By DAN PAWLOWSKI
WAKEFIELD — For the first time in nearly a calendar year, the Brewers left Moulton Field dejected. The champions of the Twi League for the last four years running, the Brew Crew went 12-0 this season. Number five felt inevitable. They went undefeated in the regular season last year as well, their only loss coming in the Finals which they ended up winning comfortably anyways, three games to one.
The Loafers entered the playoffs as the lowest seed after going 5-7. They needed a do-or-die win over the Unknowns to make it in last week.
As it turns out, that type of pressure baseball had the Loaf ready to cook in game one last night. They scored 13 runs on 16 hits, cruising to a 13-6 victory.
Ben Waldrip led the way in the cleanup spot, going 4-for-5 with 3 doubles, a triple and 5 RBI.
Every player in the Loaf’s starting nine collected a hit. Dom Sorrentino (2RBI), Charles Gagne (2RBI), Jared Pavey (RBI) and Nate Ickes each had 2 hits.
The Loafers kicked things off with 3 runs in the 1st and then broke a 3-3 tie in the 4th with 3 more runs. They added 4 more in the 5th to take complete control with a 10-3 lead.
Loafer starter Jordan Fauci (5IP, 5H, 3BB, 5HBP, 2K, 3R, 2ER) gave up 3 in the 1st but settled in after that, keeping an always-loaded Brewers offense off the board for the next four frames.
The combined six runs in the 1st inning was about the best way a playoff series could begin.
Rookie Charles Gagne kicked things off in the top of the 1st with a great at-bat against Brewer starter Chris Casey, eventually ending in a base hit through the left side of the infield. A walk to James Beaton and then a throwing error at short on a grounder scored Gagne, setting up Waldrip for his first towering double of the day to right-center, scoring two and giving the Loafers a 3-0 lead out of the gate.
In true Brewer fashion, the response was swift. Two hit batters and a John Halsey single loaded the bags with one down in the bottom of the 1st. Brendan Casey scored on a wild pitch, Chris Coombs connected on an RBI base hit and a manufactured run on a stolen base with runners at the corners evened it at 3-3.
Casey had a quick inning in the 2nd, matched by Fauci as just one baserunner got on for each team. The Loafers loaded the bags in the 3rd but Casey got a strikeout and groundout to end it.
In the bottom of the 3rd, it appeared as though the tide had officially turned as it so often does for the Brewers but again with the bags loaded and one down, Fauci answered the bell with a strikeout and a groundout on a nice play by Sorrentino ranging to his right end the inning and keep the game tied.
The Loafers broke out on a two-out rally in the 4th started by a Beaton base hit and back-to-back RBI triples from Sorrentino and Waldrip. Pavey followed with an RBI single to make it 6-3.
In need of a quick inning, Fauci delivered in the bottom of the 4th before the Loafers essentially put it away with four in the 5th.
Ickes led off the 5th with a double, moved to third on a groundout and scored on a wild pitch. Marc Gagne singled and got to second on an error setting up Charles Gagne who brought home his brother with an RBI single. Sorrentino stayed clutch with an RBI single to make it 9-3 and the Maple trees in right shuddered again when Waldrip stepped up, for good reason. His third missile of the night clipped a tree and made it 10-3. Waldrip’s final RBI double of the game accounted for the 13th and final run in the 7th.
Fauci kept the Brewers off the board in the 5th and Marc Gagne finished it off. The Brewers got some momentum with a run in the 6th and two more in the 7th, a move to build up for game two which becomes a must-have for a dynasty that has been comfortably in first all year.
Game two is scheduled for tomorrow night, 5:45 p.m. at Moulton.
In the other semifinal series, the Slappers beat the Expos 7-5 at Walsh Field. The two teams will return to Moulton for game 2 tonight at 5:45 p.m.