SEMI-FINALS -- VIRGINIA DESTOYERS vs GREENSBORO SMOKE

It was the end of the line for the Smoke in 2022 after getting completely handled by the Virginia Destroyers.  

The Smoke entered the series as favorites, though not heavy favorites, as the Destroyers have long been a franchise that has given the Smoke difficulties from their years together in the former Central Division.   However, this League Championship Series was marked by a complete domination by the World Series bound Virginia Destroyers after a four game sweep of the Greensboro Smoke.

The Destroyers were led by former Smoke 2^nd Basemen, Kolten Wong with his .400 average, exceptional defensive play, as well as double play combo teammate, Jake Cronenworth with his team high two homeruns and six RBI.   However, it was not the .230/.306/.385 batting slash that did in the Smoke.  In fact, the Smoke pitchers did remarkably well against the Destroyers.  However, in all playoff matchups, it is the starting pitching that seems to dominate the storyline, which was completely accurate for this four-game series.   The Smoke hitters were only able to muster the following stat line against Destroyer starters

IP         Hits      Runs    Walks  Strikeouts

27.3     13          6            4           33
 

Game # 1: Kershaw dominates in Destroyer Blue and shutsdown the Smoke 7-0.

Destroyers....... 0 0 2  4 0 0  1 0 0  -  7 12  0

Smoke…........... 0 0 0  0 0 0  0 0 0  -  0  3  0

Game # 2: Greensboro battles back to take the game to extras, but Joey Votto made a way in the 13^th to bring home the win.

Destroyers....... 2 0 1  0 0 0  0 0 0  0 0 0  1 -  4  6  2

Smoke…........... 0 1 0  0 1 0  1 0 0  0 0 0  0 -  3  7  0

Game # 3: Virginia back at home gets the nails ready for the coffin as they close down the Smoke in the last two innings.

Smoke….......... 1 0 0  0 0 0  2 0 0  -  3  4  0

Destroyers....... 0 0 0  0 4 0  0 0    -  4  8  1

Game # 4:  Bring out the brooms as Michael King looks more like Pedro Martinez, mowing down eight Smoke hitters and dominating Greensboro to bring Virginia to the World Series.

Smoke.............. 0 0 0  0 0 0  0 0 1  -  1  3  0

Destroyers....... 0 0 0  1 0 1  3 0    -  5  7  1

QUARTER FINAL SERIES -- WASHINGTON SENATORS vs VIRGINIA DESTROYERS

Will this be the year Washington breaks their pattern of disappointing playoff losses, or will newcomer Virginia win its first playoff series? Washington won the Northwest Division with a 106-56 record. Virginia enters with a 95-67 record as the winner of the Southern Division.

Game 1 Virginia at Washington ( Stroman vs. Scherzer)

Jazz Chisholm had 2 base hits as the Washington Senators beat the Virginia Destoyers by a score of 4 to 1.

Max Scherzer (1-0) gave a fine effort for Washington. He went 7 innings and surrendered 4 hits and 1 walk. Scherzer whiffed an impressive total of 8 Virginia batters. Washington had 7 hits for the night. 

Michael King (0-1) was the loser in relief. He was unable to retire a batterand surrendered 1 hit and 1 walk.

Game 2 Virginia at Washington (Kershaw vs. Rasmussen)

Center fielder Amed Rosario homered and had 2 RBI. Clayton Kershaw whiffed 12 batters at Nationals Stadium, where the Virginia Destoyers beat the Washington Senators 4 to 1 to even the Series at 1 game each.

Kershaw (1-0) looked very much in control throughout the night. He allowed only 2 hits and 1 walk in 6 innings. Virginia banged out 7 hits on the night. 

Tyler Rogers earned his 1st save. The loss was charged to Drew Rasmussen (0-1). He gave up 3 runs and 5 hits in 6 innings. 

The Series moves to Virginia for games 3,4 and 5

Game 3 Washington at Virginia (Bassit vs. Bauer)

Chris Bassitt whiffed 10 batters as the Virginia Destoyers beat the Washington Senators by a score of 2 to 0.

Bassitt (1-0) contributed a very nicely pitched game. He allowed just 4 hits and 3 walks in 8 innings. Neither team managed to score after the 2nd inning. 

