In a back and forth wild
affair it was the
Calgary Vipers scoring
last and winning in the
bottom of the ninth
11-10 over the Joliet
JackHammers in front of
1418 fans at Foothills
Stadium in Calgary,
Alberta. Jason Colson's
two out RBI single with
Darryl Brinkley on third
base won the Vipers the
game. Calgary had 4-0
and 9-6 leads only to
have the pesky
JackHammers crawl back
into the game and set up
the ninth inning
dramatics. The two teams
combined for twenty-one
runs and twenty-eight
hits.
Calgary started the
scoring in the bottom of
the first loading the
bases for Colson who hit
into a double play
allowing Brinkley to
score.
The Vipers added to
their lead in the
fourth, with two outs
Carlos Duncan and Colson
were hit by pitches and
Mitch Evans singled to
bring in Duncan. Drew
Miller was then hit by a
pitch and Jorge Tang
came up with a clutch
two run single to left
field to make it 4-0.
Joliet first got on the
score board in the
fourth inning when they
loaded the bases for Tim
Hutting and Javier Lopez
who both grounded into
RBI fielder's choices to
cut the lead in half.
The JackHammers then
took the lead in the
fifth with five
consecutive hits
including Juan Diaz and
Derek Nicholson runs
batted in and capped off
with a Kevin Sullivan
two run double to make
the score 6-4.
The Snakes though fought
right back in the bottom
half of the fifth once
again with some two out
dramatics. With two men
on Brinkley shot a
single up the middle to
tie the game. Then after
a Nelson Castro double
and Duncan intentional
walk, Colson came to the
plate. With the count
full and the runners
going Colson smacked a
bases clearing gaper to
give Calgary a 9-6 lead.
The back and forth game
would continue in the
top of the seventh when
Joliet tied it up thanks
to four straight singles
and runs batted in from
Sullivan, Hutting, and
Lopez.
In the top of the
eighth the JackHammers would
grab their second lead
of the game thanks to a
two out base hit by
Hutting to score Derek
Nicholson making it
10-9.
Down to their final
three outs Calgary
rallied in the ninth
with a lead off walk by
Max Ouellette. Manabu
Kuramochi reached on a
fielders choice and
Brinkley walked. Castro
then hit a grounder to
third that Chris Brown
booted and allowed
Kuramochi to score the
tying run. With two outs
Colson played the hero
role hammering a 1-1
pitch to deep
centerfield scoring
Brinkley and giving
Calgary the 11-10 win.
Brinkley, Castro,
Duncan, and Colson, the
one-through-four batters
in the line-up, all had
multiple hit games going
a combined
nine-for-nineteen with
six RBI.
David Manning picked up
his first win as a Viper
throwing a shutout top
of the ninth inning
thanks to a rare 1-6-3
double play.
The Vipers are now 7-2
and two-and-a-half games
in first place in the
West Division.
These two
teams conclude this
four game series
on Sunday May 27th
at 1:35 PM (MDT) and
Monday May 28th at
7:05 PM (MDT).
Tickets can be
ordered by phone at
277-BALL (2255). All
games can be heard
live online at www.am770chqr.com.
