Lansing Lugnuts at South Bend SilverHawks
April 24th, 2004
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E-Frazier, LOB LAN-7, SB-6, 2B-Rick, Garcia, Varela, HR-Dopirak (Juarez/3rd/solo), SACB-Rojas, SB-Montero, CS-Walker
HB-O'Brien, BK-O'Brien, WP-Marshall, O'Brien, BB-Murillo, Montero
T-2:27, A-1,207
Darren Budahn, Tim Daub
Lansing State Journal
The Lansing Lugnuts failed to gain a game on the Eastern Division leading South Bend SilverHawks by giving up a ninth inning lead on Saturday.
The Lugnuts (9-7) lost 2-1 on a balk in the bottom of the 10th inning.
Lansing's Weston O'Brien was guilty of the balk, called before his first pitch to South Bend shortstop Tila Reynolds. SilverHawks catcher Miguel Montero scored from third base.
The loss spoiled a brillant performance from Lugnuts starter Sean Marshall, who pitched a three hit shutout through eight innings.
Lansing first baseman Brian Dopirak provided Marshall with Lansing's only run of the ballgame, solo home run in the third. The shot to right center field was Dopirak's fourth of the season.
But that run wasn't enough to help Adalberto Mendez pick up his seventh save.
Mendez started the ninth by getting Reynolds to fly out. Then he walked Augie Murillo, who was replaced by pinch runner Alberto Gonzalez. Gonzalez later scored on a two out double by SilverHawks first baseman Edgar Varela.
The SilverHawks upped their record to 13-3.
South Bend Tribune
by Forrest Miller
Pithcing, power and defense have all helped South Bend to a 13-3 start in the Midwest League this season.
Saturday night at Coveleski Stadium the SilverHawks found a different way to win.
A walk off balk
South Bend manager Tony Perezchica called it "one of the weirdest plays I've ever seen."
Lansing manager Julio Garcia noted that, "it was a helluva game by both teams, it's too bad it had to end like that."
After the SilverHawks were one pitch from a 1-0 defeat, a balk with two out in the bottom of the 10th inning enabled Miguel Montero to score the winning run in a 2-1 victory over Lansing.
"Every time we play these guys, it's a one run game." said Perezchica, "You have to give Lansing credit."
Montero led off the bottom of the 10th with a single against Weston O'Brien. An intended pitchout was wild and sent Montero to second. He stole third, Lino Garcia was hit by a pitch, and O'Brien appeared ready to attempt a pickoff. He cocked his arm, but first baseman Brian Dopirak was not on the base.
The balk was obvious. There were no complaints from anyone and South Bend reliever Ruben Vicente, who faced just on batter in the top of the 10th, had his second victory.
South Bend would never have been in a position to win had it not been for some ninth inning heroics from first baseman Edgar Varela.
Augie Murillo had walked with one out in the bottom of the ninth with Lansing holding a 1-0 lead. Pinch runner Alberto Gonzalez stayed put as Alex Frazer flied to right. Varela worked the count to 1-2, then blasted a pitch off the right field wall. Gonzalez, running on contact, barely beat the relay throw home on a nice hook slide.
"On a normal night that ball is out of the park," said Perezchica.
Varela agreed, "No wind that ball is gone", said the South Bend first baseman. "Their guy had blown two pitches past me, then he left me a slider, the kind of a pitch us lefties like to hit."
The late inning heroics detracted from two superb pitching performances by the starters. Lansing's Sean Marshall and South Bend's William Juarez. Marshall allowed three hits and struck out four in eight innings. When he walked Montero in the fifth it was his first walk against 27 strikeouts in 24 innings this season.
Marshall and twin brother Brian are both 6'5" left handers. Together they pitched Virgina Commonwealth to the NCAA Division 1 ERA championship last season. Sean was drafted in the sixth round by the Cubs and Brian in the fifth round by Boston.
Juarez struck out seven and walked on in seven and two thirds innings. The only run he allowed was a third inning homer by Dopirak, a run that stood for a 1-0 lead until the bottom of the ninth.
"Juarez gives us a lot of innings, but we don't seem to score much for him," said Perezchica.