November 4, 2000

Four Run Ninth Puts Zoots One Away

LITCHFIELD, CT - The Stamford Zoots scored four runs in the top of the ninth 
inning today in Game Three of the OLDS, erasing a 5-4 lead by the Litchfield
Lightning and putting them one win away from advancing to the OLCS.

The scoring began in the second inning, when Mike Lowell drew a one out walk
against Litchfield starter Denny Neagle.  Edgardo Alfonzo then doubled to the gap
in left, but the relay throw home from center fielder Brady Anderson nipped Lowell
at the plate.  With two outs and first base open, Litchfield manager Phil Geisel
elected to intentionally walk Brad Ausmus to get to Stamford starter John Smoltz.
Smoltz ripped a base hit to right, bringing home Stamford's first run.

In the third, a pair of RBI doubles by Anderson and Edgar Martinez put Litchfield
in the lead.  A solo shot by Lowell the following inning tied it once again.  And
a leadoff homer by series hero Erubiel Durazo took the lead back for the Light-
ning.  After Durazo's homer, Smoltz issued free passes to .199 hitting Jorge
Fabregas and the always-patient Marquis Grissom.  Gary DiSarcina then blooped a 
base hit to center, scoring Grissom.

With Fabregas on third and Neagle at the plate, Geisel attempted to bunt home a
run.  But Fabregas was meat at the plate when Neagle's bunt rolled right back to
Smoltz, who shoveled it home for an easy tag by Stamford catcher Brad Ausmus.
Smoltz then hit Anderson with a pitch, loading the bases, but whiffed the danger-
ous Mark Grudzielanek and got a line drive out from Martinez to end the threat.

A solo homer by Ausmus off reliever Juan Guzman cut Litchfield's lead to 4-3 in
the sixth.  A base hit by pinch hitter Marty Cordova, a walk to pinch hitter 
Michael Tucker, and a base hit by Omar Vizquel tied the score.  Magglio Ordonez
left the go-ahead run stranded at third, though, when he whiffed at a high
fastball from Guzman.

In the bottom half of the inning, Stamford reliever Donne Wall served up a leadoff
hit to Brady Anderson.  Anderson advanced to second on a ground ball, then scored
on a base hit by Barry Bonds, returning the lead to Litchfield.  Durazo then
stepped to the plate with runners on first and second and one out.  But Zoots
lefty setup man C.J. Nitkowski got Durazo to line into a double play to end the
inning.

Litchfield put runners on the corners with one out in the seventh, but a ground
ball double play by pinch hitter Scott Servais off John Wetteland spoiled any
chance of scoring any insurance runs.

The Lightning carried their 5-4 lead into the ninth with Steve Karsay on the hill.
Karsay retired Ordonez on a ground ball to second for out number one, then gave 
way to Rheal Cormier.  Cormier also got a ground ball to second, but this time
it was booted by interim second baseman Grudzielanek, who was filling in for
the suspended Eric Young.  The next batter, Luis Polonia advanced Grudzy to third
on a base hit.  Closer Jeff Shaw then came into the game to face Lowell.  Stamford
manager Paul Marazita countered with Corey Koskie.  Koskie hit a long fly to
right that would have been the third out of the inning if not for the error.
Instead, it scored Palmeiro from third, tying the game.  Alfonzo followed with 
an RBI single, Ausmus followed that with an RBI double, and Tucker followed that
with another RBI single, giving Stamford four runs in the inning and an 8-5 lead.

That lead held up, as Bobby "Shutgun" Chouinard and Yorkis Perez got the job done
in the bottom of the ninth, putting the Zoots one win away from another champ-
agne celebration.