There was a very chatty lady handling ticket sales at Glen Allen this morning, resulting in there being a huge line backed up at first pitch for the Deep Run-Prince George game. Kudos to the supervisor who came to the rescue, opening up an "exact change" line that got us all there without missing but the first few batters.
It was an interesting game in that neither side seemed to have a dominant arm on the hill, and both teams mounted early rallies that made you think it was going to be a mutually high-scoring affair. But that's not how it turned out at all.
PG had the better record but drew the visitors position due to its having lost to DR in the regional finale. PG's first batter got plunked, bunted to second, then singled to third. Jacob Farrar sac flied in the leadoff man and Kozen lined a double to the wall to make it 2-0. In the bottom of the first, DR's first two hitters lined a single and a double to make it 2-1 quickly. But from there on out, lefty starter Hunter Carden settled in. He was never throwing terribly hard, but he consistently nipped the edges of the zone with his fastball, he used his curve probably half the time or more, and he kept the ball out of the middle of the plate.
A grounder that should've ended the bottom of the first easily got booted. The bases would've been loaded with 2 outs, but DR's runner from 2nd rounded 3rd and headed home. 2B recovered in time to get him there and end the threat. Carden struck out the side in the 2nd and went K, 1-3, K in the 3rd. Meanwhile PG got a 2-out RBI hit from Sippio in the 2nd to make it 3-1.
No one scored in the 3rd, 4th or 5th. Carden gave up a booming double to Nick Noonan in the 4th but started a 1-6-3 inning-ending DP to escape. After a one-out single and walk in the 5th, PG went to Jonathan Walton in relief. As many of you know, JW has battled arm trouble this year and he clearly still does not have his best stuff, but he definitely has the toughness for these situations. He threw 2 pitches in the 5th. The first went for a bunt hit to load the bases. The second was hit directly at SS for a 6-6-3 DP as PG escaped yet again. That may have been the key play in the game.
Against DR reliever (I think his name was Brach), PG got 2 big runs top 6th. Michael Peterson tripled to the wall in left center, scored on a single by Hatcher, who later scored on a single by Cooper. That made it 5-1. PG needed those runs, because DR got 2 itself in the bottom of the inning. Carson Jones blooped a single over SS, stole 2nd, and scored on a hit by Noonan. After a grounder into a force out, an E6 kept the inning alive. JW got another grounder into a force out, but the 9 hitter, catcher Larson, singled in DR's third run.
PG got breathing room with 2 more runs in the top of the 7th. After Tucker walked, Eli Weisner relieved Brach, but he walked Starke, moving Tucker to 2nd. Tucker then stole third and took home when the catcher's throw sailed into LF. After 2 K's and a walk, an E6 allowed the last run to score. In the bottom of the inning, JW got three ground outs, albeit with a Weisner double in between, to close the deal.
So, PG advances to tomorrow's championship game. I understand Forbes may be eligible to start, though I'm not sure who would be in relief if needed.