Expansion
Series: Sentries Stun Sunsets With Improbable Comeback, Sweep
Series
February 19, 2013 (Federal League Wire Service)
Hail Sentries! After coming achingly close last season, the
Margate Sentries are the 2012-2013 Fall/Winter Expansion Series
champions.
The Fightin' Phils captured their first Expansion Series title,
and second league crown overall, as they rallied for an amazing,
excruciating, heart stopping, 16-15 win in Game 3, completing the
series sweep of the Sunrise Sunsets.
In the bottom of the ninth, Player/Manager Phil Laufman bounced a
two out single just past the diving attempt of third baseman Joe
LaRocca, allowing Dave Munguia to score they tying run, and Jason
Jones to slide home with the series clinching run just ahead of
left fielder Jimmy Schariest's strong, but desperate, throw to the
plate. Laufman's hit capped a five run outburst in the final
frame. The Gatekeepers had trailed by as many as 11 runs at one
point in the game.
The Sentries started Sandy Cabrera, while the Twilighters
sent Matt Sperry to the hill.
In the bottom of the first, the Sentries opened a 2-0 lead as
Jones drilled an RBI double, and Ray Ubiera had a two out RBI
single.
The Sunsets took a 5-2 lead in the top of the third. Schariest
opened the inning by reaching on an error and then Cabrera hit
Bigham with a pitch. Chris Price lined a two run double into the
left center gap to tie the score, and then Randy Talley doubled to
center to score Price and give the Twilighters the lead. After
David Bourns reached on an infield hit, Demetrio Green's two out
bloop single to right scored two more runs to give the Sunsets a
three run advantage.
In the bottom of the third, the Sentries got one of those runs
back as Ubiera produced an RBI single, but in the top of the
fourth the Sunsets took a 6-3 lead. Bigham reached third on a
three base error by Jones in center and then scored on an RBI
ground out by Price.
In the fifth, the Twilighters pushed across six more runs to take
a 12-3 lead. LaRocca opened the frame with a single to left and
went to second as Bourns singled to almost the same spot. When
Green also singled to left, the bases were loaded. Cesar Abreu,
Jr. singled to left to score one run, and Erik Costa's base hit
delivered a second run. Ubiera replaced Cabrera on the mound for
the Sentries and induced Schariest to lift a fly to center. The
normally reliable Jones misplayed the ball foe his second error of
the game and then compounded the mishap with a throwing miscue. On
the play, both Green and Abreu scored, but the Sentries retired
Costa in a rundown for the first out.
After Bigham walked, Ubiera retired Price on short fly to right
for the second out. An infield error and an RBI single by LaRocca
put the Sunsets in front by nine runs.
In the bottom of the fifth, Munguia led off with a triple and
scored on a single by Lorne Battiste, but the Sunsets countered
with two runs in the top of the sixth as Green doubled, Abreu was
hit by a pitch, Costa walked and Schariest hit into a double play
that enabled Green to score.
The Sunsets made it 15-4 in the top of the seventh as Talley led
off with a single, LaRocca walked and Abreu delivered a two out
RBI single.
Trailing by 11 runs, however, the dark cloud which has loomed over
the Sentries' playoff history like a jinx was lifted. The
transformation began as Laufman crashed a three run home run with
two outs to cut the deficit to 15-7.
In the eighth, the Sentries sent eight batters to the plate and
scored four more runs to pull to within 15-11. With one out,
Lawrence Weissman reached on an error, moved to third on a passed
ball, and scored on a sacrifice fly by Jeff O' Kelley. With two
out, Munguia singled to center and then Jones, looking to atone
for his fielding woes, drove a long home run to right to make the
score 15-10. Lorne Battiste kept the inning alive by drawing a
walk, and then Ubiera doubled to left center, allowing Battiste to
score.
After Ubiera pitched out of a small jam in the top of the ninth,
Tim Hopkins opened the bottom of the inning with a sharp single to
left. Cody Stauble went in to pinch run for Hopkins and went to
third on a one out single to right by Weissman. When O' Kelley
doubled to center, Stauble scored and Weissman went to third.
Munguia, representing the tying run, drew a walk from the tiring
Sperry, and Jones was hit by a pitch to load the bases.
With a well worn pitching staff, the Sunsets elected to stay with
the Sperry, the proven veteran, and the move almost paid off as he
induced Battiste to hit a grounder to second. The ball was hit
just a bit too slowly for the Sunsets to turn two, so, instead,
Talley threw out Battiste. O' Kelley scored on the play, bringing
the Sentries to within a run.
