NALB 2014 Playoffs - League 1 Series

K. Fields
2015-10-11T16:54:48-04:00
Baseball

2014 League 1 Series - Luisville Beasts (84-78) vs. Brooklyn Knights (105-57)

Game 1: Luisville 4, Brooklyn 3
Game 2: Luisville 9, Brooklyn 3
Game 3: Brooklyn 18, Luisville 7
Game 4: Brooklyn 9, Luisville 7
Game 5: Luisville 2, Brooklyn 1
Game 6: Brooklyn 2, Luisville 1
Game 7: Brooklyn 4, Luisville 2

Last season, the Luisville Beasts had a 66-96 record, worst in NALB. After spending two seasons in Las Vegas, former Luisville manager Bob Brunton was brought in to turn things around for the Beasts. Brunton did a marvelous job managing the Beasts from worst to first. The Brooklyn Knights missed the playoffs for the first time last season. This year, the Knights returned to the postseason thanks to a league best 105 wins.

The series opened in Brooklyn with the league’s winningest pitcher, Ralph Kerfoot (21-5, 2.57 ERA), on the mound for the Knights. George Manzo (8-10, 4.28 ERA) took the mound for the Beasts. Three singles in the third inning put Luisville on the board first with two runs. Alexis Schmidt hit a solo home run in the bottom of the fourth to give the Knights their first run. The Beasts and Knights added runs in the fifth and sixth, respectively, to make it a 3-2 game. A 423 foot blast by Alexis Schmidt in the eighth tied the game 3-3. Both bullpens pitched well and the game went into extra innings. Roque Cordero’s RBI double in the 13th inning was the game winner as the Beasts edged the Knights 4-3.

In game two, the Beasts started Te Li (11-11, 4.81 ERA), a 34 year old right hander from Taiwan. The Knights started fireballer Tony Tamayo (16-4, 2.69), who struck out 239 batters in the regular season. The Knights could not have asked for a better start. Romeo Usquiano walked, Blas Ramos singled, and Hook Goetz went deep to give Brooklyn a 3-0 in the first inning. Luisville’s star second baseman, Pete Chavez, hit a homer in the next inning to cut Brooklyn’s lead to 3-1. The Beasts added two more runs in the third, thanks to a Blas Ramos error in left field. The game was tied at three runs each. A pair of runs in the top of the fourth put the Beasts ahead 5-3. Tamayo was pulled in the fifth but things didn’t improve for the Knights. The Beasts extended their lead to 8-3. Leonard O’Marron’s home run in the ninth dispelled any hopes for a Brooklyn comeback. Luisville won easily, 9-3.

The day before the playoffs began, the Knights activated Ronaldo Mijangos (8-8, 4.24 ERA) from the disabled list. Mijangos had been inactive since straining his hamstring on August 4. Brooklyn wasn’t sure what to expect from their former ace. The Beasts hoped to build an insurmountable 3-0 series lead. They felt confident back home in Luisville with Tony Martell (14-10, 4.66 ERA) on the mound. After getting swept at home in the first two games, the Knights needed to turn things around quickly. Brooklyn’s mighty bats had been a bit quiet. Luisville awoke a sleeping giant in game three, however. After a scoreless two innings, the scoring erupted in the third. Without any long ball, the Knights bludgeoned Martell with hit after hit to build a quick 7-0 lead. In the bottom of the third, the Beasts roared back. Manuel Montaya singled in a run and Pete Chavez followed with a two run deep ball make it a 7-3 game. Brooklyn’s bats struck with fury again the next inning. Martell only registered one out before being pulled for Alex Martínez. Another big seven run inning was capped by Romeo Usquiano’s two run homer. With the score 14-3, a stunned Luisville crowd sat in silence. Three runs from the Beasts brought the home crowd back to life in the eighth. The Knights added to their lead in the ninth, however, as they cruised to an 18-7 win.

