League wildcard #2 Hillsborough Regulators (90-72) at league wildcard #1 Somerville Sluggers (93-69) The Regulators have made the playoffs in 1991, 1992, 1995, and now 1997. One constant in all Regulators playoff teams is Roger Clemens. In 1997, Clemens was dominant, winning 22 games with a 2.24 ERA in 289 2/3's innings. Joining Clemens this year is Kirk Rueter (14 wins, 3.89 ERA), Jon Lieber (3.83 ERA, 160 IP), and Denny Neagle (225 innnings, 4.15 ERA). Closer Randy Myers is in his 4th year with Hillsborough, and had a rather good year (2.29 ERA, 8 wins, 24 saves). On the hitting side, the Regs feature some fearsome hitters. Second baseman Jeff Kent broke out this year, smacking 31 homers and drove in 93 runs. First baseman Paul Sorrento, acquired in the draft, smacked 28 homers and drove in 95 runs. And anchoring the lineup is well-traveled slugger Jay Buhner, who for the 2 teams he played with, hit 41 homers and drove in 108. Buhner is on his 3rd different playoff team in 3 years. The Regs also have quality players at every position, such as catcher Scott Hatteberg and left fielder Jason Giambi. The Somerville Sluggers are no strangers to the playoffs. They were Koufax division pennant winners in 1996, but lost to the future CFOD champ Squids in the conference finals. Leading the Sluggers charge is staff ace Curt Schilling, who put in a 20-win, 2.82 ERA season. 2nd & 3rd starters Bobby Jones and Pat Hentgen also put in quality seasons, with a combined 30 wins and a sub-4 ERA. Mike Fetters saved the majority of the games (22, but with a 4.73 ERA), and the Sluggers boast a few quality relievers, including Mike Remlinger, who put in 113 IP of relief with a 3.66 ERA. The big threats on offense are first baseman Mark Grace and second baseman Chuck Knoblauch. Mark Grace had a .410 on base average and a .482 slugging average, despite hitting only 10 home runs. Knoblauch had a .400+ on base and slugging average, and stole 78 bases as well. Shortstop Barry Larkin and outfielder Geronimo Berroa were part timers this year, but combined they put in 565 AB with a combined 100+ runs and RBI. OF Henry Rodriguez and 3B Willie Greene provided most of the home run pop, with 50 homers between them. This should be a well-matched series. Neither team has a particular advantage over the other with respect to offense or pitching, and the regular season series was tied 6-6. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * GAME ONE - Regulators (Clemens) at Sluggers (Schilling). The Regulators and Sluggers threw their aces on the mound, and both delivered the goods. Clemens gave up just a single run (a 1st inning home run from Berroa), and Schilling gave up an unearned run in the 4th inning. Clemens & Schilling lasted 8 innings, with the score still deadlocked at 1 each. Each team failed to score in the 9th, which sent the game into extra innings. In the top of the 10th, the Regulators made their run. With Scott Hatteberg on 1st, Jeff Kent hit a ground ball to Mark Grace .. who boots it! The 3rd Sluggers error of the game. 1 out, with runners on 1st & 2nd. With 2 outs in the inning, Regulator pinch hitter Roberto Kelly was walked, loading the bases. But John Marzano grounded out, ending the inning. The bottom of the 10th would be the Sluggers' chance to win the game. And the Sluggers didn't waste any time. Chad Kreuter is just a backup catcher for Somerville, but in the bottom of the 10th inning, Kreuter was Mr. October. With no outs in the bottom of the 10th, with Tony Castillo on board, Kreuter parked a pitch out of the park, winning game one of the playoffs for the Sluggers in dramatic fashion in the 2-1 win in 10 innings. SLUGGERS LEAD 1-0. Series 1 10/1/1997 -- Game 1 of 1, Wrigley Field 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 R H E LOB DP 97 Regulators 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 4 1 14 1 97 Sluggers 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 3 3 3 0 Regulators AB R H BI D T HR BB K SB CS IW HP SH SF AVG PO A E PB Weiss ss 4 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .250 2 4 0 0 Lawton cf 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .333 2 0 0 0 Giambi lf 5 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .200 2 0 0 0 Sorrento 1b 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 7 0 0 0 Hatteberg c 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 7 0 0 0 Kent 2b 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 1 3 1 0 Buhner rf 