At last, I get to see firsthand why the Winners are so feared.
As the poll tied, I played the Racine-Minneapolis game because I hadn’t yet played a game with the Winners.
First-Round Third Round
Game 2
Select League
(2) Bloomington Berries 6
(1) Rochester Locks 3
Series tied 1-1
What could have been a back-and-forth affair quickly turned into just a “forth” for the Berries as Bloomington reclaimed a lost early lead and held it, earning a 6-3 victory that reknotted the series.
Starters Denny Neagle (ROC) and Brad Radke (BLO) got into early trouble, each allowing three runs before the second inning was up. Bloomington got their runs first thanks to a first-inning error and a Mike Durant homer the following frame, but the Locks answered with three in the bottom of the second on John Castino’s sac fly and A.J. Pierzynski’s home run.
However, LaMonte Wade Jr. gave the Berries the lead back in the fourth with his second dinger of the series, a solo shot to make the score 4-3. From there on, the mound took charge, with Radke, Saul Rivera, and LaTroy Hawkins keeping Rochester from tallying another run.
Choice League
(3) Racine Pieces 1
(1) Minneapolis Winners 12
Winners lead 2-0
So now I get to see why Winners games are losing in the polls: they’re blowing everyone out. Once again, Minneapolis battered Racine for nine runs in the first three innings, ending with a typical 12-1 rout.
Royce Lewis bookended the scoring with home runs, a two-run bomb in the first and a three-run shot in the eighth. Between then, the rest of the lineup pounded the Pieces for another seven tallies, including another home run from Byron Buxton.
Racine’s sole run came on a George Springer blast, but Matt Garza was otherwise spotless, throwing a complete game while allowing six hits and striking out eight.
