Offense sputters causing dugout shudders

A's squeak by Phillies with late rally, bad inning spoils lead vs. Titans

The REBL A's have one of the deepest and strongest pitching staffs in the REBL and their offense is even better, but the A's edge over much of the opposition is razor thin and the A's still have to minimize mistakes to come out on top.

The A's played a near-flawless game against the Phillies in a 5-1 victory but followed with an 11-4 loss to the rival Titans, making critical errors in bunches during a sixth inning that seemed endless for Shawn Purcell and the A's.

"God, it seemed like I couldn't get anyone out," Purcell muttered after the first six batters in the inning reached base and scored to wipe out a 2-0 lead. Purcell protected the 2-0 lead through 3 innings before the Titans took advantage of a single and a hit & run single that set up a sac fly and a game-tying RBI single by Dave Stagnaro, who settled down after giving up 2 runs in the first.

Purcell walked and runner Clint Yeager ran for him well by stealing second before a Billy Dodson single. Shane Francisco and Brodie Nissen followed with RBI singles, but the rally endd early when 3rd bas coach Ryan Metcalfe got greedy sending the slow-footed Francisco home from second on the two-out single.

Stagnaro held the A's hitless through the next four innings and held an 11-2 lead when Dodson finally squeaked out a single in the bottom of the sixth. The A's might have picked up the offense well enough in time, but a series of mistakes in the sixth made the lad to much to overcome. The mistakes started with Purcell walking Stagnaro to load the bases then feeding Kenton Lewish a belt-hgh fast ball he drove into the gap for a 3-run double. The A's botched a grounder to second on the following play that should have began to close the door at 6-2 not 11-2.
 

"Everything snowballed on us," Metcalfe said. "We know we are going to make little mistakes, that every call or bounce won't go out way. But we have to respond with strength of spirit and someone needs to step up to the challenge and make the next play. One mistake might cost us one or two runs, but it is when the one error causes people to lose faith or accept defeat that we can not battle back and reclaim victory. The good news here is: We will face the Titans again in the playoffs and we have a chance to atone for this loss and the loss to them last year in the playoffs."

The A's showed the kind of poise they've tended to show more often than not over the last few years, defeating the Phillies 5-1 the week before. Doubles by Purcell and Mastro' gave the A's a 1-0 lead in the first. Rene Torres singled and stole second to lead off the third to score on a Clinton Yeager double.

Purcell left the game with a 5-0 lead, allowing 3 hits and 3 walks along with 5 strikeouts in 5 innings.  Steve Nojima followed and didn't allow a run or a hit in three innings, but did manage to let in an unearned run.

"We could have fallen apart out there and Steve could have fallen apart out there and lost his cool. The A's defense made three straight errors mixed in with a strikeout that gave the Phillies 2 on and 1 run in with 2 outs. Nojima didn't overthrow, but stayed in his game and got the grounder to third where our most trusted defender, Mastro', was waiting. It is simple plays like that grounder that wins games. Sure you need guys to get a few big hits with two outs and strikeouts and diving defensive plays, but it is those routine plays under pressure that mean so much and those are the ones we have to make when the pressure is on in the playoffs."

The A's picked up 3 more runs in the ninth with a Purcell double, Dodson single and Mastro' walk loaded the bases for Nissen's two-run double. The A's scored one more on an infield single by Wolfe.

Billy Dodson digs up and comes up throwing.

Keith Lederer hangs onto a pop-up off first base.

Shane Francisco continued to keep the opposition quiet against the Phillies.

Billy Dodson used his quick feet to get 3 hits and a stolen base, but the A's failed to get him home.

Nissen - G13MVP

Nojima - G14MVP