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 4 0 0 0 Johnson ph 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 1 0 0 0 Frye 3b 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 Molitor ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 Lewis 3b 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 Williams ph 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.000 0 0 0 0 Cummings cf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 1 0 0 0 Kelly ph 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 Clemens p 3 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 Berry ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 Myers p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 Marzano ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 Castillo,T p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 36 1 4 1 1 0 0 9 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 27 7 1 0 Sluggers AB R H BI D T HR BB K SB CS IW HP SH SF AVG PO A E PB Knoblauch ss 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 .000 1 8 0 0 Berroa lf 3 1 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 .333 3 0 0 0 Grace 1b 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 11 2 1 0 Greene 3b 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 1 1 0 Rodriguez rf 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .333 2 0 0 0 Kreuter ph 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.000 0 0 0 0 Womack 2b 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 3 1 1 0 Abreu ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 Fetters p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 Spoljaric p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 Lieberthal c 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 8 1 0 0 Glanville cf 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 Schilling p 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 1 0 0 0 Batista ss 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 Perez ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 Larkin ss 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 1 0 0 0 30 2 3 2 0 0 2 1 7 0 0 1 1 0 0 30 13 3 0 Regulators INN H R ER BB K PCH STR BF HR IW HP WP DP BK ERA Clemens 8.0 2 1 1 0 7 101 63 26 1 0 1 0 1 0 1.13 Myers 1.0 0 0 0 1 0 20 9 5 0 1 0 0 0 0 0.00 Castillo,T L 0-1 0.0 1 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 9.0 3 2 2 1 7 122 73 32 2 1 1 0 1 0 Sluggers INN H R ER BB K PCH STR BF HR IW HP WP DP BK ERA Schilling 8.0 3 1 0 5 5 127 75 33 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 Fetters 1.0 1 0 0 3 3 41 22 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 Spoljaric W 1-0 1.0 0 0 0 1 0 24 13 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 10.0 4 1 0 9 8 192 110 45 0 0 0 0 0 0 HIL: Molitor batted for Frye in the 7th Lewis inserted at 3b in the 7th Johnson batted for Buhner in the 9th Williams batted for Lewis in the 9th Berry batted for Clemens in the 9th Cummings inserted at cf in the 9th Lawton moved to rf in the 9th Johnson moved to 3b in the 9th Kelly batted for Cummings in the 10th Marzano batted for Myers in the 10th Kelly moved to cf in the 10th SOM: Abreu batted for Womack in the 8th Batista inserted at ss in the 9th Knoblauch moved to 2b in the 9th Perez batted for Batista in the 9th Larkin inserted at ss in the 10th Kreuter batted for Rodriguez in the 10th GWRBI: Kreuter Temperature: 48, Sky: cloudy, Wind: in from left at 9 MPH. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * GAME TWO - Regulators (Neagle) at Sluggers (Hentgen) Pat Hentgen got off to a rough start in this game. In the 1st inning, in just 5 pitches, Hentgen gave up a double to Weiss, and a 2-run homer from Matt Lawton. The Regulators made it a 3-0 game in their favor in the 4th. In the bottom of the 4th, the Sluggers shrunk the lead to 1 run with a bases loaded 2-RBI single by Tony Womack. In the bottom of the 5th, a costly throwing error by Jeff Frye moved 2 Slugger batters to 2nd & 3rd with 0 outs. Geronimo Berroa and Henry Rodriguez each hit a sacrifice fly to give the Sluggers the 4-3 lead. Neither side would score for the rest of the game, giving the Sluggers their second 1 run win in a row. SLUGGERS LEAD 2-0. Series 2 10/2/1997 -- Game 1 of 1, Wrigley Field 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E LOB DP 97 Regulators 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 11 3 8 0 97 Sluggers 0 0 0 2 2 0 0 0 x 4 5 0 9 1 Regulators AB R H BI D T HR BB K SB CS IW HP SH SF AVG PO A E PB Weiss