With Munguia on third and Jones on second, Laufman came through
with the championship clinching hit setting off a joyous and
stunning celebration from the suddenly victorious Gatekeepers.
While the Sunsets trudged off the field covered in shock and
disappointment, the season must still be considered a success. In
Brandon Hull's debut season as manager, the Twilighters reached
the Expansion Series and, along the way, defeated the rival
Lighthouse Point Beacons in a playoff series for the first time in
team history.
After the game, the editors of South Florida Baseball Report named
Ray Ubiera as the winner of the Playoff MVP Award. Ubiera, who
went 12-31 with 13 RBI in the post season and also won Game 1 of
the series with a complete game effort, as well as earning the
Game 3 win with five innings of relief.
Game 2 Recap-Sentries Slide By Sunsets:
The Margate Sentries moved to within one win of their first
Expansion Series championship after rallying for a 14-9 win over
the Sunrise Sunsets in Game 2 of the Junior Circuit's championship
series. The Gatekeepers lead the best of five affair, two games to
none.
Cody Stauble started for the Fightin' Phils against Doc Guida for
the Twilighters, in a battle of the league's youngest pitcher
opposing one of the league's most veteran. Although Guida had the
better of it in the early going, Stauble wound up pitching seven
innings and getting the win, while the good Doctor allowed six
earned runs on nine hits in five and two thirds innings and took
the loss.
Things started out rather well for the Guida and the Sunsets. As
Guida was retiring the first 10 batters he faced, his teammates
built an early 5-0 advantage against Stauble.
In the bottom of the first, David
Bourns got the ball rolling for the Sunsets with a one out double
and then scored on a two out base hit by Randy Talley. In the
third, the Twilighters pushed across four more runs as Joe LaRocca,
Cesar Abreu, Jr., and Matt Sperry all had RBI singles.
In the fourth, with one out, Guida lost his perfect game as Dave
Munguia reached on an error. One batter later, Guida lost his
no-hitter and shutout without the ball leaving the infield. After
Munguia had stolen second and advanced to third on a throwing
error, Jason Jones hit a slow roller to short. Jones beat the
throw to first for an infield hit with Munguia scoring on the
play. After Jones stole second and moved to third in the same
fashion as that of Munguia, Lorne Battiste singled him in to cut
the deficit to 5-2.
The Sunsets increased their lead to 6-2 in the bottom of the
fourth as Talley delivered his third hit in as many trips.
Talley's sharp single scored Chris Price, who had reached on an
error.
In the top of the fifth, the Sentries drew to within 6-5 as Tim
Hopkins opened the frame with a single to right center. Paul
Gonzalez lifted a high fly to left that Jimmy Schariest seemed to
misjudge, but Schariest recovered to make a fine catch for the
first out. The luck for Guida and the Sunsets seemed to run out as
the next three batters all singled up the middle. Sandy Cabrera
bounced a single to center that put Hopkins on second. Jeff O'
Kelley followed with a carbon copy that loaded the bases, and
Munguia emulated Cabrera and O' Kelley by smacking a sharp single
through the box to score Hopkins.
Guida appeared to have dodged any further trouble by fanning the
dangerous Jason Jones, but Battiste lined a long single to left
that scored two more runs.
In the top of the sixth, the Sunsets lost the lead and the
services of their catcher. Phil Laufman led off for the
Gatekeepers with a base hit and advanced to second as Hopkins was
hit by a pitch. Gonzalez's perfect sacrifice bunt put the runners
on second and third, setting the stage for, arguably, the key play
of the game.
When Cabrera lifted a flyball to medium center field, Laufman,
carrying the tying run, tagged up from third. Cesar Abreu, Jr.'s
throw to the plate was online, and, Laufman, the ball, and catcher
Chris Price all arrive and the nexus of home plate and the third
base line at roughly same instant. Laufman slid toward the corner
of the dish that Price had left exposed and was safe by the
thinnest of margins. The call did not sit well with Price.
As many of the Sunsets tried their best to argue on his
behalf, Price appeared to get even further agitated. After
expressing his displeasure in terms that the umpiring crew found
objectionable, Price was dismissed from the contest.
