Dominant off the mound!
For the first time, the Top Pick Series saw a pitcher’s duel, with Brad Radke and Matt Garza putting zero after zero on the scoreboard.
But the Berries got to Garza first, Steve Braun breaking the dual shutout with a key two-run home run, helping Bloomington extend the series with a 4-1 victory.
Braun’s home run was the second and final hit allowed by Garza, who struck out seven across his six innings and 100 pitches of work. Yet it was Radke who outlasted his mound opponent and earned the win, giving up just three hits and one run (a Joe Mauer solo shot) in eight innings while striking out 7.
Although Minneapolis’ bullpen kept the Berries largely out of the hit column, Bloomington put up two runs in the eighth without the benefit of a hit to increase their lead. Kyle Gibson walked the first man but recorded two outs, unfortunately needing 15 pitches to do so. After another pair of walks filled the bases, Glen Perkins entered and induced a grounder off the bat of LaMonte Wade Jr. But Jay Bell threw the ball wildly, allowing the final two runs of the game to score.
With Radke well past the 100-pitch barrier, LaTroy Hawkins entered to close out the game for Bloomington. Royce Lewis led off with a single, but Hawkins stifled the Winners by striking out Mauer and getting a double-play grounder from Michael Cuddyer.