ss 4 1 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .375 0 2 1 0 Lawton cf 4 1 2 2 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .429 6 0 0 0 Kelly ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 Giambi lf 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .111 1 0 0 0 Sorrento 1b 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 8 1 0 0 Hatteberg c 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .143 2 0 0 0 Kent 2b 4 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .250 3 2 1 0 Buhner rf 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .250 1 0 0 0 Molitor ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 Frye 3b 4 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .333 1 4 1 0 Neagle p 3 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .333 2 1 0 0 Berry ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 36 3 11 3 2 0 1 1 3 0 0 0 0 1 0 24 10 3 0 Sluggers AB R H BI D T HR BB K SB CS IW HP SH SF AVG PO A E PB Womack 2b 5 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .143 3 4 0 0 Sanders,D cf 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 4 0 0 0 Larkin ss 3 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .333 1 2 0 0 Grace 1b 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 6 0 0 0 Berroa rf 3 1 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .667 2 0 0 0 Abreu rf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 Perez 3b 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 1 0 0 Rodriguez lf 3 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .167 7 0 0 0 Lieberthal c 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 3 0 0 0 Hentgen p 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 1 0 0 0 Glanville ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 Fetters p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 Spoljaric p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 31 4 5 4 0 0 0 4 3 0 0 0 0 0 2 27 7 0 0 Regulators INN H R ER BB K PCH STR BF HR IW HP WP DP BK ERA Neagle L 0-1 8.0 5 4 2 4 3 115 78 37 0 0 0 2 0 0 2.25 8.0 5 4 2 4 3 115 78 37 0 0 0 2 0 0 Sluggers INN H R ER BB K PCH STR BF HR IW HP WP DP BK ERA Hentgen W 1-0 8.0 9 3 3 1 3 108 70 33 1 0 0 0 1 0 3.38 Fetters 0.2 2 0 0 0 0 10 7 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 Spoljaric S 1 0.1 0 0 0 0 0 5 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 9.0 11 3 3 1 3 123 81 38 1 0 0 0 1 0 HIL: Molitor batted for Buhner in the 9th Berry batted for Neagle in the 9th Kelly batted for Lawton in the 9th SOM: Abreu inserted at rf in the 8th Glanville batted for Hentgen in the 8th GWRBI: Rodriguez Temperature: 63, Sky: partly cloudy, Wind: right to left at 17 MPH. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * GAME THREE - Sluggers (Jones) at Regulators (Lieber) Yet another close game in this series. Geronimo Berroa has been "en fuego" in this series, and game three was no exception. In the bottom of the first, Berroa put the Sluggers on the board with a solo shot. The Regulators tied it in the 4th on an RBI single by Jeff Kent. Berroa put the Sluggers back on top again in the 5th with an RBI single of his own to make it a 2-1 game. In the 6th, Tony Womack made it a 3-1 Slugger game with an RBI triple. Womack scored later from third base on a wild pitch by Jon Lieber (talk about adding insult to injury!) But don't count the Regulators out yet. In the bottom of the 6th, Scott Hatteberg drove in a run on an RBI single, but was thrown out at second. This turned out to be important, as the next batter, Jeff Kent, smacked a (now solo) shot, to make it a 4-3 Sluggers lead. In the 8th, Matt Lawton tied it all up at 4 each on a solo home run. Neither side scored in the 9th, and we would go to extra innings for the second time in this series. We begin at the top of the 10th with 2 outs, with a 4-4 tie and Barry Larkin on base. Jeff Frye's arm at third base has been erratic this series, and the 10th inning of game three was no exception. On a routine ground ball to third by Willie Greene, Jeff Frye's throw to first missed the mark, pulling Sorrento off base and putting Greene at first. Error #1 for Frye in this game. Eventually the bases are loaded with Sluggers. Slugger Tony Womack at the plate. Wouldn't you know it, Tony hits a ground ball to Jeff Frye. A simple ground ball. A ground ball that any ordinary third baseman worth his salt would field and end the inning without a Slugger run to score. But Jeff Frye is no ordinary third baseman. He boots