Expansion
Series: Beacons Retain Crown With Sweep Of Sunsets
January 29, 2014 (Federal League Wire Service)
The Lighthouse Point Beacons won the Expansion Series for the
second season in a row, beating the last team to defeat them in a
playoff series, as they topped the Sunrise Sunsets, 10-5, to
complete the three game sweep.
Jose Estevez pitched a complete game for the Illuminators and C.
Redacted swatted a pair of home runs, including a grand slam in the
bottom of the fifth that gave the Beacons the lead for good.
Justin "The Warrior" Shiver started for the Twilighters
and took the loss. Shiver was the only pitcher to defeat the
Beacons this campaign with a complete game effort. On this night,
however, Shiver permitted five earned runs on 12 hits.
The Sunsets opened the scoring in the top of the first on an
infield single by Andrew Richard and back to back doubles by Chris
Price and Demetrio Green.
In the bottom of the first, the Beacons tied the score. After
taking advantage of a Sunset error, Brant Spring singled in a run.
The game remained deadlocked until the top of the fifth. A two out
single by Drew Davis scored Green with the go ahead run, putting
the Twilighters in front, 3-2. However, in the home half of the
frame, Redacted unloaded a shot to center field that went over the
wall for a grand slam and a 6-3 Beacons' lead.
In the sixth, the Illuminators stretched their advantage to 8-3 as
Ryan Scott and Redacted had consecutive two out RBI singles. A
sacrifice fly by Jimmy Efre in the seventh made it 9-3, and
Redacted crushed a solo home run in the eight to give the Beacons
a 10-3 lead heading into the ninth.
The Sunsets refused to go down without a fight. Chris Price led
off an reached on an error and then went to third as Green doubled
off the center field fence. Rob Wiley blooped a two run single to
right field that cut the gap to 10-5. Singles by Davis and Mike
Govern loaded the bases with none out, but Estevez retired the
next three batters in order, getting Richard to fly to left for
the final out, to end the rally and the series.
Redacted finished the game with three hits and six RBI and was
named co-winner of the Most Valuable Player Award of the playoffs
by the editors of South Florida Baseball Report.
Redacted shared the honor with teammate Nicholas Mirto, who won two
games in the post season and allowed only one run in 15 innings.
Brant Spring also had three hits for the Beacons. Davis and Jimmy
Schariest paced the Sunsets with three hits each.
The two teams have now met in the Expansion Series four times with
the Beacons winning each meeting.
The championship marked the 14th league title won by the Beacons.
Beacons Pull Away In Game 2:
After squandering a large lead in Game 1, the Lighthouse Point
Beacons slowly pulled away from the Sunrise Sunsets and registered
a 14-2 win in Game 2 of the best of five Expansion Series. The win
allowed the Illuminators to move within one more win from
capturing their second straight championship.
Rookie right hander Nick Mirto was challenged by veteran hurler
David Bourns, but in this case, the rookie outperformed his elder.
Miro tossed eight strong innings, permitting one run on three
hits. Mirto, who did not allow a hit after the third inning,
walked three, hit one, and struck out seven.
Bourns, pitching despite a sore knee, was charged with seven
earned runs on 10 hits in six and two thirds innings, and took the
loss.
The Beacons methodically built a 6-1 lead through four frames
before rallying for four in the seventh and four more in the top
of the ninth.
A clutch two out, two run, single by Brant Spring put the Beacons
in front 4-1 in the third after the Sunsets drew to within 2-1 in
the second on a double by Drew Davis and an RBI single by Brandon
Hull.
The Beacons increased their lead to 6-1 in the fourth on RBI
singles by Ryan Scott and C. Redacted. With Mirto tossing zeroes,
the Illuminators put the game on ice with four in the seventh. An
RBI single by Naz Rosario, a sacrifice fly by Jimmy Efre, and a
error helped the B's take a nine run lead.
In the ninth, the Beacons added on four runs against reliever
Jimmy Schariest. Efre had an RBI single and Raul Nieto doubled
home two runs.
The Sunsets closed out the scoring in the bottom of the ninth as
Demetrio Green led off with a double and eventually scored on a
sacrifice fly by Rob Wiley.
Redacted led the Beacons with four hits in six trips. Nieto added
three hits.
Beacons' catcher Joe Colosimo had, perhaps, his best game of the
season. Colosimo, playing with his twin newborn sons in the
stands, completely shut down the Sunsets' running game by throwing
out two would be base stealers in the early innings.
The Sunsets will seek to extend the series, as the Beacons strive
for the sweep, when the series resumes with Game 3, scheduled for
Wednesday night.
Beacons Prevail In Game 1:
For nearly 10 innings, the Lighthouse Point Beacons and Sunrise
Sunsets battled and rallied and persevered in their efforts to win
the first game of the best of five Expansion Series, but the end
came not with a bang, but with a whimper. Jeff Fazio scored from
third on a wild pitch with one out in the bottom of the 10th to
give the Illuminators an absurd 16-15 win over the Twilighters.
Ryan DiGiose started for the Beacons against Justin
"Ace" Shiver, but neither hurler factored in the
decision. Shiver lasted three innings as the Beacons built a 8-2
lead through the first three frames. DiGiose pitched into the
seventh before being undone by some inopportune wildness and some
even less opportune bad defense by his teammates.
Things began well for the Illuminators as they built their six run
advantage. Jimmy Efre, Brant Spring, Raul Nieto, Jamie Siragusa,
and Keith Nicoll all had RBI hits. The Sunsets two runs had come
on Brandon Hull's RBI ground out and a sacrifice fly by Chris
Price, both in the top of the third.
The Beacons increased their lead to 13-2, scoring three in the
fourth and two in the fifth against reliever Ted Maceda. Nicoll
and Spring both had two run singles, and Juan Gonzalez had an RBI
hit. However, Maceda settled down and limited the B's to just one
more unearned run, coming about as a result of a sacrifice fly by
Efre, over the next three innings.
In the meantime, the Sunsets bravely rallied, scoring two in the
sixth, six in the seventh, two in the eighth, and three in the
ninth to finally take a 15-14 lead. Andrew Richard's two run
single in the sixth and two run double in the seventh helped to
spur the comeback. Demetrio Green hit a two run shot in the
seventh, David Bourns had a key sacrifice fly in the eighth, and
Chris Price gave the Sunsets the lead with a three run home run in
the top of the ninth.
The Sunsets turned to Jimmy Schariest to protect the lead in the
bottom of the ninth, but Schariest walked Spring and then allowed
a single to C. Redacted. Nicoll walked to fill the bases, but
Schariest bounced back to catch Gonzalez looking for the first
out.
The Beacons tied the game as an ill advised pickoff attempt at
second base wound up in centerfield as the tying run scored.
Schariest avoided further trouble by inducing Naz Rosario to line
out to second and getting Efre to pop out to short to end the
threat.
After the Sunsets failed to score in the top of the 10th, despite
Schariest leading off the frame and reaching second, the Beacons
finally ended the contest in the bottom of the inning.
Fazio led off and was hit by a pitch and moved to second as Raul
Nieto drew a walk. Maceda, now in centerfield after pitching five
innings, temporarily saved the game with a great diving catch on a
fly ball off the bat of Guy Bitchatcho. Fazio moved to third on
the play, from where he scored when Schariest uncorked a wild
pitch.
Spring got the win, pitching three and a third innings and
permitting four earned runs on seven hits. Schariest took the
loss, yielding two runs on one hit and three walks.
Efre and Nicoll led the Beacons with three hits each. Richard had
four hits for the Sunsets.
The two teams will try to top that opening act in Game 2,
scheduled for Monday night.
