9/13/2081 to 9/17/2081
The Memphis Grizzlies (82-62)
AT
The Denver Broncos (84-60)
Pitching Matchups:
LH Thomas Fruge (0-2, 17.61 ERA) VS. RH Larry Waltz (5-8, 4.19 ERA)
RH Edgar Molina (23-4, 3.21 ERA) VS. RH George Buentello (3-0, 3.92 ERA)
RH Jose Padula (14-13, 6.38 ERA) VS. RH Christopher Kirk (17-10, 4.70 ERA)
RH Jonathan Zinn (7-7, 6.36 ERA) VS. RH Kenny Pillsbury (16-9, 4.09 ERA)
The second place Broncos entered a four game series against the third place Grizzlies with an excellent opportunity to further the distance between the two teams. Smelling the blood in the water, Denver jumped on Memphis in the third inning of the first game. After
Mark Bakke drew a bases loaded walk,
Joseph Swayze smashed a grand slam to put the Broncos up 5-0. The Grizzlies got two runs in the sixth inning, but Bakke got one of the runs back with an RBI double in the seventh.
Larry Waltz did the rest, throwing a complete game in
Denver's 6-2 victory.
Russell Thomas contributed with 2 hits, one walk, and 2 runs scored.
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Was
George Buentello up to the task of facing off against Memphis' ace,
Edgar Molina? Yes. Buentello, like Waltz in the first game, went the distance against the Grizzlies, with just 5 hits and 1 run allowed, and
the Broncos defeated Memphis, 6-1.
Memphis drew first blood in the second inning, but the Broncos grabbed the lead with two runs in the bottom half of the second. Denver added one run in the sixth inning, and three more runs in the eighth, to secure the victory.
Mark Bakke delivered 4 hits, 1 RBI, and 2 runs scored.
Asbel Fuentez and
Joseph Swayze each had 2 hits.
Booker Romero drove in 2 runs.
******
The Broncos took control of the third game quickly. They picked up one run in the first inning and two in the second(one from a
Mark Bakke solo homer). The Grizzlies got a run in the fourth inning, but the Broncos went ahead 5-1 with two runs in the fifth.
Ellis Bolling hit a solo homerun in the eighth to provide the final margin of victory:
6-1, Broncos.
Christopher Kirk was unable to match the complete games of Waltz and Buentello, but still managed to pitch 8 innings, with just 6 hits allowed. He did walk 4 batters, however.
Bakke and
Russell Thomas each had 3 hits; Bakke also drove in one run and scored two.
Asbel Fuentez had 2 hits and 2 runs scored.
Lee Chappel and
Tomas Sato both had 2 hits and 1 RBI.
******
The Broncos could not come up with the sweep, however, as
Kenny Pillsbury put the Denver in an early hole in the final game of the series. Memphis scored a run in the first inning, a run in the second, 3 runs in the third inning, and a run in the fourth to lead 6-0. The Broncos scratched out runs in the fourth and sixth innings, but could not muster any more in
a 6-2 defeat.
Manager John Wilkerson said after the game, "Kenny's problem in this game was leaving the ball up in the zone. A team like Memphis will tee off on pitches hanging over the plate." That was precisely the case, as Pillsbury coughed up 5 home runs in 8 innings of work. Overall, he gave up 7 hits and struck out only 3 batters.
Joseph Swayze had 2 hits in the game and
Mark Bakke drove in both of Denver's runs.