it! Error #2 of the inning. Larkin scores from third, and the Sluggers take a 5-4 lead. The Regulators couldn't score in the bottom of the 10th, and the Sluggers win their 3rd consecutive 1 run game (and 2 in a row where Jeff Frye decided things with his fielding!). The Regulators need to get something together, or they're going home early. SLUGGERS LEAD 3-0. Series 3 10/3/1997 -- Game 1 of 1, Cinergy Field (Cin) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 R H E LOB DP 97 Sluggers 1 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 1 5 7 0 8 1 97 Regulators 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 1 0 0 4 8 2 5 1 Sluggers AB R H BI D T HR BB K SB CS IW HP SH SF AVG PO A E PB Larkin ss 3 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 .167 3 1 0 0 Berroa lf 4 1 3 2 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .700 2 0 0 0 Sanders,D ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 1 0 0 0 Grace 1b 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 7 4 0 0 Greene 3b 4 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .125 2 0 0 0 Rodriguez rf 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .100 3 0 0 0 Abreu rf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 1 0 0 0 Womack 2b 5 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .167 1 5 0 0 Lieberthal c 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .125 3 0 0 0 Perez ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 Kreuter c 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .500 0 0 0 0 Glanville cf 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .125 5 1 0 0 Jones p 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 2 2 0 0 Batista ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 Fetters p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 Spoljaric p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 1 0 0 38 5 7 3 1 1 1 4 4 1 0 0 1 0 0 30 14 0 0 Regulators AB R H BI D T HR BB K SB CS IW HP SH SF AVG PO A E PB Weiss ss 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .250 2 8 0 0 Kelly ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 Lawton cf 4 1 2 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .455 1 0 0 0 Giambi lf 4 2 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .154 3 0 0 0 Sorrento 1b 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 19 0 0 0 Hatteberg c 3 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .200 4 0 0 1 Kent 2b 4 1 3 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .417 1 3 0 0 Buhner rf 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .143 0 0 0 0 Molitor ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 Cummings cf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 Frye 3b 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .300 0 5 2 0 Lieber p 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 2 0 0 Myers p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 Berry ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 36 4 8 4 1 0 2 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 30 18 2 1 Sluggers INN H R ER BB K PCH STR BF HR IW HP WP DP BK ERA Jones 8.0 7 4 4 3 3 106 62 32 2 0 0 0 1 0 4.50 Fetters W 1-0 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 9 6 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 Spoljaric S 2 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 15 8 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 10.0 8 4 4 3 3 130 76 39 2 0 0 0 1 0 Regulators INN H R ER BB K PCH STR BF HR IW HP WP DP BK ERA Lieber L 0-1 9.0 7 5 4 3 4 123 78 37 1 0 1 0 1 0 4.00 Myers 1.0 0 0 0 1 0 20 11 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 10.0 7 5 4 4 4 143 89 43 1 0 1 0 1 0 SOM: Abreu inserted at rf in the 8th Perez batted for Lieberthal in the 9th Batista batted for Jones in the 9th Kreuter inserted at c in the 9th Sanders,D batted for Berroa in the 10th Sanders,D moved to lf in the 10th HIL: Molitor batted for Buhner in the 9th Cummings inserted at cf in the 10th Lawton moved to rf in the 10th Berry batted for Myers in the 10th Kelly batted for Weiss in the 10th Temperature: 73, Sky: clear, Wind: right to left at 7 MPH. