Game 4 to the Bulls; On to the Cup!

Governors’ Cup Playoffs (Best of 5): 3-1; Bulls Win!
Wrap, Box

If you were one of those who were second-guessing yourself about your advance purchase of playoff tickets, guess what, you made the right decision to buy. Congratulations. You’re going to get to use at least one more of them.

Not that finding a good seat for next Thursday’s game is likely to be a problem, but that’s OK. You kept the faith.

This was a the kind of game you love to watch. Excellent pitching on both sides. The season on the line. Even a key baseball maxim not observed,  “Don’t walk the leadoff batter.” The Clippers did just that three times and two of them scored.

But to go back to the beginning: Nathan Karns showed his stuff today. Just 1 earned run in 7 innings with 12 strikeouts. And the run that scored was on — you guessed it — a leadoff batter who drew Karns’ only walk of the day.

Meanwhile the Bulls were adventurous (they stole 4 bases during the game), but scoreless until the 5th, when Tim Beckham walked, stole second, and scored on a Nick Franklin single. In the 6th it was Cole Figueroa who drew the walk, got to 2B on a Mahtook ground out, scored on a Jeremy Moore single.

But the Clippers were not about to give up and came back with single runs in the 7th off Karns and the 8th of Merrill Kelly, who was in in short relief for the first time this year, I think.

That meant the Bulls needed some heroes in the 8th and they got them in Cole Figueroa (single, stolen base), Jeremy Moore (double, scoring Figueroa), and Vince Belnome (double, scoring Moore, but it sure looked like a home run from the stands). Merrill Kelly closed out the 9th to a noisy, but sadly small crowd of just 1,800 or so.

This is a big deal. Playing for the Governors’ Cup again is a stunning achievement.

The Bulls now go up against the Pawtucket Red Sox, in Pawtucket, Tuesday night. Should be a big game. We’ll post the rotation as it becomes available.