Lookout Landing

Happy US Tax Day!  Who got shafted? I'm happy to report that I did not.

I'll tell you that a couple of org players had to pay the karma taxman, and that two games were in doubt until the final out, while we split the two that weren't.  I'll leave it to your willingness to click through the jump to find out which.

Also, you know Jeff Clement's having a hot April when he goes 2 for 5 and his batting average goes DOWN.  And as MfaninAlaska mentioned in a previous thread, WLAD took a tomato can deep for his 3rd bomb of the year.  Did these performances have a big impact?

On to the wrap-up!

A:  Fort Wayne 5, Wisconsin 3

Robert Harmon:  2.1 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 3 walks, 3 K, wild pitch
Jacob Wild:  3.2 IP, 1 H, 5 K
Justin Souza:  two outs, 1 H, 2 walks, K
Ryan Moorer:  1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, walk, 2 K
Travis Mortimore:  1 IP, walk, K
Daniel Carroll:  1-5, RBI, K
Alex Liddi:  1-3, double, 2 R, walk
Korey Feiner:  1-3, solo HR, walk, K

SSS alert: Robert Harmon sucks.

Groundballs:  4
Flyballs:  2
Line Drives:  2
Walks:  3
Strikeouts:  3

Down 4-0 in the 3rd, a Korey Feiner solo shot (I knew they kept him around for a reason!) got the T-Rats a run and Juan Diaz single cashed in another in the 4th.

But then the T-Rats flatlined, and Fort Wayne put on their robe and Wizard hat and cast Inning 8 Luis Martinez Triple to cash in another run and make it 5-2.  The T-Rats made one last-gasp effort in the bottom 9th.  Alex Liddi and Joe Dunigan drew walks, and a Juan Diaz groundout moved them into scoring position.  Alex Meneses popped out, but Korey Feiner drew a walk to load them.

Daniel Carroll smoked a grounder to short, and SS Andrew Cumberland had no play, allowing Liddi to score and keeping them loaded with two outs.  But Calvin Beamon's grounder did not stymie 3B Andrew Parrino, who snagged it and stepped on the nearby bag for the game ending force-out.

A+:  Lake Elsinore 9, High Desert 5

Nick Hill (!!):  3 IP, 6 H, 4 ER (2 HR) 2 walks
Harold Williams:  3 IP, 3 walks, 2 K, balk
Joe Kantakevich:  1.1 IP, 2 H, 3 ER, 2 walks, wild pitch
David Asher:  two outs, 2 H
Aaron Cotter:  1 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 3 walks, K, hit batter
Kuo Hui Lo:  1-5, triple, 2 R, K
Johan Limonta:  1-4, R, sac fly RBI, K
Chris Minaker:  2-4, double, R, RBI
Travis Scott:  2-4, 2 RBI
Matt Mangini:  0-1, 3 walks, K

A gusting left to right wind made it difficult for Mavs pitching to find the strike zone, as they allowed a combined 10 walks!

And I'd have to wonder if the impatient, aggressive hitting of the Mavs in this wind was a factor in the 9 K's that Lake pitchers rung up.

Military Man Nick Hill got the surprise start, not long after I told somebody that he was doomed to a life of relief.  Well, after this start, he may stick with relief, though pitching in a 33 mph cross-wind is sure one hell of a handicap.  I won't even post BIP numbers, because between the crosswind jacking up pitchers' control and carrying flyballs out of reach, I'm not sure it's fair to use this performance to judge any pitching performance.  Oh, and Nick Hill's day sucked... but then again, so did most of- WAIT, how did Family Warrior Harold Williams string together three hitless innings?

A line out, four flyouts (and Nick Hill's first flyball left the yard), three walks... it's inexplicable how Harold managed such great fortune.  Familial karma?

Anyway, Lake had the early 4-0 lead, until the Mavs awoke in the 6th.  Chris Minaker doubled in a run off Dylan Axelrod, and Travis Scott lined a two out single to cash in two more and cut the lead to 4-3.  In the bottom 7th, Kuo Hui Lo lined a one out triple to right, and Johan Limonta sac flied him in to TIE THE BALLGAME.

