Opening Night! Queynos takes on the Maxion Bombers, while Bobians vs the Green Sox

TEN – 3, BOB – 4  F

               1              2              3              4              5              6              7              8              9
TEN       0              0              0              3              0              0              0              0              0
BOB       0              0              0              3              0              0              0              0              1

W – B. Groom (1-0)          L – J. Piniero (0-1)                            

As Opening Night finally came to Bobia, a packed crowd settled in to see their totally revamped hometown team go up against one of Division 2’s more established teams. Both teams sent out their Seattle Mariner aces to the mound, with high hopes to get the season off on the right foot. The first three innings went off uneventfully before the bats came alive for both teams in the fourth. In the top of the inning, David Ortiz kicked off the scoring by creaming a two run shot, which was followed by a mini rally in which Omar Vizquel notched his first RBI of the season. But the Bobians answered directly, getting two men on base for Marcus Giles to even up the game with one swing of the bat. Joel Piniero settled down in the fifth, but Jamie Moyer continued to struggle with the Green Sox hitters for the next several innings. Although he masterfully worked his way out of trouble with several key strikeouts, he was also helped out greatly by two huge factors that the Bobians had focused on greatly, coming into this season: coaching and defense. With two on and only one out, the Bobians opted to intentionally walk David Ortiz and rather face 2B Willie Harris. The move worked perfectly, as the defense was able to turn the resulting ground ball almost effortlessly into an inning ending double play. At another point, catcher Charles “Trainspottin’ CJ” Johnson was able to apply an amazing tag to keep a Green Sox runner from scoring, which would later prove to save the game. It certainly looked like the game was heading for extra innings, but the bottom of the Bobian batting order, which had been producing all night, had other ideas. Joel Piniero had come out to pitch in the top of the ninth, but was pulled after allowing the first two hitters to reach base. Reliever Paul Shuey entered the game and seemed to be working effectively out of the jam, when Bobian newcomer SS Angel Berroa came to the plate and drove in the winning run with a clutch double. Although the Bobians walk away with a win from this game, the struggle from the top of the order might be some cause for concern. Asked about this in an interview after the game, hitting coach Mike Piazza said “There certainly will be a learning curve for the new players in the league. That’s why we have the veterans like Giles and Lowell to lead the way in time of transition.” The Green Sox, while looking at the smart decisions employed by the Bobian coaches, are certainly kicking themselves for the misguided decisions to have Piniero pitch the ninth and having a runner try to tag home on a shallow fly ball. Game 2 will be in Tenbil Town and will feature the intriguing pitching matchup of Josh Beckett and Greg Maddux.

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MAX – 6, QEY – 5  F/10

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MAX       0              0              0              0              0              0              0              4              1              1
QEY      3              0              0              0              0              0              0              2              0              0

W - U. Urbina (1-0)          L – S. Lowe (0-1)                      Blown Save – J. Lopez (1), B. Wickman (1)

If the first game is indication of how this season will go, buckle up, it’s going to be a bumpy ride. The Warriors got off to an excellent start, thanks to a 2 RBI double for 1B Sean Casey in the top of the 1st. Roy Halladay seemed a bit shaken by this and had difficulty with the top of Queynos’s batting order for the rest of the night. Although he was working in and out of danger for the rest of the night, Halladay managed to keep the Warriors off the scoreboard for the next six innings, a feat that his rival Mark Mulder was able to replicate, although with considerably more ease. However the Bomber’s came alive in the top of the eighth; Mulder was pulled after a Derek Jeter double and a Bengie Molina walk, and handed the game over to Javier Lopez, who promptly allowed the Bombers to go on a four run rally, thanks to clutch hits from Richie Ashburn and Edgar Martinez. Closer Bob Wickman was called in to relieve Lopez and finally end the inning. Halladay came out to pitch the bottom of the eighth, but again was torn up by the top of the Queynos order: a Luis Castillo triple was promptly followed by a Ellis Burks two run shot, giving the lead back to the Warriors. But Wickman couldn’t hold the lead in the top of the 9th, and earned the second blown save of the night for the Warrior bullpen. With bases loaded and two outs in the top of the 10th, Richie Ashburn knocked in his second RBI of the game with a walk. Ugueth Urbina pitched a scoreless second inning of relief in the bottom half, earning his and his team’s first win of the season. Although the Maxions surely are glad to have come out on top of this hectic back and forth, neither team looked like they were on their A-game. Of particular note are the disappointing performances from Roy Halladay and the QEY bullpen, both of which will need to perform strongly for both team to succeed in the long run. Man of the Match: MAX CF Richie Ashburn, 3-4, 2B, 2 RBIs, SB