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Championship
Final Series: Tritons Complete Three-Peat With Sweep Of Sunsets
October 26, 2017 (Federal League Wire Service)
The
season that would, seemingly, never end, that to weather delays, a
hurricane, and the resultant ballpark damage, finally concluded on
Thursday night as the Tri-Cities Tritons captured their third
consecutive league crown with an 8-1 victory over the Sunrise
Sunsets in Game 3 of the Championship Final Series. The win gave
the Water Dwellers a series sweep to emphasize their dominance
over the league these past three campaigns. Jose
Marcano started for the Tritons against Brant Spring for the
Sunsets as the two hurlers reprised their Game 1 assignments.
Marcano wound up tossing seven solid innings, yielding one run on
three hits to earn the win. Marcano walked three, hit a batter,
and struck out seven. Spring was charged with all eight runs, only
three of which were earned, on 13 hits in six innings of work. The
Twilighters opened the scoring in the bottom of the third. Ryan
Thompson led off and lined a double into the left field corner and
then scored when Tommy Tritz reached on an error. The lead did not
last for long as the Tritons countered with five runs in the top
of the fourth. Zac
Miller led off with an infield single and, with one out, Jay
Warman reached on an error. With two out, Eric Silverberg
delivered an RBI single that scored Miller with the tying run. Tre
Dingus singled to load the bases, and Chris Marrero got aboard on
the Sunsets' second miscue of the inning, with Warman scoring the
go ahead run. Julian Faria followed with a bases clearing double
that put the Water Dwellers in front, 5-1. The
Tritons made it 6-1 in the fifth as, once again, Miller led off
with an infield single, went to third on a one out base hit by
Warman, and scored when Agner Martinez bounced into a force play. In
the sixth, the Tritons added two more runs to cap the scoring.
Faria doubled to center and scored on a one out single by Miller.
A two out double by Martinez brought in Faria, giving the Tritons
an 8-1 lead. Matt
Arlick pitched two scoreless innings of relief and nailed down the
win by inducing Ted Maceda to fly out to Sean Vance in right for
the final out in the bottom of the ninth. Miller
went four for five to pace the Tritons. Faria had two hits and
three RBI. Dingus, Warman, Martinez, and Silverberg added two hits
each.
Reliever Calvin Rayburn, who had a win and a save in the series,
was awarded the playoffs' Most Valuable Award. Amid
the post game celebration, the Tritons, led by manager Mike
Whittaker, were able to breathe the rarified air that surrounds a
team with three or more consecutive championships. Game
2-Tritons Trip Sunsets Again: Game
2 of the Championship Final Series had a lot to live up to, after
an exciting and tense Game 1, and it did not disappoint as the
Tri-Cities Tritons staged a late rally and defeated the Sunrise
Sunsets, 8-7. The win gave the Water Dwellers a two games to none
lead in the best of five series. The
pitching strapped Sunsets tabbed lightly utilized Ted Maceda as
their surprise starter. John Hardardt started for the Tritons and
neither pitcher factored in the decision.
The Tritons reached Maceda for a run in the first inning as Chris
Marrero got aboard with a one out single and scored when Calvin
Rayburn grounded into a force play at third with the bases loaded.
The Sunsets took a 2-1 lead in the second when Justin Dages
drilled an RBI double and Igor Molina produced an RBI single. In
the third, the Twilighters increased their advantage to 4-1. Chris
Craig led off with a single and moved to third on a one out ingle
by Brandon Hull. Both runners scored as Ryan Thompson delivered a
two run double to left center. In
the fifth the 'Sets made it 6-1 when Craig and Carlos Vasquez
singled, and Hull walk to load the bases with none out. Craig
scored as Thompson bounced into a force play, and Hull scored on a
base hit by Brandon Zeeb. The Twilighters missed an opportunity to
add to their lead as Rayburn relieved Hardardt and induced Dages
to hit into an inning ending double play with the bases loaded. The
Tritons cut the gap to 6-2 in the bottom of the fifth as Eric
Silverberg swatted a home run to left. The Sunsets restored their
five run advantage in the top of the sixth as Craig collected his
third hit of the game and scored on an RBI single by Hull. In
the bottom of the sixth, the Tritons tied the score with a five
run rally. Julian
Faria led off with a home run to left and then Rayburn drew a
walk. Magdiel Sanchez followed with a single and Adrian Roznowski
was hit by a pitch, loading the bases. Agner
"Management" Martinez fought off an 0-2 pitch and
produced a two run single to right, bringing the Sons of Poseidon
to within 7-5. With Hull on the mound in relief of Maceda,
Silverberg bunted for a base hit and Roznowski scored. Maceda, now
playing second base, made a brilliant over the shoulder catch of
Jay Warman's pop up to short center for the second out, but
Marrero lined a base hit off of third baseman Molina's glove to
score Martinez with the tying run.
