Monday afternoon the Hoboken Zephyrs blew into Springfield for a set with the league-leading Isotopes, a squad many observers had characterized as "virtually unbeatable". After three closely-fought games, however, it was the Zephyrs who emerged with the 2 games to 1 series win, improving their season mark to 6-3. The Topes fell to 11-4.
Game 1 was a back and forth affair. Hoboken's Juan Gonzales and Springfield's Barry Bonds traded home runs early before Ricky Henderson's two-run single in the fourth gave the Zephyrs a 4-1 lead. The Fish scored four in the fifth, though, on Jack Clark's third HR of the season and Pudge LaVallier's two-run double. The Topes still led 5-4 in the ninth but Hoboken threatened, advancing the tying run to third with two outs. The visitors called upon Wally Joyner to deliver the game-tying hit, but pitcher Mike Perez induced a game ending fly out, notching his second save in the process. Pedro Astacio got the win (2-1, 2.86) while Mike Morgan (4.20)? dropped to 1-1 with the loss.
Although the final score may not reflect it, Game 2 was an old fashioned beat down. The 11-2 Fish must have been thinking their 12th was in the bag after Kent Hrbek launched a three-run home run in the bottom of the first inning to give Springfield a 4-1 advantage. That was true for about half an inning, until Hoboken put up a four spot of their own in the top of the second, two of the runs coming on bases-loaded walks, to take the lead right back at 5-4. After four hits and five walks over two innings, Topes' starter Mike Moore hit the showers and was replaced by the equally ineffective Bryan Harvey, who also gave up four runs in his two innings of work, one coming via a bases-loaded walk. Fast forward to the top of the ninth inning, where we can find Springfield's fifth pitcher, Jeff Brantley, walking in another run with the bases loaded. At that point, Hoboken led 11-4, and three meaningless garbage time runs (11-7 final) doesn't change the fact that the Fish suffered their worst defeat of the season. Knuckleballer Tim Wakefield (4.24) got the W and?improved?to 1-1.
Desperate for a series win, the Fish handed the ball to their ace, Bob Tewksbury, in the rubber match. And Tewks turned in a game-winning performance, allowing just three hits in eight innings of work. Problem #1 - one of the hits was Dutch Daulton's two-run dinger in the fourth. Problem #2 - his opposite number, Pete Smith, was better. Smith was brilliant in his first start of the year, allowing three hits and zero runs in a complete game victory.