Jonathan Loaisiga was credited with his 1st save. Trevor Bauer(0-1) was hit with the loss. He gave up 5 hits and 4 walks in 7 and 2/3 innings. Virginia now leads the Series 2 games to 1.

Game 4 Washington at Virginia (Scherzer vs. Stroman)

Second baseman Jazz Chisholm jacked one out of the ballyard and had 2 RBI at Harbour Park as the Washington Senators beat the Virginia Destoyers by the count of 6 to 3.

Max Scherzer (2-0) had a solid outing for Washington. He went 6 and 2/3 innings allowing 5 hits and 5 walks. Scherzer mowed down 9 Virginia batters. Washington had 10 hits for the game, and Virginia had 6. 

Scherzer got help from Ian Kennedy, who was credited with his 1st save. Marcus Stroman (0-1) took the loss. He allowed 5 runs and 5 hits in 6 and 1/3 innings. The Series is now tied at 2 games apiece.

Game 5  Washington at Virginia (Kershaw vs. Civale)

The Washington Senators nipped the Virginia Destoyers in 11 innings, 5 to 4, at Harbour Park in a hard-fought contest.

Both teams were tied at 4 runs apiece after nine innings. Finally, Washington prevailed in the 11th inning. Xander Bogaerts lashed a single. Jose Ramirez followed, and he ripped a single. Jazz Chisholm struck out, unable to help the rally. Robinson Chirinos dug into the batter's box next, but he struck out. Adam Engel stepped into the box and stroked a base-hit scoring the run. Engel took second on the throw. Washington managed 11 hits in their victory. 

The victory was credited to Ian Kennedy (1-0), who went 2 and 1/3 innings, allowing 1 run. Hector Neris was credited with his 1st save. Tyler Rogers (0-1) ended up with the loss in relief. 

Washington now leads the Series 3 games to 2 as the teams head back to Washington. The Senators only need one win to win the Series.

Game 6 Virginia at Washington (Bassit vs. Bauer)

With the season on the line, the Destroyers are counting on Bassit. Bassit doesn't disappoint, and the hitters come out swinging.

Kris Bryant cracked 2 home runs and had 5 RBI as the Virginia Destoyers bested the Washington Senators 13 to 4 at Nationals Stadium.

Bryant propelled Virginia to victory. He cleared the fences for a two-run home run in the 2nd inning, laced a one-base hit, knocking in a run in the 5th inning, and bombed a two-run dinger in the 7th inning. Virginia had many opportunities throughout the game and scored in 6 separate innings. 

Chris Bassitt (2-0) picked up the victory, allowing no runs in 7 innings. Trevor Bauer (0-2) ended up with the loss. He served up 3 gopher balls in 4 innings. 

The Series is now tied, setting up a winner take all game 7.

Game 7 Virginia at Washington (Stroman vs. Scherzer)

Washington scored first on a Bryce Harper HR, but that is all they would score as Virginia clawed their way back to win the final and take the Series.

Yoan Moncada blasted 2 home runs as the Virginia Destoyers beat the Washington Senators by a score of 4 to 1.

Virginia took the lead for good in the 3rd inning, scoring one run. That early run support was all that Marcus Stroman (1-1) required. Tyler Rogerswas outstanding in relief and recorded his 2nd save. 

Max Scherzer (2-1) was charged with the loss. He surrendered 3 runs and 5 hits in 6 and 1/3 innings.

Series MVP – Chris Bassit was named the series MVP, pitching 15 innings of shutout ball and winning both starts. Hunter Renfroe also had an excellent series for the Destroyers, hitting .345 with 3 HRs.

For Washington – Max Scherzer pitched well, going 2-1 with a 2.45 ERA. Adam Engel led the hitters with a .465 average.

