The Kids Are Alright

[Edgy MD]

Lucas drives one into the alley, but Thunder centefieldman Mason Williams makes a diving grab.

Josh Rodriguez follows with a single. Allan Dykstra up with one out.

[Edgy MD]

Dykstra mashes it into center. Two on and one out for Mr. Ninth Inning (as they call him) Ryan Hughes.

[Edgy MD]

Hughes fans.

B-Mets (with Tajeiron at the plate) down to their last out.

[Edgy MD]

Called strike three. Season over.

The title of this thread is a lie.

[Zvon]

Its not a lie if you really meant it.



Or believe it.

[Edgy MD]

... or focus on better news.

Savannah advances to the Salllie League finals with a 5-0 win over Augusta. Your big-game pitcher is Steven Matz, who went seven innings, allowing only one hit, walking none and striking out eight.

Brandon Nimmo capped a great playoff series by going 2-3, with a walk, a triple and three RBI. In fact, the first three batters in the Sand Gnat lineup --- Eudy Pina, Nimmo, and Maikis De La Cruz --- all tripled. Leadoff man Pina scored three of the five runs.

In Vegas, the 51s staved off elimination, coming from behind for a 3-2 victory. Possible September callup Giancarlo Alvarado lived dangerously like Zach Wheeler last night, yielding five hits and five walks in his 5 2/3 innings, but stranding runners all over the place and leaving with only one run on his ledger. Brand new Vegas resident Hamilton Bennett had a Christmas-y debut. He entered with two out and a runner on second in the sixth and ninth-place hitter Dan Heid at the plate. Having an open base, he perhaps pitched a little carefully, falling behind 3-0, before working back to 3-2 and gettign Heid on a grounder. The B-Mets score two in the bottom of the inning and Hambone walks off with the win.

On the offensive side, th eattack was led by recent callup Dustin Lawley, who garnered three hits, including a homerun. Ruben Tejada also delivered a big two-out RBI.

You saw the live-blogging jibberish of the last two innings half the Bingo game above. What you didn't see was the fracas that immediately preceded it those innings. I'll let the Binghamton Sun & Bulletin tell the story.

BINGHAMTON � An outstanding season for the Binghamton Mets came to a brutal ending on Friday night at NYSEG Stadium. The Trenton Thunder advanced to the Eastern League�s Championship Series for the second consecutive season on the strength of a 3-0 victory against the B-Mets in front of announced crowd of 4,360 at NYSEG Stadium. The Thunder swept the best-of-five series in three games. The game will likely be remembered for a seventh-inning altercation that started with an interference call that led the ejection of three players and B-Mets manager Pedro Lopez. �It was really tough for it to be left in the hands of the umpire,� said second baseman Danny Muno, who was at the center of the play. �You never want that to happen. You want it to go out fairly, but it was really tough. We had a great year. We were trying to battle back. For that to happen, it was hard.� In the seventh inning, Thunder second baseman Jose Pirela and Muno had to be separated as both team�s benches and bullpens emptied onto the field after on a controversial interference call at second base on a potential double-play ball. Pirela, Muno, Lopez, and B-Mets shortstop Wilfredo Tovar were ejected. The ruckus started after Muno was called for interference while sliding into second base on a ground ball hit by Tovar to Pirela. Muno appeared to slide directly into the bag, but made contact with shortstop Ali Castillo. Muno insisted that he slid right into the bag, and said the only explanation he got from second base umpire Brian De Brauwere was it was �it was interference.� �That�s uncalled for,� Lopez said. �It was a really good series. It was a really good ballgame until that point. I felt like the benches were cleared because of the call at second base. That was a clean slide. Even (Trenton�s) first-base coach said that he blew that call. It�s just sad that this series had to end the way it did.� Muno and Lopez argued with the umpires. Muno had to be held back from the umpires, and at one point Muno and Pirela exchanged words while a lot of pushing and shoving took place as both teams� players and staffs were on the field. �It was just the heat of the moment,� Muno said. �I don�t really know how all of that escalated. It was in the heat of the moment.� Thunders pitchers held the B-Mets scoreless one night after limiting them to one run on two hits in Trenton. The B-Mets stranded a total of 36 men on base in the three-game series, including 15 on Friday night. B-Mets starting pitcher Logan Verrett, who went 12-6 during the regular season with two losses coming against the Thunder, held the Thunder scoreless through the first four innings. After giving up back-to-back singles to start the game, Verrett retired 13 of the next 15 batters he faced. The Thunder got two runs in the fifth against Verrett. Castillo hit a double to left with two outs. Ramon Flores walked on four pitches, and Zoilo Almonte, with the team on a rehab assignment, hit an RBI single to left field. Jose Pirela�s ground ball to Binghamton shortstop Wilfredo Tovar appeared to be the third out of the inning, but first base umpire Ramon de Jesus ruled that Tovar�s throw pulled first baseman Rhyne Hughes off the bag and allowed Flores to score. Lopez argued the call, and the umpiring crew huddled to discuss it but the ruling stood. An insurance run got tacked on in the seventh when Ramon Flores grounded into a double play that allowed Reegie Corona to score from third base. The B-Mets left the bases loaded in both the sixth and eighth innings, both innings ending on strikeouts. Ceciliani struck out to end the sixth, while Alonzo Harris, who came in for Muno, struck out to end the eight. The B-Mets got the tying run to the plate in the ninth, but both Rhyne Hughes and Travis Taijeron struck out. �The way the game went left a sour taste in your mouth,� B-Mets designated hitter Allan Dykstra said. �We battled back and had runners on and just couldn�t get a break to go our way it seemed like. You don�t want to point fingers. It�s just kind of the way the game goes. If we got some big hits it would�ve been irrelevant. It�s kind of bittersweet because we had such a great season. Going out that way, especially at home in front of all our fans, was a disappointment.�

Eleven hits and no runs makes the angels cry. Anyhow, Frank Francisco threw a scoreless inning with two strikeouts for the B-Mets, and while his teammates may mostly be looking at their season's end, he's likely ticketed for Vegas or even New York.

[MFS62]

The 51s are done. Wonderful series for Carson. 1st game, blows the save and takes the loss. 2nd game, comes into tie game, gives up run and takes the loss. Doesn't pitch game 3, they win. Today, comes into game down 3-2, gives up run which becomes game winner in 4-3 final.

Later