2012 League Champs

2012 PCBL A-Division Summer Championship

Sun. 8/19 @ 6:30pm / Jethawk Stadium

Durham Bulls -vs- Havana Reds

 

Havana Reds

Reds Rip the Bulls in Championship Thriller

By Scot Sweet / PCBL Staff Writer

 

This was the nightcap of our championship triple-header at Jethawk Stadium in Lancaster. With the Durham Bulls failing to score in the top half of the 1st inning; up come the Havana Reds to try and get on board first in this A-Division Summer Championship.

The Reds get their 1st hit of the game when Luis Cruz triples. He soon scores on a error. Rex De La Nuez is hit by a pitch; sending up Mark Grizzle who hits an RBI single. Mark Martin follows with a run-scoring double and the Reds get 3 runs to take the early 3-0 lead. They would come to bat in the bottom of the 2nd inning; still leading 3-0. David Geraldo leads off with a triple to right. Raul Verdicia responds with an RBI single to left. Augie Alonzo keeps it going with a sigle to left. Two batters later, Rex De La Cruz doubles home a pair. Combine that with a walk and a Mooch Machado single and you end up with 6 big runs in the inning for the Reds. They take a commanding 9-0 lead through 2 complete innings of play ..... one would think ...

So the Durham Bulls come to bat in the top of the 3rd; down 9-0 and desperately needing some sign of an offense. They find it. This offensive (and it is!) report will be abbreviated in order to keep your attention. So here we go. Jesse McKindley leads off with a single. Cesar Gonzales hits a double. Matt Lane gets an RBI single. Joe Mastronardi hits an RBI double. Jeff Reisbeck responds with a 3-run double. The Bulls bat around as the guy who led this whole thing off, Jesse McKindley, singles for the 2nd time this inning! Matt Lane is up and he too gets his 2nd hit of the inning; a 2-run single. Chris Hems follows with an RBI single; his 2nd RBI in this inning. Eric Pryor follows with an RBI single. Add a pair of walks and a pair of errors in the inning and the final tally was a whopping 10 ... count 'em ... 10 runs in the inning for the Durham Bulls; now leading 10-9 after 2 1/2 innings of play. Wow!

But the Reds even things up in the bottom of the 3rd when Paul Pablos singles and soon scores; thanks to a pass ball and an error. Were all tied up at 10 through 3 complete. The Reds strike again in the bottom of the 4th. Mark Grizzle doubles; Mark Martin follows with a single and Mooch Machado gets the sac fly for an RBI. Consecutive singles follow from Roldan Acosta and Mark Behn result in a 3-run inning for the Reds; now leading 13-10 through 4.

They shut the Bulls down on offense again; coming up in the bottom of the 5th with a narrow 13-10 lead. A couple of walks and a fielding error get the ball rolling for the Reds; and a run scores in the process. Mark Grizzles follows with his 3rd hit of the game; a 2-run double. Mark Martin answers with HIS 3rd hit of the game; an RBI double. The Reds get 4 more runs as now lead 17-10 after 5 complete innings. But with the Bulls once again shut down on offense; the Reds would come back for more in the bottom of the 6th. Singles by Roldan Acosta and Raul Verdecia; combined with a walk and an error; produce 2 more runs for the Reds. They lead 19-10 through 6 complete.

But the Bulls aren't lying down just yet. They come to bat in the top of the 7th; down by 9. With 1 out, Larry Block singles. He's followed by Jesse McKindley who hits an RBI double. The nex batter reaches base due to an error. Matt Lane follows with a 2-run double. Two batters later, Eric Pryor doubles to score a run. Joe Mastronardi answers with an RBI double of his own. The Durham Bulls get 5 runs in the inning to close the gap; now down 19-15 after 6 1/2 innings of play.

So here come the Havana Reds in the bottom of the 7th. Luis Cruz gets a leadoff single; and steals 2nd base soon after. The next batter walks; sending up Mark Grizzle who blasts a 3-run homer. Mark Martin, Mark Behn and Paul Pablos all follow with singles. A run scores on a pass ball. Raul Verdecia answers with a 2-run single. The Reds score 6 runs in the inning to re-extend their lead; now up 25-15 through 7 complete innings.

The Durham Bulls would score 2 runs in the top of the 8th inning; thanks to a Larry Block single and a 2-run single by Eric Pryor. Those would prove to be the final runs of the game as the Havana Reds would hold off the Durham Bulls and win this A-Division Championship by a final score of 25-17. Congratulations to the 2012 Champion Havana Reds for a great season and for coming out on top in this late-night slugfest!
 
 

Game Stats

Durham Bulls   

0 0 10 0 0 0 5 2 0   17 22 5

Havana Reds    

3 6  1 3 4 2 6 0 -     25 23 5

 

(WP) R Mendez (Reds) 6 2/3 IP; Allowed 15 runs (9 earned) on 17 hits, with 3 walks & 4 K's

(LP) C Ozar (Bulls) 1IP, Allowed 3 runs on 3 hits, with 1 walk & 1 K

 

Havana Reds Offensive Stars

Mark Grizzle 4 for 5; single, 2 doubles, 3-Run HR, walk, 6 RBI's, 5 runs

Mark Martin 4 for 5; 2 singles, 2 doubles, 2 RBI's, 2 runs

Raul Verdicia 3 for 4; 3 singles, 4 RBI's, 2 runs
 

Game Time:

6:40pm - 9:55pm (3 hrs, 15 min)