In a game that was a tremendous baseball game if you didn’t care who won and completely agonizing if you did care, the Canes came from behind to earn a 5-4 win over a tough Petaluma (Calif.) squad on Monday afternoon in Long Island.
For most of the game, the West Coasters had an answer every time the Canes tried to make a push. Elias led off the game and ignited the crowd with a leadoff home run on the third pitch of the game, but then Petaluma struck for two in the bottom of the first. The Canes tied it in the third without the benefit of a hit, but then Petaluma went back ahead in the bottom of the frame. Yet again the Canes knotted it in the top of the fifth on Andrew’s solo homer down the left field line, but Petaluma went right back ahead in the bottom of the inning.
That set the stage for the sixth. With gutsy pitching having kept the Canes in the game, they scratched across a run on a walk, an error, and a single from Wes. Then, with two outs and Petaluma seemingly having regained the momentum after getting an out on the bases, Macon took a 1-1 pitch deep to give the Canes their first lead since the top of the first. Chace closed it out in the bottom of the inning.
Did we mention this game was televised nationally on CBS Sports Network? In other words, it was the kind of afternoon no one who played or was in attendance will ever forget. Petaluma actually handily outhit the Canes, 7-4, but three of those four hits were home runs, and the offense took advantage of six walks and a hit batter to generate some baserunners and run up the California starter’s pitch count to eventually knock him out of the game.
Postgame featured a team photo with longtime MLB player and manager Dusty Baker plus a rowdy celebration with the Canes cheering section down the left field line. The win secured a spot in Friday’s bracket play, with matchups to be announced later today.
Game 4 Canes scoring plays
First inning
Eli tagged a leadoff solo homer.
Score after one-half inning: Canes 1, Petaluma 0
Third inning
Colin walked and went to second on a fielder’s choice. Eli was hit by a pitch, Gavin walked, and then Drew collected a two-out RBI walk.
Score after two and a half innings: Canes 2, Petaluma 2
Fifth inning
Andrew blasted a solo homer down the left field line, prompting Coach Sean to do his best Carlton Fisk impression in the third-base coaches box to keep the ball fair.
Score after four and a half innings: Canes 3, Petaluma 3
Sixth inning
Chace walked. Gavin ran for him and went to third on an error. Wes dropped in an RBI single. Macon hit a two-out solo homer to give the Canes the lead.
Score after five and a half innings: Canes 5, Petaluma 4
Pitching Performances
Andrew started and fired an inning and two-thirds, walking zero.
Drew also tossed an inning and two-thirds.
Wes worked through an inning and a third of hitless relief.
Chace faced five batters and allowed just one hit.
Dugout wisdom
In the excitement after Gavin went to third on an error in the sixth, where he was the tying run, Andrew kicked over a ball bucket in the dugout. As Andrew walked back down the dugout and surveyed the sudden explosion of baseballs, he said, “Sorry guys, that’s on me. I’ll take that one.”
Game 4 Web Gems
• A quietly big web gem in the third. Petaluma had already plated one run and appeared to have scored another on a sacrifice fly to center. But an appeal to third base resulted in the runner being called out for leaving early, taking his run off the scoreboard.
• With a runner on second and one out in the fourth, Gavin scooped up a grounder and fired to Ty, who applied the tag for the out.
• Huge play in the sixth. With the leadoff man of the inning on first and representing the tying run, the next hitter attempted to bunt him over. But he bunted through the ball, and Macon threw a laser to Drew at first to pick off the runner.
Game 4 line score
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
5
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6
|
R
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H
|
Canes
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
2
|
5
|
4
|
Petaluma
|
2
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0
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1
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
4
|
7
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