9/5- Game 1 IL Playoffs: Pawtucket 7 SWB Yankees 4
By: Phil Schoener
Updated: September 5, 2012
Pawtucket, RI - After spotting Scranton/Wilkes-Barre a 4-0 lead heading to the bottom of the fourth inning, the Pawtucket Red Sox came roaring back scoring seven unanswered runs on route to a 7-4 win in the opening game of first round best of five playoff series from McCoy Stadium on Wednesday night.
Both starting pitchers in the opening game of the playoff series had a very good and a very forgettable start against the opposition earlier in the 2012 season. Paw Sox starter Zach Stewart was 1-1 with a 4.91 ERA against the Yankees in a pair of starts and SWB right hander John Maine was 1-1 with a 7.36 ERA against the Paw Sox in two starts.
The Yankees scored one run in the second inning and added three more in the third and seemed to have Stewart on the ropes before the bats went quiet. After four runs on five hits between the second and third, the Yankees got just two hits over the next five innings with the Paw Sox eventually taking the lead.
Cole Garner's two out RBI double in the top of the second inning gave the Yankees the 1-0 lead off Stewart who extended the inning with a two out walk to Austin Romine before Garner's gap double to left center scored the Yanks first run. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre extended the lead to 4-0 with a three run third inning off Stewart that included a solo homer from Kevin Russo and a two run homer by Luke Murton, who was making his Yankees debut after joining the team from Double-A Trenton hammered a two run homer over the wall in left center for a 4-0 lead.
Maine could not make the lead stand up as the SWB starter, who recorded his first five outs of the night on strikeouts, allowed a pair of third inning homers to cut the lead to 4-3. Tony Thomas picked up a one out double and scored on the two run homer by J.C. Linares to make it a 4-2. Andy LaRoche cut the lead to one with a solo homer.
The Paw Sox took the lead in the bottom of the fifth inning with another big hit from LaRoche. With one out and no one on, Thomas started up the rally with his second double of the night. Lineras reached on a walk to put runners at first and second for Danny Valencia, who popped out to second baseman Corban Joseph for the second out of the inning. With two one and two out, LaRoche cleared the bases with his second RBI hit of the night, a gap double to left center scoring both runs for a 5-4 Paw Sox advantage.
Stewart struggled but managed to get through the fifth inning to pick up the win, allowing four runs on seven hits with two walks and one strikeout. Maine's night was done after 4.2 innings allowing seven hits and five runs, all earned. The Yankees starter walked two and struck out six taking the loss.
The Red Sox got great work from the bullpen, who at one point retired 10 consecutive Yankees hitters. Alex Wilson retired all six batters he faced and Pedro Beato retired four in a row before allowing back-to-back hits in the top of the ninth inning. Jose DeLaTorre came on in the ninth and struck out Russo and Joseph as the tying runs at the plate with two runners on the bases.
Bryce Brentz gave the Paw Sox some big insurance runs with a two run homer off reliever Kelvin Perez in the bottom of the eighth. Perez allowed a leadoff single to Dan Baker before giving up the two run homer that made it 7-4.
The Yankees and Red Sox play game two of their first round Governors' Cup Playoff series on Thursday night at McCoy Stadium with a 7:05 PM pitch. Right hander Ramon Ortiz (13-6, 3.45 ERA) will make the start for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre with left hander Chris Hernandez (1-4, 3.59 ERA) getting the start for Pawtucket.
