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Tigers Take Game One

7/27/12

Springfield opened their best-of-three Tomahawk East League playoff series by hosting St. James on Friday night. It was a tremendous night for a ballgame with temps at a reasonable summer level and minimal mosquitoes in attendance. Alex Frank took the ball for the hosts. After allowing an unearned run in the first half inning, the Tigers grabbed the lead in the home half of the first and behind Frank's complete game effort, took a 1-0 series lead, 9-5.

A Tiger error started things for St. James, allowing the first batter of the game to reach second. A ground out moved him over to third. A's right-hander Chris Menssen then gave himself the lead with a sacrifice fly.

Matt Vogel got things going in the bottom of the first when he ripped a one-out base hit. Alex Fink followed with a walk. Ryan Sturm put the Tigers on the board with a base hit. A misplay allowed Fink to come around to score and give the Tigers a 2-1 lead. Another St. James error scored Sturm and put Matt Tews on first. Then Marc Salazar crushed a ball to deep center to bring Tews around. Salazar was thrown out at third trying to stretch the double.

Frank settled in with the three-run lead to work with. He tossed three-up and three-down second and fourth innings sandwiched around the third where he worked around the A's only hit of the first four frames.

After two were retired in the top of the fifth, Joe Krause smashed a triple that two-hopped off the Expressway sign in deep center field. That pushed across Nate Ewert who had reached via a fielder's choice. Austin Pinke then followed with a triple of his own to score Krause and make things interesting at 4-3.

Surrendering the two runs in the top of the inning woke up the Springfield offense in the bottom of the fifth. Ryan Beyer ended up at third base on a errant throw after a third strike. Jacob Menage drove in Beyer with a solid single. With two down, Fink came through with an extra-base hit to score Menage and return the Tigers' lead to three, 6-3.

The Tigers put up single runs in the sixth and seventh. Aided by a St. James error in the sixth and with another double from Fink in the seventh. Fink's double marked the end of the night for starter Chris Menssen. St. James went to the bullpen to bring on Matt Dahl. The first two batters reached off Dahl, but Springfield left the bases loaded with their lead stuck at five, 8-3.

Pinke started the eighth with a double. He was able to move around and score on a Tiger error. Springfield's second miscue of the frame put another runner on the sacks. A's catcher Matt Westman ripped a double to drive in that run and make the score 8-5. Frank then found a little something extra as he struck out the final two batters of the inning.

With the lead down to three, pinch-hitter Marty Brandl was hit by a pitch to begin the bottom of the eighth. Beyer reentered the game to make his way around the bases on a sac bunt from Menage and a wild pitch. Zach Bisel dropped down a squeeze bunt to score Beyer giving Springfield a four run lead. The A's went down in order in the ninth to give Springfield the game one win, 9-5.

Matt Vogel led the way for the Springfield offense with three hits. Alex Fink added two doubles. Ryan Sturm, Matt Tews, Marc Salazar, Christian Loomis, and Jacob Menage rounded out the Tiger attack with one hit each. St. James was led by Joe Krause and Austin Pinke with two hits a piece. Alex Frank picked up his sixth win of the year in a complete game effort. He allowed five runs, three earned, on six hits with eleven strikeouts. Chris Menssen took the loss for the A's working six and one-third innings, surrendering eight runs, four earned, on nine hits with five punch outs.

The win puts Springfield on top 1-0 in the best of three series. The Tigers will travel to take on the A's on Sunday night for game two. The battle is scheduled for a 7:30pm start in St. James. Come enjoy some playoff baseball and cheer on the Tigers!

NOTES: In the last two games between Springfield and St. James, Joe Krause is 5-for-8 with two doubles, a triple, and three RBIs. The A's had thirteen total hits in the contests...Alex Frank has four complete games on the year. His record is 3-1 in those starts...Springfield's three doubles marked the first time they have had more than one extra-base hit in a game since the last time the Tigers played the A's on July 1...The last time Springfield had a best-of-three playoff series that did not go three games was when they swept Gibbon in 2007. During that stretch, the only time they won the first game was 2010 when they won game one against Leavenworth only to lose the next two and the series.


Linescore

123456789RHELOB
St. James1000200205647
Springfield40002111x91035

Springfield Box

ABRHRBIBBSO 
Bisel, C300102SAC(2)
Vogel, RF523000 
A. Fink, SS3122102B(2)
R. Sturm, 3B311111 
Tews, LF321010 
M. Salazar, 1B3011002B, SAC
Loomis, 2B401000 
Beyer, CF/PR320001 
   Brandl, PH000000HP
Menage, DH311101SAC
Frank, P------ 
 30910635 
        
 IPHRERBBSO 
Frank (W, 6-4)9653311

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