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Leslie leads Coplay to 8-2 victory
Brandon Leslie goes 2-for-2 and gets
the "W" in the pivotal Game 3 win over Woodlawn.
LIMEPORT
-- Brandon Leslie tossed a five-hitter and also went 2-for-2 and reached safely
all four times he stepped to the plate to lead the Coplay Reds to a convincing
8-2 win in Game 3 of the best-of-five Finals to take a 2-1 series lead.
This series has not been decided by any stretch of the imagination, but no
matter which team wins, Leslie has sure made his case to earn the league's
Playoff MVP award for 2006.
The Rider grad went 2-for-2 on Tuesday to raise his postseason batting average
to a whopping .563. Add to that his brilliant pitching performance in the
crucial Game 3 of the Finals and there is no doubt he will get my vote.
Leslie also has a legitimate chance for another league MVP award in 2006, as he
hit .364 in the regular season and finished with a 4-1 record and a save, with
an ERA of 1.05 and 45 strikeouts in 40 innings. Leslie and Ben Swatsky of the
Fleetwings have arguably been the two best players in this league over the last
five seasons.
And to be frank, there really is no need for the word "arguably", either.
Adam Maini took his undefeated career playoff record (3-0, 2 saves, 1.17 ERA) to
the mound for the Fleetwings and started strong, tossing two scoreless innings.
He was arguably throwing a little better than Leslie at the start of the game
because although Maini worked around hits by Leslie in the first and Mike Bortz
in the second inning, he was not being hit as hard as Leslie was in the first
two frames. Leslie's only hit allowed through two innings was to veteran Dave
Toth, who smoked a long double to the fence in right.
But it is not how you start, it is how you finish, and Leslie got stronger. He
struck out a pair of batters in a 1-2-3 third inning to keep the game scoreless.
Now it was time for the Coplay offense to get to work.
The Reds are known for "small-ball", but yet they have been master of the big
inning in the 2006 postseason, putting up plenty of three, four and five-spots
in the playoffs.
Tonight,
it would be a five-spot and it would come in the bottom of the third.
Kirk Mueller ripped a one-out single to center and Leslie, figuring he would
rather be lucky then good for this at-bat, hit a well-placed roller just past
the diving Swatsky at first. Second baseman Justin Godusky made a nice sliding
stop, but had no play as there were now two runners on with one out. Kevin
Thompson, who is also having a big postseason for Coplay (hitting .400 before
Game 3) launched the first pitch he saw to deep left-center for a two-run double
to give the Reds a 2-0 lead. Caleb Calarco then lofted a dying quail to shallow
right for a base hit, scoring Thompson to make it 3-0 Coplay. After a strikeout,
an infield throwing error scored Calarco to make it 4-0 and Bortz took second on
the E-5. J.R. Graver then looped a single to right to score Bortz and the Reds
had an early 5-0 bulge. John Curreri got a drag-bunt single, but a 6-3
ground-out ended the inning.
The Fleetwings did not seem to be phased by the early deficit.
Justin Godusky walked but was erased on a double-play. Matt Godusky hit a frozen
rope down the left-field line which rolled to the fence for a double. Then
Coplay gave Woodlawn a run back with an E-5 of their own, as a two-base throwing
error scored Matt Godusky to make it 5-1.
But Coplay would get that run right back in their half of the fourth.
With one out, Leslie walked on four pitches and moved up 90 feet on a wild
pitch. Thompson lofted a single to right, but Dan Hemberger made a strong throw
home to nail Leslie at the plate. Thompson smartly took second on the 9-2
put-out, and that paid dividends because Calarco looped another single to
shallow right to score Thompson and it was 6-1 Reds. A strikeout would end the
inning.
Brian Martin lined a single right back through the box that seemed to just miss
Leslie's glove to lead off the top of the fifth for Woodlawn. After a fielder's
choice erased Martin from the base paths, Hemberger stole second and one out
later, scored on a Matt Marck's single to right-center to make it 6-2. A fly-out
to right would end the inning.
After Maini and Leslie worked 1-2-3 innings, Coplay, who had total control of
this game since scoring five in the third inning, would ice the game in the
bottom of the sixth.
Kyle Rhoades walked and was sacrificed to second by Mueller. Rhoades then stole
third, but wish he didn't as he got struck by the throw as he was safe at third.
Leslie got what amounts to an unintentional-intentional walk, and he moved to
second on a wild pitch, but Rhoades stayed at third as he appeared to have
trouble moving. With the count 1-and-0 to Thompson and first base now open,
Woodlawn elected to intentionally walk him to load the bases. A shallow fly-out
to left kept the sacks loaded and there were now two outs, but Jesse Borden
ripped a line-drive to right-center, scoring a pair of runs to close out the
scoring as Coplay now led 8-2.
Rhoades would leave the game and his status for Game 4 is uncertain.
Leslie gave up a leadoff single to Player/Manager Jeremy Arner in the seventh,
but got a nifty 4-6-3 double-play and then a 1-3 ground-out ended the contest to
give the Reds the victory and take the lead in 2-1 in the series.
Game 4 is right back at Limeport at 7:00 on Wednesday. Kevin Reese is scheduled
to take the mound for Coplay, while Scott Bolasky will start for the Fleetwings.
For the second consecutive game, Leslie (2-for-2), Thompson (2-for-3) and
Calarco (2-for-4) had two hits apiece for Coplay.
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