QUARTER FINAL SERIES -- MICHIGAN MARVELS vs ALBANY INTERNATIONALS

• The series was incredibly low scoring, with a dearth of offense on both sides.
  • Michigan hit 184/262/325 for the series
  • Albany hit 208/295/333 for the series
• The performance was even worse in the clutch:
  • Michigan hit 143/273/214
  • Albany hit 130/200/130
• A total of 41 runs were scored in the series, with 18 of them coming in the last game, a 10-8 Albany win. In game 7, Cy Young award winner Walker Buehler was torched, and then reliever Tim Hill came in and poured gasoline on the fire, with Albany jumping out to a 10-2 lead. Michigan tried to rally, but fell short.
• Despite his weak performance in game 7, Buehler was strong in the series. The two Michigan aces pitched admirably:
  • Corbin Burnes: 1-0, 1.64 ERA, 14 IP, 20 K (2 starts)
  • Walker Buehler: 1-1, 2.95 ERA, 18 IP, 18 K (3 starts)
• Albany starters were also excellent:
  • Lance Lynn: 1-1, 1.38 ERA, 13 IP, only 4 hits allowed
  • Joe Musgrove: 0-1, 1.59 ERA, 11 IP, 10 K
  • Michael Pineda: 1-0, 2.08 ERA, 9 carefully managed innings in two starts
• The Albany relievers also came up aces:
  • Jimmy Nelson: 0.00 ERA in 3 IP
  • Dietrich Enns: 0.00 ERA in 2 IP
  • Kendall Graveman: 1.69 ERA in 5 IP
• Overall a super fun series, and it looks like I still have a few tricks to learn from the original master!

Good luck to the Internationals in the rest of the playoffs!

QUARTER FINAL SERIES - McHENRY CYBERMEN at GREENSBORO SMOKE

The Greensboro Smoke and the McHenry County Cybermen go a full 7 games to decide who moves on.

GAME # 1 

Lucas Giolito racked up an impressive total of 10 strikeouts and Tim Anderson had 2 base hits as the McHenry County Cybermen outscored the Greensboro Smoke 5 to 3. Giolito (1-0) earned his pay with a solid performance for McHenry County. He surrendered 5 hits and 1 walk in 6 and 2/3 innings. Andrew Kittredge relieved and was untouched by Greensboro as he recorded the save, his 1st. Jordan Montgomery (0-1) was tagged with the loss. Lars Neilsen was impressed with Giolito and his 10 strikeouts. 'It's tough to generate runs if you can't make contact with the ball.'

Cybermen........ 0 0 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 - 5 9 0
Smoke............. 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 - 3 5 1

McHenry takes a 1-0 Series lead

GAME # 2

The Greensboro Smoke nipped the McHenry County Cybermen 8 to 7 at The Smokehouse in a hard fought contest. Mike Minor(1-0) pitched a fine game. He went 5 and 2/3 innings and surrended up 5 hits and 3 walks. McHenry County tried unsuccessfully to come back in the 9th. Jordan Romano recorded the save, his 1st. Wade Miley (0-1) absorbed the loss. He got hit pretty hard, allowing 7 hits and 2 walks in 4 and 1/3 innings. Lars Neilsen was in a talkative mood in the clubhouse, 'Great game! If only we could win all of the close ones - wouldn't that be nice! Since that's not going to happen, I think I'll savor this one for a little while.'

Cybermen........ 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 4 - 7 10 1
Smoke............. 0 1 0 0 4 0 3 0 X - 8 10 0

Series Tied 1-1 going back to McHenry 

GAME # 3

Danny Duffy (1-0) and Frankie Montas (0-1) dueled it out with Duffy and the Greensboro Smoke coming out on top of the McHenry County Cybermen by the score of 3 to 1. Greensboro had 2 runs cross the plate in the 4th inning. Greensboro had only 6 hits for the night. Jordan Romano was credited with his 2nd save. 

Smoke.............. 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 - 3 6 1
Cybermen........ 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 1 7 1

Greensboro Smoke leads 2 games to 1 game.

GAME # 4

The McHenry County Cybermen scored 6 runs in the 7th inning and easily topped the Greensboro Smoke; the final score was 6 to 1. McHenry County did all of it's offensive work in the 7th inning when they came up with 6 runs on 4 hits. The key offensive moment was provided by Jose Abreu who electrified The Tardis when he electrified the crowd with a Grand Slam home run. McHenry County managed 7 hits in their victory. Phil Bickford (1-0) went 1 inning allowing no runs for the victory. Joe Ross (0-1) took the loss. He surrendered 4 runs and 5 hits in 6 and 1/3 innings.

