Tempers flared in Baffin Island last night. Maybe it was the cold after game time temperatures began at a -1 degrees. Maybe it was just anger at having such high expectations and being in a losing position to "the lowly Looters." Maybe this is just the beginning of a rivalry that will continue to have some angst through the years when the Looters become more and more competitive. Either way, you may be able to point the tipping point of the series between these two from opponents to rivals to April 8, 2014.
The scene is the first meeting of 9 between these teams in 2014. The Looters jumped out to an early lead on a 7 run inning in the top of the 3rd. This inning chased Baffin starter Carlos Castillo, but not before he gave up 6 earned runs and 1 unearned runs in 2.1 innings on 4 hits and 4 walks and 2 homers. That inning became a dramatic unraveling. OF Jon Love hit a solo shot that went 358 feet on a 1-2 count to take a 1-0 lead. Next up Castillo took John Brown to a full count before walking him. That walk would soon come back to hurt him as C Sandro Cajani took him deep 459 feet for a 2 run homer. Afterward, a single, error, walk, walk, walk scored 2 more runs before Jon Love came back up after starting the inning with a homer and had bases loaded when he singled to bring in another run to make it 7-0. Finally after being relieved by Lloyd MacBride, the Beavers got out of the inning on two ground outs, but the damage was already done.
The Beavers got 2 runs back in the 4th inning off Looters starter Ricardo Gomes who went 5 innings allowing 2 runs on 5 hits and 2 walks. Then came the crazy 7th inning. The inning started innocuously enough with a ground out by Tony Marin on a first pitch, but then 1B Leonard Crowley wowed everyone in the Baffin crowd with a majestic 505 foot homer on a first pitch strike. That homer obviously angered Baffin pitcher Wayne Poole as on the next batter up Errol Hughes, he plunked Hughes in the rib cage on a 0-2 pitch. Hughes, after being plunked right after a long homer, rushed the mound and tackled Wayne Poole to the ground. This ignited both benches to clear including the bullpens as mass chaos erupted on the field. As with any baseball fights, there was lots of grab ass, and lots of polite shoving and only Errol Hughes and Wayne Pool were ejected for their part in starting the brawl.
Baffin tried to make it a game in the bottom of the 8th again with 4 runs off releiver Chris Woodruff, but once James Kelly was brought on the door was slammed shut on the scoring and Gordon Brown got his 3rd save as a Looter in a scoreless frame.
The Looters would go on to take 2 out of 3 games against the Beavers. Game 2 the Looters lost in 10 innings 3-2 after leading most of the game. Looters starter Bill Maddox avenged his awful outing vs Hendersonville going 7 innings allowing only 1 run. Closer Gordon Brown gave up the winning run in the 10th after pitching 1.1 innings giving up 3 hits and 1 run. In Game 3, the Looters sent former Baffin pitcher Carlos "CarGo" Gonzalez to the mound and while he pitched poorly with 6.2 IP, 6 H, 6 ER, 4 BB, he still came out of it with the win in a 9-6 Looters win. After pitching the prior two days, Gordon Brown was unavailable and Sergio Zaragoza was asked to save the game. He gave up 2 hits but held the Beavers scoreless.
The Looters finish up their road trip in Orlando with a 4 game set next sim who the Looters swept at home to open the series. They finally return home from a road trip they're currently 2-5 on to face San Francisco and Boston for 6 games.
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