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KANNAPOLIS— Throughout the summer, the Piedmont Boll Weevils have stayed on an even-keel, insisting there’s no reason to get too pumped up over any one game in a season this long.
Uh, guys, it’s now time to get emotional.
Delmarva’s 1-0 victory Wednesday night at Fieldcrest Cannon Stadium left the South Atlantic League’s best team on the brink of a championship series — or the brink of elimination.
Suddenly, a 91-win season and domination of the league could go up in flames unless the Weevils rebound tonight at 6:35 p.m. in the deciding Game 3 of the best 2-of-3, first-round series.
“You hope something like this happens — it’s good for them,” said Weevils manager Greg Legg, pointing toward his players. “It should be a great game. Tonight was what the purists love. The intensity was there.”
The intensity may have been there but the offense wasn’t. Brett Myers held the Shorebirds to just five hits and one run. But three Delmarva pitchers held the usually hard-hitting Weevils to three.
Joe Ferguson’s Shorebirds scored in the third and didn’t do much else. Piedmont, on the other hand, threatened in several innings and just couldn’t come up with the big play.
The last gasp for the home team came in the bottom of the ninth against reliever Travis Fleming.
Buzz Hannahan walked on four pitches to start the frame. He then stole his 26th base in 27 tries. Marlon Byrd walked on a 3-2 pitch and a Nate Espy grounder advanced the runners to second and third.
Legg liked his chances with Russ Jacobson and Jorge Padilla due up next.
“Both of those guys have been knocking in runs for us all year,” he said.
Jacobson hit the ball hard but right at 5-foot-6 shortstop Gary Cates, who had already damaged Piedmont’s hopes by scoring the game’s only run. This time, he made the big play defensively.
Hannahan broke for the plate and Cates gunned him down for the second out.
“Buzz didn’t have to go,” Legg said, “but we wanted to put pressure on (Cates). Sometimes, a guy bobbles the ball or makes a high throw. We’re not just going to stay on third and give them an out. We took the aggressive approach. Jake hit the ball hard. Cates made a good play.”
With Byrd on third, Padilla lifted a fly to shallow right that Ray Cabrera ran down to end things.
“It’s just a loss,” Jacobson shrugged as he walked off the field and into a silent locker room. “We’ll come back tomorrow.”
The Weevils had two excellent chances to score in each of the sixth and seventh innings.
In the sixth, Tom Batson fought off a two-strike pitch and singled up the middle. Julio Collazo bunted him to second and Jay Sitzman walked. Delmarva starter Sonny Garcia, who had pitched a perfect game into the fifth, was obviously tiring.
Batson then tried to steal third. He was safe but catcher Mike Seestedt gunned down Sitzman trying to steal second. Hannahan then flied out to end the inning.
“Sitzman didn’t get as good a break as Tommy and the catcher noticed that,” Legg said. “He was heads-up.”
Things perked up in the bottom of the seventh after Ferguson replaced Garcia with Jayme Sperring. He was greeted with sharp singles by Byrd and Espy. A balk moved them up to second and third with no outs and the 1,427 in attendance could sense a Weevils explosion.
Jacobson battled and battled Sperring, fouling off five straight, before striking out.
“I just missed too many good pitches to hit,” lamented Jacobson.
Ferguson then brought in relief ace Fleming, who struck out Padilla on three pitches and coerced Brian Hitchcox to pop out.
“We had two real good chances to put the game away,” sighed Legg. “We couldn’t get the big hit.”
And that was bad news for Myers, who has been stuck on win No. 13 since August 7.
“He has had some tough luck but that’s how the game goes sometimes,” said Jacobson.
Legg pulled Myers with one out in the ninth and Cates coming to bat with two men on.
“Myers had plenty of ammo left,” he said. “But Cates has had some good at-bats against him. I thought Myers had taken us far enough.”
Both teams were a bit weary after making several trips back and forth from here to Delmarva in the past week.
“Both teams are absolutely worn out,” Ferguson said. “But they’re young kids. They’ve got a lot of nervous energy and that’s what keeps them going.”
Jacobson wasn’t buying it.
“I don’t think we were tired. Idon’t think that had anything to do with it at all. We just didn’t put any runs on the board.”
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NOTES: Delmarva was the only team that stayed up with Piedmont this season. The teams are 8-8. ... Legg will turn to 14-game winner Frankie Brooks to get Piedmont to the title series. “Frankie will pitch well,” assured Legg. ... Myers lost his second 1-0 decision of the season.
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