Smoke............. 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 1 6 0
Cybermen........ 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 0 -    6 7 0

Series Tied 2-2 

GAME # 5

Kyle Freeland (1-0) and Lucas Giolito (1-1) treated the McHenry County fans to a fine pitching duel at The Tardis. The Greensboro Smoke eventually emerged as victors over the McHenry County Cybermen by the score of 2 to 1. Greensboro started with a bang, jumping out to an early lead in their half of the first scoring one runner. The pitchers took over after the 2nd inning as neither team was able to score again. Freeland was helped out by Jordan Romano who recorded his 3rd save.

Smoke.............. 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 2 8 0
Cybermen........ 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 1 5 1

Greensboro leads the Series 3 games to 2 games. 

GAME # 6

In a two run game the McHenry County Cybermen put 5 runs on the scoreboard in the 6th inning and got by the Greensboro Smoke by the score of 7 to 5. In the 6th inning McHenry County scored 5 runs when they had 5 base hits. The key offensive moment was provided by Billy Hamilton who silenced the stadium when he tripled plating all three baserunners. Greensboro threatened in the 9th but their rally came up short. The win went to Wade Miley (1-1) who allowed 2 runs in 5 innings. Miley got help from Phil Bickford who was credited with his 1st save. Jordan Montgomery(0-2) was hit with the loss. He was unable to control the McHenry County offense and allowed 9 hits and 4 walks in 5 and 1/3 innings. 'Just one or two mistakes were all it took to beat us tonight' Lars Neilsen said. 'We take these games one day at a time, but this one was hard to take.'

Cybermen........ 0 0 1 0 0 5 1 0 0 - 7 16 1
Smoke.............. 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 - 5 14 0

Series tied 3 game to 3 games

GAME # 7

47,022 rowdy fans were treated to a fine game at The Smokehouse as only one run separated the combatants at game's end. The Greensboro Smoke won by the slimmest of margins, 4 to 3. The score was knotted at 3 after nine innings. Greensboro won the hard fought
contest in the 10th inning. Tucker Barnhart lined a single. Brett Phillips stepped up to the plate and he doubled. J.P. Crawford then hit a single resulting in a mighty exciting win for Greensboro and the 47,022 home town fans in attendance. Greensboro finished with 10 hits in the victory. Jordan Romano(1-0) got the win allowing no runs in 2 innings. Steve Cishek(0-1) was the loser in relief. He was unable to retire a batter allowing 2 hits and no walks.

Cybermen........ 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 - 3 9 1
Smoke............. 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 - 4 10 0

GREENSBORO WINS THE SERIES 4 GAMES TO 3 GAMES!!!

It was a great series. Congratulations to Lars and Good luck in the next round.

Evan 

QUARTER FINAL SERIES - GILEAD GUNSLINGERS at VOLBEAT GHOST ARCHERS

All games were played via Netplay. Nick Diiorio - Gilead
                                                          Jason Kip - Volbeat

Game 1:Ray vs deGrom

Volbeat hits 4 solo HR’s to stake deGrom to a 4-0 lead after 5. Of course deGrom can only go 5 innings and the bullpen comes in and just like that it is 4-3.Volbeat hits 2 more bombs in the bottom of the 6th to pull away again.A late rally in the 9th comes up short with the tying run at the plate. Volbeat wins 7-4

Game 2: Gibson vs Glasnow

Gunslingers come out hot with runs in each of the first 4 innings. Leading 4-1 going to the bottom of the 5th. Acuna comes through with a huge 3 run bomb to tie it up and Adames follows with a solo shot to give Volbeat the lead. Volbeat bullpen comes through this time and shuts the door the rest of the game. Volbeat wins 6-4

Game 3:Flexen vs Morton

Volbeat comes out hot this time. 2 runs in the first and second innings. Highlited by a Zunino 2 run bomb. The Gunslingers battle back with 2 runs in the 3rd. Santander hits a solo bomb in the 4th and the lead is now 4-3. But Volbeat is able to shut the Gunslingers down the rest of the way. Volbeat wins 5-3

