'The Naturals' Keeper League Season VII - Congrats tkl33!

[ArrylT]

[b:144ad1d958]AT Press: [i:144ad1d958]Semi Finals - Folsom Prison Blues vs. Savoy Specials[/i:144ad1d958][/b:144ad1d958]

Just like the other Semi-Finals, the Prison Blues & Specials started off the playoffs with an exciting 1 run game. Kluszewski's HR gave the visiting Prison Blues a 2 run lead. Weaver & Burleson would each drive in a run for Savoy in the 5th - tieing the game a 2-2.

And there it would sit, for inning after inning after inning. The 8th inning went by, as did the 9th, 10th & 11th. People started making preparations for overnight accomedations.

Then, in the 12th inning, Omar Mareno got a 1 out double and then Gehringer was able to drive him in with a single that laced just out of reach of a diving fielder. That run would be all the Folsom squad would need, as after a leadoff walk, the Specials were unable to get anything going in the bottom of the inning, giving Game I to the Prison Blues.

[url=http://fantasygames.sportingnews.com/baseball/stratomatic/atg3/playoffs/boxscore.html?group_id=1441&g_id=974]Folsom Prison Blues 3 Savoy 2[/url]

This extra inning loss did not rattle the Savoy Specials, as they were able to rally to win Game II behind the pitching of Walters & Garber. 3 runs over the course of the game would again be enough for a win. The Prison Blues rallied in the 8th with a 2 run HR by Bancroft that would chase Walters, but Garber would pitch 5 perfect outs to close out the 8th & 9th, giving the Savoy Specials a much needed split.

[url=http://fantasygames.sportingnews.com/baseball/stratomatic/atg3/playoffs/boxscore.html?group_id=1441&g_id=976]Savoy 3 Fulsom 2[/url]

Game 3 was the third game in a row for this playoff series to be a 1 run decision. The visiting Specials scored first, but the Prison Blues would rally right back for 2 runs. The Savoy squad took the lead again with 2 more 1 run outbursts.

The Fulsom Prison Blues, feeling the pressure from their Warden of a Manager, were able to rally from the 3-2 deficit in the bottom of the eighth. Simmons smashed a 1 out double, and 1 out later D. Mattingly would also double. tieing the game. 3 pitches later Kluszewski singled in Mattingly and the Prison Blues had a 4-3 lead. That lead held up in the 9th behind the relief effort of Ben Wade, and the Folsom team had a 2-1 edge!

[url=http://fantasygames.sportingnews.com/baseball/stratomatic/atg3/playoffs/boxscore.html?group_id=1441&g_id=978]Folsom Prison 3 Savoy 2[/url]

Many teams would be worried, down a game, in a critical situation, on the road. But not Savoy. They knew a win would bring them back home for Game V. Even after the Blues opened the scoring they did not panic, and their bats came to life in the 3rd inning as they would score 6 runs in 3 innings combined to take a 6-2 lead after the 5th.

That lead would hold, despite the best efforts of the Prison Blues. Under threat of a bread & water diet, the Blues would score 2 in the 9th, but that would be all that they could muster, and the Specials would go home to a pivotal Game V all tied at 2-2.

[url=http://fantasygames.sportingnews.com/baseball/stratomatic/atg3/playoffs/boxscore.html?group_id=1441&g_id=978]Savoy 6 Folsom 4[/url]

Game V was yet another exciting matchup. As did 3 of the previous games, it was decided by a single run.

Mel Ott opened the scoring with a solo home run in the 4th. Collins would tie the score with a ground out that the fielder chose to get the sure out rather than the out at the plate. In a game of this magnitude that could be costly.

But it was not. Ott would drive in the only other run need by Folsom in the 6th, and the Savoy Specials went out quietly in the 9th, although Alou ran so hard in his at bat that he got injured! The Savoys home was not as friendly as they thought!

[url=http://fantasygames.sportingnews.com/baseball/stratomatic/atg3/playoffs/boxscore.html?group_id=1441&g_id=982]Folsom Prison Blues 2 Savoy Specials 2[/url]

[ArrylT]

[b:98586debda]AT Press: [i:98586debda]'The Naturals' Season VII World Series[/i:98586debda][/b:98586debda]

In an exciting opening game, the Hummers finally bested the Prison Blues in extra innings. Both Scott & Guidry lasted 9 innings each, but with the score tied at 5-5, both teams went to their pens in the 10th. Bedrosian took over after Guidry gave up a double and pitched a perfect inning in relief. After Snider led off the 10th with a single, Scott was replaced with Brabender, but Brabender walked Yount and gave up a bloop single to Lefty O'Doul to allow the Hummers to seal the deal.

[url=http://fantasygames.sportingnews.com/baseball/stratomatic/atg3/playoffs/boxscore.html?group_id=1441&g_id=983]Hillsboro 6 Folsom 5[/url]

Game II was a classic pitching duel between A. Joss & O. Hess, former teammates turned bitter rivals. Joss got the better of Hess, thanks to a 2 run 2nd, and only allowed a late run in the 8th. Joss was relieved by D. Roberts who continued the Hummer tradition of solid relief work by pitching 1 & 2/3rds scoreless innings, to give Hillsboro a 2-0 lead.

[url=http://fantasygames.sportingnews.com/baseball/stratomatic/atg3/playoffs/boxscore.html?group_id=1441&g_id=984]Hummers 2 Prison Blues 1[/url]

Not sure why the Prison Blues were scared of going to their pen, but for the 3rd straight game, their Starter pitched at least 9 IP. This may have been a mistake, because with a tied 2-2 game, Clemens had a relapse in the 7th. The 'Rocket' made a mistake pitch that cost him a HR to Z. Wheat. He seemed shaken up for the rest of the inning, walking consecutive batters then giving up a triple that drove in 2 more runs. Yount added the 4th run of the inning with a sacrifice fly. With Clemens still in the game in the 8th, the Hummers padded their lead to 7-2, before the Prison Blues tallied a sole run in the bottom of the frame. Reniff followed perfectly in the footsteps of Bedrosian & Roberts, by pitching 1 1/3 shutout innings to stake Hillsboro to a 3-0 lead in the Series.

[url=http://fantasygames.sportingnews.com/baseball/stratomatic/atg3/playoffs/boxscore.html?group_id=1441&g_id=985]Hummers 7 Prison Blues 3[/url]

The Hummers relief corps finally allowed some runs in the 4th game, but it would not be enough to save the Blues, as the Hillsboro squad overcame a late rally by Folsom with some late inning heroics of their own. The question of why Folsom avoided using its relievers was answered when Wade gave up 4 runs over 2 innings work.

[url=http://fantasygames.sportingnews.com/baseball/stratomatic/atg3/playoffs/boxscore.html?group_id=1441&g_id=986]Hillsboro 4 Folsom 3[/url]