienke is able to once again get the final two outs to limit the damage, but South Loop creeps with a run, 3-2.
Anderson pitches into the sixth while Greinke finishes six while the score remained the same. In the seventh, Flagstaff gets some traffic on the bases, getting two runners on with two outs. Khris Davis ends up singling off of Andrew Chafin to score Andrus.
In the eighth, Bryan Shaw is called upon, but immediately gives up a triple to Leury Garcia. Lorenzo Cain grounds out to second and Garcia scores. But then Nick Castellanos singles to keep things going. Ryan Buchter relieves and gives up a single to Asdrubal Cabrera. Then Matt Albers comes on and uncorks a wild pitch, moving both runners. Then Zunino singles Castellanos in. Albers manages to get the final two outs, but the game is now tied at 4-4.
The bullpens buckle down and the game goes into extras. In the 11th, South Loop decides to go to R.A. Dickey, who was likely going to start Game 3 or 4. But Panik greets him with a double. George Springer flies out to shallow left. Elvis Andrus grounds to second, allowing Panik to move up. The Paul Goldschmidt delivers a grounder just beyond the reach of Cabrera and Flagstaff walks off, 5-4, in extras.
W: McGee (1-0)
L: Dickey (0-1)
Sv: None
HRs: SLF – none; FLG – Judge (1).