In game four, the Knights hoped Porfírio Portio (8-6, 4.27 ERA) could pitch them to victory and even the series. Opposing him was lefty Logan MacImmey (8-8, 4.48 ERA). A pair of doubles by Dan Conley and Pete Chavez in the first inning put the Beasts ahead 1-0. There was a nervous energy in the Luisville crowd as the Knights began a hitting assault in the third. Angel Santago led off with a home run. Later, a Flavio Marquez RBI double gave Brooklyn the lead. The hot bat of Alexis Schmidt did the most damage. His fence clearing shot to left field added three runs. The Knights led 5-1. The Beasts came back with a run in the bottom half of the inning with a ground out RBI. In the top of the fourth, Santago deflated the crowd when he went deep for the second time in the game. His two run line drive homer made it 7-2. It seemed all but over after the Knights extended their lead to 8-2 in the seventh. Luisville had plenty of fight left, however. They scored three runs in the eighth. The slugfest continued in the ninth. Schmidt doubled to give Brooklyn its ninth run. Manual Montaya hit a two run home run in the bottom of the ninth but that was all the Beasts could manage. Final score: Knights 9, Beasts 7

With the series tied at two games apiece, the final game in Luisville was pivotal. Game five’s pitching matchup was a rematch of game one. Once again, Ralph Kerfoot (21-5, 2.57 ERA) and George Manzo (8-10, 4.28 ERA) were on the mound. With 41 runs scored in the last two games, fans may have been expecting another slugfest. They didn’t get one. Kerfoot and Manzo were both in command as game five turned into a pitchers’ duel. Connor Duck reached base courtesy of shortstop Lariel Gomez’s error in the third inning. Rico Gómez batted him in to give the Beasts a 1-0 lead. In the fifth, DH Tim Hill took Kerfoot deep to right field. With George Manzo pitching a shutout, two runs felt like a solid lead. However, Hooks Goetz smashed a monster 448 foot home run in the top of the eighth. Closer Jesús Montufar came on in the ninth to save the Beasts win, 2-1.

The series shifted back to Brooklyn for game six with the Knights down three games to two. Te Li (11-11, 4.81 ERA) and Tony Tamayo (16-4, 2.69) each got their second start in the series. Like game five, this was another pitchers’ duel. Te Li didn’t strike out a single batter. He was masterful, however, as he changed speeds and located his pitches extremely well. He gave up only four hits and one run in eight innings. Tamayo was almost as good. He pitched 6.1 innings, struck out five, and allowed but one run. Doubles by Ramos and Schmidt gave Brooklyn a run in the first. Roque Cordero’s solo homer in the second gave Luisville a run. After that, the starters settled in and took over the game. With the score tied 1-1, the Beasts sent their closer Montufar to the mound in the bottom of the ninth. Consecutive singles by Ramos, Goetz and Schmidt ended the game in walkoff fashion. The Knights 2-1 victory forced a game seven.

The series was on the line in a winner take all game seven. Starters Ronaldo Mijangos (8-8, 4.24 ERA) and Tony Martell (14-10, 4.66 ERA) each had the chance to pitch their team to a League 1 Championship. Although Mijangos had been solid in game three, Martell was shelled. He needed to put those memories behind him. The Knights jumped on Martell early with solo homers by Maurílio Godim and Alvino Flores in the second inning. An energetic Brooklyn crowd was hushed when Mijangos was taken out of the game after four innings. He hurt his back and was later diagnosed with a torn back muscle. Despite pitching a one hit shutout, it was now up to the Brooklyn bullpen. Rigo Hurtado was pitching in the top of the sixth when Rico Gómez led off with a home run. The Knights tried to take advantage of situational matchups and brought in Xerxes Scaife and Rikiya Kiyomizu to each face a single batter. Next, Lonnie Bennett was brought in for a right handed reliever. He surrendered a ground out RBI to Leonard O’Marron and the game was tied 2-2. The Knights opened the seventh with a walk by Flavio Marquez. Hsiao-lou Yeh put the Knights ahead with an RBI double. Lariel Gómez and Maurílio Godim each singled, which added another run. Brooklyn was up 4-2. Bernard Gastelu pitched a scoreless eighth and Bris Clark pitched a scoreless ninth to seal the 4-2 win for the Knights.

Alexis Schmidt was the League 1 Series MVP. He hit .500 (15 for 30) with 3 HR and 9 RBI.