Game 4:Anderson vs Wainwright

Volbeat is on the board first with a two run HR for Chapman and a 2 run HR for Zunino. It is 4-0 going to the bottom of the 7th. Volbeat manager decides to let Wainwright stay out there. Big mistake.Baez hits a two run bomb and Santander follows with a solo shot and just like that it is 4-3 going to the 8th. In the bottom of the 8th Vladdy JR hits a solo bomb and we go to the 9th tied up. With 2 outs in the top of the 9th Jose Altuve connects for a 2 run bomb and Volbeat is 3 outs from advancing. Jansen in to close it out. First out no problem. Then the game freezes. I hit save and we load the game back up. I think Jansen is still frozen cause he proceeds to give up 4 hits and walk to load the bases and the score now 6-6 with two outs......What just happened. All of a sudden Volbeat’s wife pokes her head in the room and says can I go get her a Starbucks coffee.....What!!!...Then Gilead’s wife says to Nick for him to pinch hit with Naylor. Who then proceeds to hit a walk off grandslam in an improbable comeback. Gunslingers win in EPIC fashion 10-6....and we are all off to bed until Monday afternoon

Game 5:Ray vs deGrom

Gunslingers scores first. Soto gets on base and promptly steals 2nd and goes to 3rd on an errant throw. He scores on a Guerrero ground out. But Volbeat charges back with 2 in the 2nd. Lamont Wade his a solo bomb in the bottom of the 2nd to tie the game at 2. After that the wheels fall off for Ray as Volbeat connects for 3 2-run HR’s over the next 2 innings and just like that it is 10-2 Volbeat. after 4. No one scores the rest of the way. Volbeat wins 10-2 and takes the series 4-1

Highlights for Volbeat: Zunino and Olson hit 3 HR’s each

Highlights for Gilead: Juan Soto hitting .375 WITH 6 walks for .545 OBP

Thanks Nick for the exciting series. All close games except for the last one.

Thanks

Jason Kipp - Volbeat Ghost Archers

WILD CARD SERIES -- FENWAY FAITHFUL at McHENRY COUNTY CYBERMEN

The Faithful come into the Tardis to try and steal a game to get home field advantage but the Cybermen shut the door on them taking the first two games at home.

Game 1

The Cyberman easily handled Sergio Alcantara and the Faithful by winning 8-1. 

Gio Urshela smashed 2 homeruns and had 4 RBI as the McHenry County Cybermen topped the Fenway Faithful by a score of 8 to 1 at The Tardis.

Urshela made sure the McHenry County fans enjoyed themselves. He lofted a three-run bomb in the 3rd inning and smashed a solo-shot out of the park in the 8th inning. McHenry County had a total of 8 hits for the game.

Lucas Giolito (1-0) was the winner, allowing 1 run in 7 innings. Sandy Alcantara (0-1) was the loser. He got hit hard, allowing 5 hits and 2 walks in 2 and 1/3 innings.

Faithful............ 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 1 6 1
Cybermen........ 4 0 3 0 0 0 0 1 x - 8 8 0

Game 2

A little bit closer affair in game 2. 

Wade Miley had an impressive outing and Tim Anderson had 2 base hits at The Tardis, where the McHenry County Cybermen beat the Fenway Faithful by the score of 4 to 0.

McHenry County scored 3 runs in the decisive bottom of the 6th inning when they came up with 5 base hits. They would hold up as the winning runs.

McHenry County finished with 12 hits in the victory. Miley (1-0) was credited with the shutout, his first of the year. Logan Webb (0-1) was the loser. 

Faithful............ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0   5 0
Cybermen........ 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 0 x - 4 12 0

Now for the Cybermen to go on the road and close this series out.
 

Fenway storms back in the series and wins all 3 games to make the series 3-2 going back to McHenry.

Neither team has hit on the road yet. McHenry scored 3 total runs in the 3 games at Fenway. The Faithful will now head back to McHenry with 2 chances to close things out.  Back to you Evan. 

Game 3

Cybermen........ 0 0 2  0 0 0  0 0 0  -  2  8  0
Faithful........ 4 1 1  0 1 1  1 0    -  9 13  0

Avisail Garcia went yard and had 3 RBI as the Fenway Faithful 
topped the McHenry County Cybermen by a score of 9 to 2 at the
Dube Dojo.
 
Julio Urias (1-0) earned his pay with a solid performance for Fenway.  He
allowed 7 hits and 1 walk in 6 and 1/3 innings.  Urias struckout 9 
McHenry County batters.  

