The Trailers went fishing in the cold waters surrounding the Appalachian Mountains on Mother's Day but, at the end of the day, must have been disappointed in their haul. After reeling in a whopper in Game 1, the Trailers had no luck the rest of the way. The Fish won their fourth consecutive series, two games to one.
The teams exchanged come from behind victories in Games 1 and 2. The Isotopes led the opener 3-1 on the strength of Todd Zeile's second home run of the year, but Reggie Jefferson's pinch hit single narrowed the gap to 3-2 in the sixth. Springfield lifted starting pitcher Jose Guzman to begin the seventh, a decision that did not pay off. With one on and one out, Appalachian's (AP) Ray Lankford ripped a two-run jack off Bryan Hickerson, the blast giving the home team a 4-3 lead. Three Trailer relievers made sure it ended that way.
For the Trailers, Game 2 was definitely the one that got away. They outhit the Topes, 11-6, plus the Fish committed two more errors, a troubling trend to start the season. The Trailers went wild on the bases, swiping five at the expense of Mike LaValliere. Perhaps the home team was too aggressive, though. Not once, but twice, Frank Thomas tried to score from second on a single to left field. And on each occasion, Daryl Boston gunned him out at the plate. Throw in a botched squeeze play (Steve Finley was the culprit), yet somehow the Trailers still led 3-2 entering Springfield's half of the eighth inning. For the second time in the game, Barry Bonds was drilled with a pitch, a not so subtle reminder that the slugging outfielder won't win a popularity contest anytime soon. Jack Clark showed he had his teammate's back, however, by drilling a go-ahead three run home run off of Game 1 winner Darren Holmes. The game ended Springfield 5, Appalachia 4. Bob Tewksbury improved to 3-0 with the improbable win.
At the moment, there is only one other hurler sporting a 3-0 mark in the Tiant Division - Tewks' teammate Curt Schilling. Schilling was dominant in Game 3, allowing just one hit through his first seven innings, and a total of four in his 6-2 complete game victory. Kent Hrbek provided the bulk of his offense, his two doubles plating four. Springfield is sitting pretty atop the Tiant division at 10-2, while the Trailers are at 6-5, surely thinking they should have one more W.