The tumult and the ensuing delay seemed to unruffle the normally
unflappable Guida. The result of which was that the very next
batter, O' Kelley drilled a two run home run that catapulted the
Gatekeepers into the lead. Guida, normally the possessor of
impeccable control, followed O' Kelley's homer by walking Munguia.
After a stolen base, Munguia scored all the way from second on an
infield error.
Trailing 9-6, the Sunsets struck back for two runs in the home
half of the sixth. Matt Sperry led off with a bloop single to
short right field. Schariest drew a walk, and Bourns was hit by a
pitch to load the bases. Bourns was struck just above the earflap
by the errant pitch, but gamely remained in the game. Sperry
scored when Cesar Abreu, Sr., hitting in the place of the departed
Price, grounded into a force play. Schariest scored as the result
of a wild pitch.
In the seventh, the Sentries got an RBI single from Cabrera and an
opposite field RBI double by O' Kelley to take an 11-8 lead.
However, in the bottom of the seventh, a hit batter, a wild pitch,
and an error brought the Sunsets to within 11-9.
Battiste, who pitched two scoreless innings of relief to earn a
save, homered to lead off the top of the eighth, and the Sentries
added two more insurance runs in the top of the ninth to close out
the scoring.
O' Kelley and Battiste both went four for six with a home
run to lead the Gatekeepers. Battiste drove in four runs, O'
Kelley drove in three.
Talley had four hits and two RBI to pace the Twilighters.
The Sentries will send Sandy Cabrera to the hill, looking
for the series sweep, in Game 3, scheduled for Monday night. The
Sunsets have yet to name a starter for the game.
Game 1 Highlights-Sentries Strafe Sunsets In Opener:
The 26th edition of the Expansion Series opened with some
immediate fireworks, and, when the pyrotechnic display was over,
the Margate Sentries held a one game to none lead over the Sunrise
Sunsets by virtue of a 19-8 victory in Game 1 of the best of five
series.
Ray Ubiera started for the Gatekeepers and, when the smoke cleared
at the end of the top of the first, he trailed, 5-0. Jimmy
Schariest opened the series with a base hit to deep short before
Chris Price lofted a one out two run home run to left. It was the
fifth home run of the post season for Price.
Randy Talley followed with a long double, Brandon Hull walked and,
after two were out, Demetrio Green crashed a three run homer.
In the bottom of the first, however,
the Sentries pushed across nine runs to take the lead for good.
Aided by three Sunset errors, the Fightin' Phils sent 14 batters
to the plate as part of a 36 minute opening frame.
Jeff O' Kelley led off and drew a walk from Sunset starter Matt
Sperry. After Dave Munguia reached on the inning's first error,
Jason Jones lined a three run home run to right center to pull the
Gatekeepers to within 5-3. Lorne Battiste followed Jones' homer
with one of his own, making the score 5-4.
An RBI double by Tim Hopkins tied the score and another Sunset
error put the Sentries in front. A sacrifice fly by Paul Gonzalez
made it 7-5, and a two run double by Munguia gave the Gatekeepers
a four run advantage.
In the top of the second, a home run by Schariest and an RBI
double by Talley brought the Twilighters to within 9-7, but they
would get no closer.
The Sentries scored seven runs in the bottom of the second,
driving Sperry from the mound in the process. Another Sunset
miscue, RBI singles by O' Kelley and Munguia, another three run
home run by Jones, and a balk gave the Gatekeepers an overwhelming
16-7 lead.
After the second inning both Ubiera and David Bourns, now pitching
in relief for the Twilighters, settled down and the scoring slowed
to a crawl.
Ubiera's RBI single in the fourth made it 17-7, an RBI single by
Gonzalez in the fifth made it 18-7. In the top of the sixth,
Brandon Hull's RBI single ended the Sunsets' scoring, as any
opportunity to cut into the lead further was dashed as Price, ill
advisedly, was caught attempting to steal with his team trailing
by 10 runs. In the home half of the frame Phil Laufman's home run
capped all of the offensive festivities and provided the final
margin of victory.
Ubiera wound up going the distance for the Sentries and
earning the win. Ubiera allowed eight runs on 10 hits, walked
three, and struck out four. Sperry took the loss after permitting
11 earned runs on 12 hits in just over
an inning of work.
Munguia, Hopkins, and Sandy Cabrera led the Fightin' Phils with
three hits each. Jones had six RBI.
Schariest had three hits to pace the Twilighters. Price, Talley,
and Green added two hits each.
The series is scheduled to continue with Game 2 set for
Saturday.