Offensively, Fenway was a juggernaut.  They scored in 6 separate 
innings.  
 
The loss was charged to Frankie Montas (0-1).  He was hit hard and 
gave up 9 hits and 3 walks in 5 innings.

Game 4

Cybermen........ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 6 1 
Faithful........ 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 - 3 6 0 

Sandy Alcantara (1-1)with effective use of the bullpen shut down 
the McHenry County Cybermen hitters at the Dube Dojo. 

The Fenway Faithful came away with a 3 to 0 victory.   Fenway tallied 
2 runs in the bottom of the 5th inning. After an out was recorded, 
Carlos Correa got things rolling when he banged out a single. Byron 
Buxton got his chance to keep things going, but he went down on strikes. 
A.J. Pollock then cracked a two-run shot. Giovanny Gallegos was 
perfect in the ninth giving him his 1st save on the season.    

Yohan Ramirez (0-1) was hit with the loss in relief. He pitched 1 
inning giving up 2 hits and no walks.
 

Game 5

Cybermen........ 1 0 0  0 0 0  0 0 0  -  1  7  0
Faithful........ 1 3 0  1 0 0  0 0    -  5 14  0

Logan Webb racked up an impressive total of 12 strikeouts 
at the Dube Dojo where the Fenway Faithful beat the McHenry 
County Cybermen 5 to 1.

Webb (1-1) put on a good performance. He didn't allow much, just 
5 hits and no walks in 7 innings improving his ERA from 3.38 to 
2.19. 

The pitchers took over after the 4th inning as neither team was 
able to score again. Webb was helped out by Giovanny Gallegos who 
recorded his 2nd save. Patrick Corbin (0-1) was the loser. 

Webb was jubilant in the hometown clubhouse, "It was a lot of fun 
out there. The fans gave me a lot of support as did my teammates. 
We got the victory and I'll sure take 12 strikeouts anytime!"

WILD CARD SERIES --- SEATTLE PILOTS at GILEAD GUNSLINGERS

Game 1

Gilead comes out strong with big defensive play in top of the first throwing out Hernandez at home to end the inning. Bottom of the first saw Seatle starter walk 3 batters to load the bases for CJ Cron who hit a Grand Slam to give Gilead a 4-0 on just 1 hit. 

In the bottom of the 3rd Vlad Jr. added a solo shot to make it 5-0. Gilead added a run in the 5th on a CJ Cron double, giving him 5 RBIs on the day.

Stayed that way until the top of 6 win Pete Alonzo made it 6-2 with a 2 run HR but Javy Baez came right back in bottom of 6th with his own 2 run HR to push the lead to 8-2, and that was how it ended

Seatle starter Freddy Peralta only lasts 2 1/3 giving up 5 runs on just 2 hits, both HRs.

Robbie Ray, who came over in a mid-season trade just for this occasion, got the win going 6 innings giving up 2 runs on just 4 hits while striking out 11.

It's been the formula all year for Gilead at home getting good pitching and using the long ball, 3 HRs in game 1.

Game 2 

Game 2 was your classic pitcher duel. Through 5 innings the teams combined for just 1 hit. Gilead got on the board in the 6th when Juan Soto scored on a wild pitch. 

Kyle Gibson had his no-hit bid broken up with 1 out in the 7th as Mike Yastrzemski doubled. he failed to score and that would be the only hit for Seatle. Anthony Santander added some insurance in the bottom of the 7th with a solo HR. David Bednar and Andrew Chafin pitched a perfect 8th and 9th and Gilead takes the game 2-0 and a 2-0 lead in the series.

Kyle Gibson went 7 innings giving up just 1 hit striking out 6 but walking 5.

Lance McCullers started for Seattle and pitched well going 6 1/3 giving up 2 runs on just 3 hits while striking out 10.

Game 3

Cal Quantrill picked the right game to have his most sensational start of the 2022 season.  In the first (and only) CG pitched by a Pilot this year, Quantrill tossed a one-hit shutout.  He walked only two and struck out nine. Miles Straw led off the game with a double to centerfield and Will Smith drove him in.  That was to be the only scoring of the game. Chrix Flexen pitched a stellar seven innings but all he got for it was the loss.

