Game 4 set for Sunday at 5 p.m.
By DAN PAWLOWSKI
WAKEFIELD — The weather forecast for this Sunday at 5 p.m. is 80 degrees, partly cloudy with a humidity level under 50 percent.
That’s a perfect day for baseball.
Thanks to the High Life’s 7-5 win over the Brewers in Game 3 of the Twi League Finals last night, there will be baseball on Sunday at Moulton.
The Brewers erased a 5-1 deficit to tie the game in the 6th inning, with a crowd of friends and family looking on, hoping to celebrate their 4th consecutive Twi League title.
It wasn’t to be on this night.
The Life put up two runs in the top of the 7th and starter Owen Riddell closed out his gutsy performance by striking out the side to end the game.
Riddell (7IP, 9H, 5BB, 6K, 5ER) and Brewer starter Brian Millea (7IP, 14H, 2BB, 3K, 5ER) would never claim they had their best stuff last night, but the two battled in true Twi bulldog fashion, digging deep to make big pitches just when their teams needed them the most. They each gave their high-powered offenses a chance to go win it.
In the end, it was the High Life who had more clutch hits, following the lead of Derek Dettorre (3-for-5, RBI) and Joe Stackhouse (3-for-3) who each had 3 hits, along with Danny Concessi (2-for-5, RBI), Caleb Birchem (2-for-5, 2RBI) and Anthony Cecere (2-for-4, RBI) who each had 2.
Riddell’s work against the Brewers’ big three — their number 3-5 hitters — made the difference in handing the Brewers’ their first loss of the season. John Halsey, Brendan Casey and Matt Fiore, the Brew Crew’s own murderer’s row during their recent domination of the Twi, went a combined 2-for-10 in this one, and that was even with Fiore reaching base in three of his four at-bats with two walks and a single. It was the only time he didn’t that equaled one of the biggest plays of the day. In the 5th inning, with the bases loaded, one out and the Life holding onto a 5-3 lead, Riddell got Fiore to ground to second where Jake Vezga flipped to Dettorre who turned it to Anthony Caracciolo for an inning-ending double play.
The Brewers tied it in the 6th, loading the bases with no outs. Leadoff hitter, Chris Casey, knocked in a run with a single and Colin Jaena’s sac fly evened it. Riddell got out of it by getting Halsey to hit into a force out.
A conference at the plate between coaches and umps ended up with a green light to play the 7th with the sun all but gone from this summer night.
The High Life wasted no more time in getting a leg up as Cecere’s leadoff double set the tone. Stackhouse followed with an infield single and after a groundout and an error, the bases were juiced. Millea came up with a strikeout for the second out, setting up the biggest duel of the day with Dettorre at the plate. The Life’s shortstop won this round, digging out a base hit to give his team a 6-5 lead. An error at second base — with the ball getting harder and harder to see — resulted in another run for the Life.
Riddell, who naturally looked like he was running out of gas in the 5th and 6th, found another level in the 7th, winning three tough battles to strike out the side.
The High Life’s early lead came in the 1st inning. Dettorre led off with a double, Concessi hit a towering RBI triple to the Houston Astros-style hill in center field and Birchem ripped an RBI double down the line. A groundout from Cecere made it 3-0.
Steve Morganelli (2-for-3, RBI) knocked in Fiore with a double in the 2nd but Birchem celebrated his birthday with another RBI hit, this time a single in the 4th to make it 4-1.
The Brewers cut a 5-1 deficit to 5-3 in the 5th when Jaena brought home 2 on a base hit with the bases chucked. That was just before the Life’s huge double play to end the threat.
The Brewers, up 2-1 now, have another chance to end it on Sunday. It would be a nice day to celebrate the Twi League’s newest dynasty.
Of course, the Life could do some celebrating of their own. If they win, they would somehow, someway, force a 5th and deciding game, which would be played on Monday at 5:30 p.m.