Just when you are ready to call it quits..
The Spirit put together what was, for me, perhaps the most exciting sporting moment I've ever witnessed live in my life. Down 3.5 games to Quebec with 8 to go entering tonight's doubleheader against the buzzsaw Jackals, the Spirit pulled off a night of euphoria, winning with two walkoffs and seeing Brockton top Quebec to cut the deficit to a very doable 2 games with 6 to play.
The night started with bad news as Travis Oglesby is on the DL. The Spirit knew it wuold take great pitching and timely hitting to win. They got superb pitching and the most clutch hitting of the year.
In game 1, the Spirit's hero came from an unlikely source. But it was all set up by Alex Harrera's great pitching. After giving up a run to Jersey in the 1st, Harrera shut down the Jackals offense, tossing a complete game, scattering 6 hits, and fanning 11. The Spirit tied it up with a Vic Davilla RBI groundout to score Marcos Agramonte in the 4th inning to make it 1-1. That set the table for the most unlikely scenario.
With 1 out in the bottom of the 7th, Marcos Agramonte stepped up with no homers on the year. He proceeded to rip one down the left field line, just fair, onto the roof of the Spirit clubhouse to send the crowd and team into hysterics and win it 2-1. He was mobbed by teammates at the plate and cheered by fans as he walked to the locker room.
In Game 2, it was scoreless right to the very end when yet another unlikely hero stopped up. But the hero-to-be could have been the goat. In the 5th inning, with runners on 1st and 2nd w/ 2 outs, a ground ball was hit to Eric Storey, who already had 3 throwing errors on the night. He tossed one over Davilla's head for another error which at the time allowed the run to score. But on the play, the runner bearing down from 2nd to 3rd bumped Storey, and was called out for interference, ending the inning and wiping the run off the scoreboard. The Spirit had life.
In the bottom of the 7th, Brian Macchi singled with 1 out to put a runner on 1st. Garret Weir came in to pinch run. Weir reached 2nd on a bunt, and an intentional walk brought up Eric Storey, who punched a base hit up the middle to score Garret and win the game 1-0. He, too, was pounded at the plate, and the raucuous, big crowd at Fraser was treated to heroics.
There was one more moment of euphoria to come. Brockton led Quebec 4-1 going into the 9th with closer Joey Cole on the hill. With 2 outs and nobody on, Quebec started a rally, scoring a run and bringing up the winning run in the form of Eddie Lantigua, but he struck out to end it.
The Spirit now head to Brockton trailing Quebec by just 2 games. Quebec heads to Worcester to play the first-place Tornadoes.
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What a game it was. Herrera and Morse both pitched brilliant complete games. The two unlikely heroes were people you'd never expect to win a game for us with what they did,but it goes to show ya that anyone is a hero.
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