Gilead leads two games to one.

We now head to Seatle for games 3, 4 and 5 if necessary.

Game 4

Seattle struck first in the fourth inning when Ian Anderson issued lead-off walks to Straw and Brandon Nimmo.  After a strikeout and a wild pitch Teoscar Hernandez doubled them in.  The Gunslingers roared right back in the top of the fifth when Javier Baez singled. Anthony Santander hit a squibber back to the box but Freddy Peralta bobbled the chance for an inning ending double play. Jonathan Villar made him pay.  Villar hit a 3-run dinger to put Gilead in the lead.

Gilead extended their lead to 3 runs in the next inning when Wilmer Flores stroked a 2-run bomb.  Seattle took their turn to come back in the bottom of the frame.  Anderson struck out the first batter but then issued two singles and a walk to load the bases.  Jose Cisnero was brought in to put out the fire but Josh Rojas crushed a 3-run double to tie the score. Taking third on the throw, Rojas was in the right place when Villar muffed an inning-ending grounder and he scored the go-ahead run.

Leading 6-5 in the ninth, Edwin Diaz came in to close. Diaz got Flores to pop out but then gave up a single to Javier Baez. Diaz then struck out the next two batters... but in between those two batters Baez stole second and third and then scored on a wild pitch.  Tie game.

All quiet until the bottom of the 11th when Isiah Kiner-Falefa led off with a single and, an out later, Nimmo singled him to third. Chris Stratton induced Will Smith to hit a weak topper in front of the plate but Buster Posey proceded to throw wild to the firstbaseman and Kiner-Falafa scored the winning run.  Ugly game with both teams making crucial errors at crucial times.
 

Game 5

The Pilots once again draw first blood in the bottom of the first.  Nimmo leads off with a single and Villar gifts him another base with an errant throw. Teoscar Hernandez doubles him in.  Seattle up 1-0.

Despite some control problems Lance McCullers sails through the first five innings.  But he hits a wall in the top of the sixth. Vlad Guerrero leads off with a walk and C.J. Cron and Posey single to load the bases.  Tyler Matzek gets Wade to line out and he strikes out Baez but Flores works him for a run-scoring walk to tie the game.

In the top of the ninth Villar, Soto and Guerrero string three singles together to load the bases and chase Carlos Hernandez.  Deja vu all over again as Miguel Castro comes in to walk in the go-ahead run. No more scoring but that one run holds up when Andrew Chafin strikes out the side to end the game. 

Gilead leads the series 3-2.

Seattle returns to Gilead with their backs to the wall.

Game 6 ..... Back in Gilead with the Gunslingers up 3 games 2, Gibson on the mound for Gilead and Quantril trying to stave off elimination for Seattle.

Gilead got the scoring started in the bottom of the 2nd with singles by Baez and Santander was followed by a 3 run HR from Jonathan Villar his 2nd in the series. 

In the bottom of the 3rd Gilead strikes again Vad Jr. leads off with a double Buster Posey singles him home. A batter later Lamont Wade Jr. singles and takes 2nd on a groundout to make it 2nd and 3rd. Javy Baez comes through with a 2 out single scoring both and after 3 Gilead had a comfortable 6-0 lead. 

Kyle Gibson was cruising along like he did in his first game until the 4th inning, when Seattle finally got to him. Straw leads off with a double, Nimo singles him home. A single and error later had the bases loaded for Pete Alonzo. He smacks a bases clearing double. An out later Mike Yastrzemski singles home Alonzo to cut the lead to 6-5.

Stayed that way until bottom of the 6th when Anthony Santander hits a solo HR, his 2nd of the series to give Gilead some breathing room and a 7-5 lead.

Gilead then turns the game over to the bullpen which has been excellent this series. They go to Stratton in the 7th Bednar in the 8th and Chafin to finish up for his 3rd save of the series.

Gilead wins the game 7-5 and the series 4 games to 2 to advance.

Gilead's bullpen could be the MVP of the series. The bullpen had 

16 IP gave up 9 hits 1 run 0 ER 5 BB and 23 K

Gilead won the series the way they have all year. OK starting pitching good bullpen and power at home. In the 6 games Gilead out homered Seattle 8 to 1 (6 of those coming at home)