But Joe Kantakevich got pounded in the top 8th.  Sam Carter led off with a gorund rule double, and a JK wild pitch eventually cashed him in to make it 5-4 Lake.  Javis Davis walked and Jesus Lopez smoked a single through the hole to RF, only for Jamie McOwen to misplay for two bases.  Davis Asher came in to stop the damage, only to allow more.  Robert Perry sac flied Javis Diaz in, 6-4.  Eric Sogard singled, and Cedric Hunter singled to cash in Lopez, 7-4.

The Mavs got some help with runners at the corners and one out in the bottom 8th, when Rolando Valdez uncorked a wild pitch to let Greg Halman in and cut the lead to 7-5.  Matt Mangini drew his 3rd walk of the night, but Leury Bonilla and Jamie McOwen went down quietly to end the threat.

Aaron Cotter came in to hold down the fort and allow a bottom 9th rally, but for the 2nd straight game, he got hit.  Sam Carter doubled with one out, then Cotter gave up back to back walks to load the bases.  Then Jesus Lopez doubled to let two runs in 9-5, though Cotter took the relay from Kuo Hui Lo, and threw out Jodam Rivera at 3rd.  Cotter did plunk Robert Perry and walk another batter, but Cedric Hunter lined out to end the threat.

There would be no rally.

Leury "Latin Campaneris" Bonilla watch: he appears to have settled in at 2B, starting there for the 3rd straight game.  He went 1 for 4.

AA:  Mobile 8, West Tenn 7

Rich Dorman:  4.1 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 3 walks, 3 K
Brodie Downs:  1.2 IP, 6 H, (4 R) 3 ER, walk, K
Mumba Rivera:  2 IP, 1 H, 1 ER (HR), 2 K
Michael Saunders:  2-5, 2 R, 2 K, SB
Mark Kiger:  1-4, 2 R, RBI, walk
Adam Moore:  2-5, RBI
Marshall Hubbard:  2-5, 2 RBI, K
Prentice Redman:  1-4, RBI, walk, K
Ronnie Prettyman:  2-4, triple, solo HR, 2 R
Luis Valbuena:  0-2, R, sac fly RBI, walk

To expedite things so I can get some sleep, I'll omit BIP data for now.

With the game tied at 1, Rich Dorman left the game in the 4th after back to back hits, and Brodie Downs' luck ran out, as he imploded in the 5th, was left out there to die and continued his slow implosion through the 6th.  Once he was finally yanked before the 7th, the score was 7-1 Mobile.

West Tenn rallied late.  Valbuena led off the top 8th with a walk, Michael Saunders smoked a single to right, Mark Kiger walked to load the bases for... Adam Moore.

And Moore, who hasn't had the hottest of starts but has been effective, smoked a grounder to 3rd that 3B Cesar Nicolas could not play, scoring a run, 7-2.  Marshall Hubbard's groundout made it 7-3.  Prentice Redman's groundout made it 7-4 before Jon Nelson struck out to end the frame.

Then Cesar Nicolas atoned in the bottom 8th by taking Mumba Rivera deep to make it 8-4 in the bottom 8th.

In the 9th, Ronnie Prettyman hit a one out solo shot to make it 8-5.  A Mark Kiger single punched in Saunders to make it 8-6, and a Marshall Hubbard two out single made it 8-7.  But Nicolas' homer was the difference, as Prentice Redman went down on strikes to end it.

AAA:  Tacoma 14, Fresno 6

Robert Rohrbaugh:  5.2 IP, 4 H, 6 ER (HR), 4 walks, 2 K
Scott Shoemaker:  1.1 IP, walk, K
Cesar Jimenez:  2 IP, 1 H, 2 K
Bronson Sardinha:  3-5, triple, R, 3 RBI
Jeremy Reed:  3-6, R, 2 RBI
WLAD:  2-4, double, solo HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 walks, K
Jeff Clement:  2-5, 2 run HR, 2 R
Yung Chi Chen:  1-5, double, R, RBI
Bryan LaHair:  3-4, 2 run HR, 3 R, walk
Matt Tuiasosopo:  1-5, R, K
Rob Johnson ("DH"):  2-5, R, RBI

There was no score, until the Rainiers spent the 4th inning treating Julio Mateo like he treats his wife.  By the time they finished having his way with the Starts Vulture, it was 9-0 Rainiers.  Even after Rohrbaugh got bombed for 6 runs, the Rainiers sitll had a comfortable 11-6 lead after 6 and cruised from there.