Trend Arlington Men's Fastball League Finals - Game 2
September 23, 2010
Ottawa, ON
September 22 2010
OTTAWA, ON -- The Trend Arlington Men's Fastball League championship final will go the maximum three games after Lone Star Texas Grill defeated Durabuilt Construction Inc, 2-1 in a lightning-fast one hour and sixteen minute game this evening at 50 Bellman Drive. Durabuilt was the visitor on this night and while they got things started much like game one. As the pattern this playoffs, Durabuilt 2nd basemen Andy McAfee led off and got on base. Gord Flannery sandwiched a single around Brett Dugan's walk, but a heads up double-play by Lone Star second baseman Graeme Fraser put out the bases loaded jam in which hurler Craig Macdonald found himself. In the bottom, Lone Star actually struck out four times but an error by catcher Nick Norton put his counterpart Brent Taylor on to lead off the game, and Mike Goodfellow knocked him home with a rocket RBI double. 1-0 Lone Star after 1.
In the third McAfee scored another run on a heads up baserunning play after an Johnny Paolozzi couldn't come up with a tough catch.
Despite striking out 7 of the first 11 batters faced, Flannery found himself in a 3rd inning jam with the bases drunk after Fraser reached on an error, a single by Goodfellow, and walk to heavy hitting Chris Jelley. Bob Sampson tried to punch it the other way but Durabuilt secondbaseman McAfee ranged behind first and got him to end the rally with the tie game intact. MacDonald got himself out of a jam in the 4th created when Stu Kerr reached third on a 3-base error to lead off the inning, but 3 straight K's doused the Durabuilt hopes.
With two out in the 5th inning, controversy arrived when Durabuilt SS Jim Yeldon was ejected at the plate, as a high-and-tight pitch (which he felt hit him) led to a second and final disagreement this inning. While controversial, this was the most gentlemanly ejection this writer has ever seen. Not a voice was raised despite the obvious opposing views. Uncommonly demonstrated was the professionalism by the EOUA umpire and exemplary acceptance by one of the leagues' most respected members. If only our Members of Parliament could be so civil. The incident was unfortunate for Durabuilt in that it wasted Norton's one-out triple. In TAMFL, all players hit in the batting order without a bench or pinch hitters. Due to the lack of a substitute hitter on the bench to assume the count, an ejection at-bat is an automatic out, thus ending the rally.
By the bottom of the sixth Flannery had retired 9 straight starting with McAfee's play in the 5th. Jelly came to the plate and tatooed a 1-1 pitch halfway to Canfield Dive to put LoneStar up 2-1. MacDonald tossed a one-two-three 7th with first basemen Johnny Paolozzi redeeming an earlier error with a dig-out scoop along the way.
The teams clash for a final time Monday September 27 at 7:30pm at Trend-Arlington Field.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Durabuilt 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 6 2
Lone Star 1 0 0 0 0 1 x 2 4 2 2B: Lone Star: Mike Goodfellow 1
3B: Durabuilt: Nick Norton 1
HR: Lone Star: Chris Jelley 1
RBI: Lone Star: Goodfellow 1, Jelley 1
Pitching
Durabuilt Flannery 6IP 4H 2R 1ER 1BB 9SO and Norton
Lone Star MacDonald 7IP 6H 1R 0ER 2BB 6SO and Brent Taylor