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * GAME FOUR - Sluggers (Wakefield) at Regulators (Rueter) Would the Regulators go quietly into that good night? No, they raged against the dying of their series hopes in the 3rd, when Jay Buhner smashed a solo shot off Wakefield. Henry Rodriguez tied things up in the 4th with homer of his own. The dominant pitching we've seen in this series would continue into the 9th inning with the score tied at 1 each. The Sluggers failed to score in the top of the 9th (despite Jeff Frye fielding the ball in the inning!). In the bottom of the 9th, things finally fell the Regulators' way. With 2 on, and 0 outs, Paul Sorrento singled, scoring George Williams from 2nd, to give the Regulators the 2-1 victory. SLUGGERS LEAD 3-1. Series 4 10/4/1997 -- Game 1 of 1, Cinergy Field (Cin) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E LOB DP 97 Sluggers 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 8 2 11 1 97 Regulators 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 5 1 5 0 Sluggers AB R H BI D T HR BB K SB CS IW HP SH SF AVG PO A E PB Womack 2b 5 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .235 0 3 1 0 Sanders,D cf 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .111 1 0 0 0 Grace 1b 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 8 0 1 0 Knoblauch ss 4 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 .286 3 4 0 0 Berroa rf 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .538 4 0 0 0 Perez 3b 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .111 1 1 0 0 Rodriguez lf 4 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .143 5 0 0 0 Lieberthal c 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .083 2 1 0 0 Wakefield p 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .333 0 1 0 0 Remlinger p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 Abreu ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 Frascatore p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 36 1 8 1 0 0 1 3 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 24 10 2 0 Regulators AB R H BI D T HR BB K SB CS IW HP SH SF AVG PO A E PB Weiss ss 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .200 2 4 0 0 Cummings ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 Myers p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 Lawton cf 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .357 2 0 0 0 Williams ph 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.000 0 0 0 0 Giambi lf 4 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .176 1 0 0 0 Sorrento 1b 3 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .067 8 0 1 0 Hatteberg c 3 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .308 5 0 0 0 Kent 2b 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .333 6 2 0 0 Buhner rf 3 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .200 3 0 0 0 Frye 3b 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 .231 0 4 0 0 Rueter p 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 Molitor ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 Elster ss 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 29 2 5 2 1 0 1 2 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 27 10 1 0 Sluggers INN H R ER BB K PCH STR BF HR IW HP WP DP BK ERA Wakefield 7.0 4 1 1 1 1 88 55 25 1 0 0 0 1 0 1.29 Remlinger 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 13 9 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 Frascatore L 0-1 0.0 1 1 0 1 0 10 4 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 8.0 5 2 1 2 2 111 68 31 1 0 0 0 1 0 Regulators INN H R ER BB K PCH STR BF HR IW HP WP DP BK ERA Rueter 8.0 7 1 1 3 4 127 78 35 1 0 0 0 0 0 1.13 Myers W 1-0 1.0 1 0 0 0 1 15 11 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 9.0 8 1 1 3 5 142 89 39 1 0 0 0 0 0 SOM: Abreu batted for Remlinger in the 9th HIL: Molitor batted for Rueter in the 8th Cummings batted for Weiss in the 8th Elster inserted at ss in the 9th Williams batted for Lawton in the 9th GWRBI: Sorrento Tim Wakefield was removed after a rain delay Temperature: 75, Field: wet, Sky: threatening, Wind: right to left at 11 MPH, Rain Delays: 51 and 79 minutes. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * GAME FIVE - Sluggers (Schilling) at Regulators (Clemens) Matchup #2 between the Slugger and Regulator staff aces. Only this time around, Clemens and Schilling were not quite as unhittable. The Regulators scored first in the bottom of the first on a Giambi RBI single. The Sluggers returned the favor in the 2nd & 3rd innings, punishing Roger Clemens for 4 runs. The Regulators closed it to a 4-3 Slugger lead in the 4th on back to back taters by Paul Sorrento and Scott Hatteburg. The Sluggers made it a 5-3 ballgame in the 5th, when Roger Clemens issued a 2-out bases loaded walk to Tony Womack. Paul Sorrento added his 2nd tater of the game in the 