November 1, 2002

Pair of Errors Leads to Stamford Loss

SALEM, NH - In the first game of the Division Series, the Stamford Zoots committed a
pair of costly errors in the seventh inning, allowing the Salem Cowtippers to tie
the game, then take the lead and eventually win.  Today's game was a match-up between
two of the top contenders for the Ozzie League Cy Young award, yet both pitchers 
fared poorly, resulting in a 9-7 final score.

The game began with a ringing double by Magglio Ordonez off Salem starter Brad 
Penny.  Ordonez later scored on a base hit by Chipper Jones, giving the Zoots the
early lead.  Jim Edmonds followed with a two-run blast, making it a 3-0 game.

Salem slugger Todd Helton answered Edmonds' blast with one of his own - a two-run
shot in the bottom of the first that cut Stamford's lead to just one run.  Later that
inning, a two-run triple by Ray Durham off Stamford starter Mark Buehrle put Salem
in the lead 4-3.

That lead was short-lived, however, as Edmonds stepped to the plate in the third
inning and did it again.  This time, he delivered a three-run jack, putting the 
Zoots back in the lead.

Once again, Salem answered immediately with a run in the bottom half of the inning.
An RBI single by Craig Wilson made it a 6-5 game in favor of the three-time champs.

In the fifth, Edmonds came through yet again, delivering an RBI single off Penny.
With runners on first and second and none out, Penny got David Segui to bounce into
a crucial double play.  Norm Charlton then entered the game and whiffed Todd Walker
to escape the jam.

For the third time in the game, Salem had an immediate response to Stamford's scoring
in the bottom half of the inning.  To the shock and delight of the capacity crowd in
Salem (all rocking the dome without the aid of plastic noisemakers, which are banned
at Sam Adams Stadium), little Davey Eckstein led off the inning with a line drive
home run that just cleared the wall in left.  Once again, Stamford's lead was cut to
one run.

In Eckstein's next at-bat in the seventh, he led off the inning with a base hit off
reliever Jeff Fassero.  Unfortunately for Salem, Eckstein was a little too excited 
about getting two hits in a row for the first time all season, and got himself picked
off.  Helton then ripped a base hit to right, sending Fassero to the showers and
Zoots reliever Bung-Hole Kim in from the bullpen.  Kim surrendered a seeing-eye 
single to Sosa, putting runners at the corners with one out for Lance Berkman.
Berkman grounded to second, plating the tying run from third.

After a walk to Wilson put runners at first and second, Ray Durham grounded to first.
But Stamford first baseman Segui was unable to make the toss to the pitcher covering,
giving the Cowtippers a bases-loaded situation with two outs.  Robin Ventura then
stepped to the plate and gave the home town crowd the best at-bat of the day, drawing
a walk off Kim to plate the go-ahead run.

With the pitcher due up, Salem manager Mike Glander called upon Terrance Long off 
the bench.  Long grounded to first, but once again, the toss was bobbled, and the
go-ahead run crossed the plate.  Finally, Mike Cameron whiffed to end the rally.

In the eighth, Salem reliever David Weathers shut down the bottom half of the Zoots
lineup.  Weathers and Chad Fox then combined to strike out the side in order in the
ninth to seal the victory.

"They gave us five outs in the seventh," said Glander.  "Simple as that.  Without
those errors, who knows what would have happened.  We didn't get the pitching we
expected out of Penny today, and they didn't get what they expected out of their 
ace.  So this game basically came down to which team would make the first mistake
in the late innings.  Fortunately for us, it was them this time."