In the bottom of the seventh, the Tritons broke the tie. With one
out, Rayburn doubled to left and then scored as Sanchez punched a
base hit through the right side. Trailing
8-7 and facing the nearly unhittable Rayburn, the Sunsets put the
tying and go ahead runners on base in the top of the eighth. With
one out Molina was hit by a pitch and, with two out, Craig drew a
walk. With Vasquez at the plate with a 1-2 count, Molina took off
for the third. Faria, who earlier had cut down a would be base
stealer, threw low and wide to third, but as Molina scrambled to
his feet and headed home with the tying run, the Sunsets
discovered that Vasquez had been called out on strikes on the
pitch, ending the inning and nullifying Molina's prospective tying
run. The
Sunsets were unable to rally in the ninth and fell to their second
straight one run defeat of the series. Rayburn
allowed one run on two hits in four and two thirds innings to earn
the win. Rayburn struck out nine, hit one, and walked two. Hull
took the loss, permitting one run on five hits in two and a third
innings.
Silverberg, Sanchez, Warman, and Marrero led the Water Dwellers
with two hits each. Craig had three hits, and scored three runs,
for the Sunsets. The
Tritons will hope to close out the series and claim their third
consecutive league title, as the series continues with Game 3,
scheduled for Tuesday. Game
1-Tritons Slip By Sunsets: The
Championship Final Series opened on Tuesday night after numerous
weather delays, but, if the rest of the series is anything like
Game 1, it will have been wee worth the wait. The Tri-Cities
Tritons, seeking their third consecutive league title edged the
Sunrise Sunsets, 3-2 in the best of five series' opening game. A
two out RBI single by Magdiel Sanchez in the top of the eighth
broke a 2-2 deadlock in the Water Dwellers' favor. The Sons of
Poseidon then withstood the Twilighters' attempted comeback, as
they loaded the bases in the bottom of the ninth.
Tritons' relief ace Jose Marcano was a surprise choice as the Game
1 starter for the Water Dwellers and the lightning lefty responded
with seven strong innings. Brant Spring started for the 'Sets and
went the distance, giving a Herculean effort in defeat. The
Tritons opened the scoring in the top of the first as Jay Warman
led off the contest with a single to left and later scored as
Julian Faria bounced into an RBI ground out. In
the bottom of the first, the Sunsets tied the score as Igor Molina
unloaded a long two out home run to left. In
the third, the Tritons reassumed the lead when Chris Marrero led
off with a base hit, stole second, and came around to score on an
RBI single by Calvin Rayburn. The Water Dwellers failed to add to
the lead when Adrian Roznowski lined into an unusual double play. With
the bases loaded, Roznowski drilled a liner to short that Justin
Dages leapt for, but was unable to catch. Dages recovered the ball
in time to get a force at second, and then, second baseman Brandon
Hull fired home to Molina, who tagged Zac Miller attempting to
score from third. Spring then retired Sanchez on a comebacker to
avoid further damage. The
Sunsets were able to tie the score in the sixth. With one out,
Anthony Garcilazo singled to right. After the second out, Ted
Maceda drew a walk before Javier Aguilar tied the game with a
clutch two out single to left. In
the eighth, Faria led off with a single, but was forced at second
when Rayburn tapped back to the mound. After Rayburn stole second
and Roznowski flew out to center for the second out, Sanchez
singled to right to score Rayburn with the go ahead run.
Holding a 3-2 advantage, Tritons' manager Mike Whittaker summoned
Rayburn to the mound to work in relief of Marcano. Rayburn
cruised through the eighth, but in the ninth Aguilar got aboard
with a one out infield single. After Rayburn fanned Hull for the
second out, Brandon Zeeb came through with a pinch hit single, and
Justin Dages was hit by a pitch to load the bases. With
the tying run only ninety feet away, and the winning run on
second, Rayburn dug deep to fan Jimmy Schariest to end the game. Marcano
allowed two runs on three hits, walking five and fanning 11, in
seven innings to pick up the win. Rayburn pitched two scoreless
innings of relief, permitting two hits, hitting a batter, and
striking out four, to earn the save.
Spring was charged with three runs on nine hits and took the loss.
Spring walked four and struck out three. Marrero
and Rayburn led the Water Dwellers with two hits each. Aguilar had
two hits for the Twilighters. Game
2 is scheduled for Thursday night with John Hardardt slated to
start for the Tritons and 300 game winner Michael Cimilluca
expected to toe the slab for the Sunsets.
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