By DAN PAWLOWSKI
WAKEFIELD — When in doubt, give the rock to Colin Jaena.
It’s no coincidence that Jaena’s run with the Twi League Brewers has coincided with their current dynasty of four straight years as the champs.
Stop me if you’ve heard this before.
That was the lede of Game 2’s recap after Jaena’s complete game led the Brewers to a 1-1 tie in the series. Game 2 was Tuesday night. Game 3 was last night. Jaena took the ball on about 45 hours of rest and threw another complete game victory as the Brew Crew kept their incredible run of four consecutive Twi titles alive with a 5-2 victory over the Loafers at Moulton Park, winning the semifinal series 2-1.
A tense, win-and-you’re-in matchup actually had the Loaf with the edge, up 2-1 in the 4th before the Brewers broke through with 3 in the inning to take the lead for good.
Defense was the difference in this one. Loafer rookie starter Marc Gagne (6IP, 6H, 2BB, 4K, 5R, 2ER) was plenty solid for his team but an error at short gave the Brewers 2 runs and the lead in that 4th.
Meanwhile, Brewer right fielder Chris Casey made the play of the season — and quite possibly of the Twi League’s 50 years — on a diving catch in the 5th with one out and runners at first and second. Casey sold out, sprinting in and robbing Jared Pavey of an RBI hit with a fully-extended dive before alertly springing to his feet and throwing to second for a double play, ending the inning and firing up the Brewers. This was no blooper; it was closer to a sinking liner. So, If it got past him, it most likely meant 2 runs and a tie game if not a Loafer lead with a Pavey inside-the-park homer.
Some at Moulton were calling it a dynasty-saving play. It was a fair description, mostly because of the momentum it created. The Brewers followed with one more in the 5th after a pickoff attempt from Gagne sailed past first baseman Ben Waldrip allowing Chris Coombs to sail around the bags, making it 5-2.
Coombs followed that up my making a nice turn at second on a 5-4-3 double play to end the Loafers’ 6th. He made another nice play on a slow grounder in the 7th, charging to get the first out before Jaena (7IP, 6H, 3BB, 3K, 2R, 1ER) finished it up with a fly out and a groundout.
The Brewers will now head back to the Twi Finals for the sixth consecutive season, looking for a five-peat. They will meet the Slappers who swept the Expos 2-0 in the first round.
Game one of the Finals is to be announced but will likely start next week.