NALB 2008 Playoffs - League 2 Series

K. Fields
2009-10-24T20:00:49-04:00
Baseball

2008 League 2 Series - Vancouver Wild vs. Stade Maples

Game 1: Vancouver 2, Stade 0
Game 2: Vancouver 9, Stade 5
Game 3: Stade 6, Vancouver 1
Game 4: Vancouver 9, Stade 0
Game 5: Stade 8, Vancouver 7
Game 6: Vancouver 17, Stade 13

The 2008 League 2 Series was a rematch of David versus Goliath. Seven games back with a month to play, the Vancouver Wild (80-82) managed to scrape out their second consecutive division title. The Stade Maples (107-55), on the other hand, cruised to their sixth straight division title.

The opening game featured two tremendous pitchers, Vancouver’s Tony Martell (19-9, 3.39 ERA) and Stade’s Max Brown (18-10, 2.74 ERA). Both pitched outstanding games, but Martell was a bit sharper. Brown gave up two runs in seven innings while Martell pitched eight innings of shutout baseball.

Game 2 was a chance for the Maples to even up the series. The starting pitchers were Mike Conigliaro (13-10, 3.67 ERA) for the Wild and John Hamilton (16-7, 4.68 ERA) for the Maples. The starters were largely ineffective. Conigliaro lasted only three innings and Hamilton was pulled in the sixth. The game was tied 5-5 and went into extra innings. Stade’s closer, Rob Muncy, failed to get the job done. He gave up four runs and the Maples lost 9-5.

The Wild were clearly in charge of this series as it moved to Vancouver for game 3. They sent Walter Sheehan (6-9, 3.50 ERA) to the mound against Stade’s Luis Hesterfer (17-6, 3.83). With their backs against the wall, the Maples responded. Hesterfer pitched a complete game and only surrendered one run. Stade’s hitters delivered plenty of offense and they won the game 6-1.

Vancouver decided to use a three-man rotation in this series. Therefore, it was Tony Martell back on the mound for game 4. Stade countered with rookie starter Martin Clauch (4-3, 5.05 ERA). The 23 year old Clauch was not up to the challenge. He was pounded early and left after two innings. The Maples’ bullpen faired no better while Martell was once again masterful. Martell pitched seven shutout innings and the Wild delivered a 9-0 win.

For game 5, the Maples pinned their hopes on ace Max Brown. This time, Brown was up against Mike Conigliaro. Brown pitched well but he pulled an abdominal muscle while running the bases in the fourth inning. The outlook for Stade still good with a 6-1 lead heading into the bottom of the fifth. However, Jason Walton’s grand slam sliced the lead to 6-5. Stade added a couple of runs and so did Vancouver. In the end, the Maples prevailed by a score of 8-7.

In game 6, the Maples returned to Stade down three games to two in the series. Vancouver’s Pete Adams (13-13, 3.80) got his first series start while Stade relied on starter John Hamilton once again. The game was an old-fashioned slugfest. Fourteen pitchers were used in the game and most of them gave up some runs. The two teams combined for 39 hits and 30 runs. Perhaps the best performance of the day was by Ariel Cadore. The Maples’ center fielder went 4 for 6 with a home run and 7 RBI. Cadore’s effort was in a losing cause, however, as the Wild prevailed 17-13.

The Vancouver Wild won the League 2 Series and will make their first World Championship Series appearance against the Brooklyn Knights. Tony Martell was the League 2 Series MVP.