6th with a solo shot. 5-4 Slugger lead. Through 8 1/2 innings, the score would remain a 5-4 Slugger lead. We move now to the bottom of the 9th, with 2 outs against the Regulators, and closer Mike Fetters on the mound facing pinch hitter Willie McGee. It was McGee's first AB of the series, and it very well could be his, and the Regulators', last. But Willie McGee pulled through, and hit a double. With Spoljaric now on the mound, pinch hitter Roberto Kelly was walked. It was now up to Matt Lawton to save the Regulators' season. Lawton hit a single to right ... which was the opportunity Willie McGee was looking for. Starting from second, Willie McGee ran for home. His dueling partner? Slugger right fielder Bobby Abreu, complete with his "Ex" throwing arm. The ball and McGee converged at home plate simultaneously, but McGee was able to get his hand to home plate before Lieberthal could get his hand on McGee. McGee was safe at home, and the Regulators tied up the game at 5 each. For the third time in this series, the game would go to extra innings. The Sluggers failed to score in the top of the 10th. Spoljaric remained on the mound for the Sluggers in the bottom of the 10th. First batter was Paul Sorrento, who already had 2 homers in the game. Was Sorrento done for the day? Nope. Sorrento smacks one over the fence to win game #5 for the Regulators, a 6-5 victory in 10 innings. The Regs are now just a game away from a series deciding game 7. SLUGGERS LEAD 3-2. Series 5 10/6/1997 -- Game 1 of 1, Cinergy Field (Cin) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 R H E LOB DP 97 Sluggers 0 3 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 5 9 0 9 2 97 Regulators 1 0 0 2 0 1 0 0 1 1 6 11 0 7 0 Sluggers AB R H BI D T HR BB K SB CS IW HP SH SF AVG PO A E PB Larkin ss 5 1 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .273 5 2 0 0 Berroa lf 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .500 1 0 0 0 Grace 1b 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000 8 1 0 0 Greene 3b 4 1 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .167 0 1 0 0 Rodriguez rf 4 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .167 2 0 0 0 Abreu rf 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 Womack 2b 4 1 1 2 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .238 3 6 0 0 Lieberthal c 5 1 2 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .176 5 0 0 0 Glanville cf 5 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .154 2 0 0 0 Schilling p 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 1 4 0 0 Perez ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .100 0 0 0 0 Fetters p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 Spoljaric p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 38 5 9 5 2 1 1 5 6 0 0 0 0 1 0 27 14 0 0 Regulators AB R H BI D T HR BB K SB CS IW HP SH SF AVG PO A E PB Weiss ss 4 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .211 4 2 0 0 Kelly ph 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 Lawton cf 4 0 2 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .389 6 0 0 0 Giambi lf 5 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .182 2 0 0 0 Sorrento 1b 4 3 3 3 0 0 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .211 9 3 0 0 Hatteberg c 4 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .294 6 1 0 0 Kent 2b 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .263 2 4 0 0 Buhner rf 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 .154 0 0 0 0 Molitor ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 Elster ss 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 Frye 3b 2 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .267 0 1 0 0 Williams ph 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.000 0 0 0 0 Lewis 3b 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 Berry ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 3 0 0 Clemens p 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .200 1 0 0 0 McGee ph 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.000 0 0 0 0 Myers p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 35 6 11 6 3 0 4 4 5 0 0 0 0 1 0 30 14 0 0 Sluggers INN H R ER BB K PCH STR BF HR IW HP WP DP BK ERA Schilling 8.0 8 4 4 3 5 112 65 33 3 0 0 0 2 0 2.25 Fetters 0.2 1 1 1 0 0 11 5 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 2.70 Spoljaric L 1-1 0.1 2 1 1 1 0 22 12 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 3.38 9.0 11 6 6 4 5 145 82 40 4 0 0 0 2 0 Regulators INN H R ER BB K PCH STR BF HR IW HP WP DP BK ERA Clemens 9.0 8 5 5 5 6 141 81 40 1 0 0 1 0 0 3.18 Myers W 2-0 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 6 6 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 10.0 9 5 5 5 6 147 87 44 1 0 0 1 0 0 SOM: Abreu inserted at rf in the 8th Perez batted for Schilling in the 9th HIL: Williams batted for Frye in the 7th Lewis inserted at 3b in the 8th Molitor batted for Buhner in the 9th Berry batted for Lewis in the 9th McGee batted for Clemens in the 9th Kelly batted for Weiss in the 9th Elster inserted at ss in the 10th Kelly moved to rf in the 10th Berry moved to 3b in the 10th GWRBI: Sorrento Temperature: 81, Sky: cloudy, Wind: left to right at 2 MPH. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * GAME SIX - Regulators (Neagle) at Sluggers (Hentgen) Game six moved the series back to Somerville for the rest of the series. Both sides remained scoreless until the 4th, when Grace hit a sacrifice fly to score Tony Womack from 3rd. The Sluggers made it a 3-0 game in the 5th on a 2-run shot by Eduardo Perez. The Regulators put themselves on the board in the 6th, when Mark Lewis singled, scoring Paul Sorrento. The Sluggers made it a 3-1 game in the 8th on another sacrifice fly by Mark Grace. Grace has gone 0-fer-20 in this series, but has managed to pick up 2 RBI's. The Regulators made one last gasp in the top of the 9th. Jeff Frye smacked a solo shot to make it 4-2. But, with a runner on base and 2 outs, Mike Fetters struck out Jason Giambi, winning game 6 for the Sluggers by the 4-2 victory. The Sluggers advance in the playoffs, where they will face the Oregon Wet Sox for the right to play in the MK conference finals. Series 6 10/7/1997 -- Game 1 of 1, Wrigley Field 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E LOB DP 97 Regulators 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 2 10 1 10 1 97 Sluggers 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 1 x 4 5 1 3 2 Regulators AB R H BI D T HR BB K SB CS IW HP SH SF AVG PO A E PB Weiss ss 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .174 1 2 1 0 Lawton cf 4 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .364 3 0 0 0 Giambi lf 5 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .185 2 0 0 0 Sorrento 1b 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .174 10 0 0 0 Hatteberg c 4 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .381 3 1 0 0 Buhner rf 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .125 2 0 0 0 Lewis 2b 4 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .250 1 5 0 0 Frye 3b 4 1 2 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 .316 2 2 0 0 Neagle p 3 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .500 0 1 0 0 Molitor ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 36 2 10 2 1 0 1 3 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 24 11 1 0 Sluggers AB R H BI D T HR BB K SB CS IW HP SH SF AVG PO A E PB Womack 2b 4 1 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 .280 0 3 0 0 Sanders,D cf 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 .083 3 0 0 0 Grace 1b 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 .000 6 0 0 0 Knoblauch ss 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .182 3 3 1 0 Berroa rf 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .444 2 0 0 0 Abreu rf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 1 0 0 0 Perez 3b 3 1 1 2 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .154 2 0 0 0 Rodriguez lf 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .143 2 0 0 0 Lieberthal c 3 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .250 7 0 0 0 Hentgen p 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 1 0 0 0 Fetters p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 Spoljaric p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 26 4 5 4 1 0 1 3 3 1 1 0 0 0 2 27 6 1 0 Regulators INN H R ER BB K PCH STR BF HR IW HP WP DP BK ERA Neagle L 0-2 8.0 5 4 4 3 3 105 67 31 1 0 0 0 1 0 3.38 8.0 5 4 4 3 3 105 67 31 1 0 0 0 1 0 Sluggers INN H R ER BB K PCH STR BF HR IW HP WP DP BK ERA Hentgen W 2-0 8.0 10 2 1 2 4 133 80 35 1 0 0 0 2 0 2.25 Fetters 0.2 0 0 0 1 0 11 5 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 2.25 Spoljaric S 3 0.1 0 0 0 0 1 4 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3.00 9.0 10 2 1 3 5 148 88 39 1 0 0 0 2 0 HIL: Molitor batted for Neagle in the 9th SOM: Abreu inserted at rf in the 8th GWRBI: Grace Temperature: 54, Sky: partly cloudy, Wind: in from right at 24 MPH.