November 1, 2002

Salem Scores Seven in Ninth to Win OLDS

STAMFORD, CT - The Salem Cowtippers broke a 3-3 tie by scoring seven runs off the
Stamford bullpen in the top of the ninth inning, giving the Cowtippers a ticket to
the 2002 OL Championship Series.

Salem starter Brad Penny wasted no time getting himself into hot water, loading the
bases in the first inning on a pair of walk and a base hit.  David Segui then drove
home the game's first run on a fielder's choice.  Penny escaped the inning by getting
Todd Walker to ground out to short for the final out, leaving the bases juiced.

Salem pushed a runner to third in the second inning, but he was left stranded when
Robin Ventura grounded out to end the inning.  In the fourth, Salem loaded the bases
on a throwing error, a walk and a base hit.  After Craig Wilson whiffed for out 
number one, Ray Durham leaned into a pitch by Stamford starter Mark Buehrle, scoring
the tying run of the game.  Robin Ventura then whiffed for out number two, sending
Penny to the plate with two outs and the bases loaded.

Penny silenced the Stamford crowd with a bloop single to center that scored two
runs, giving Salem a 3-1 lead.

"That's the ballgame," said Stamford manager Paul Marazita.

But his shortstop, Chris Gomez, had other ideas.  Gomez, who was deemed unworthy of
any of the 840 slots on the 35-man rosters of every team in the BDBL before he was
claimed off the free agent scrap heap by Stamford, stepped to the plate in the 
seventh inning with a man on and drilled a game-tying home run off Penny.

Penny then walked the pitcher, Buehrle, and then leadoff hitter Magglio Ordonez as
well, gift-wrapping another rally to the Zoots.  Trot Nixon then pushed both runners
into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt, making the first out of the inning.
With Stamford's #3, #4 and #5 hitters due up, Salem manager Mike Glander summoned
lefty Randy Choate to intentionally walk Chipper Jones to load the bases.

With Jim Edmonds due up, Stamford manager Paul Marazita called upon Brady Clark to
pinch hit.  Glander countered with Chad Fox, who whiffed Clark on four pitches. 
David Segui then grounded out to end both the rally and the inning.

With the score tied at 3-3, Stamford called upon Mike Venafro to hold the lead in
the ninth.  Venafro began his outing by walking leadoff batter Robin Ventura.  Glander
then signalled for pitcher John Thomson to pinch hit after inserting Donnie Sadler 
as a pinch runner.  Thomson's bunt was so great that he managed to beat out the throw
from the drawn-in third baseman Jones.  That put two runners on with no outs for 
Mike Cameron.

Cameron, hitting against Stamford closer Tom Gordon, managed to put the bat on the
ball, resulting in a seeing-eye single that plated the go-ahead run.  He then stole
his way into scoring position.  That set the table for David Eckstein, who drilled a
two-run single off Gordon to give the Cowtippers a comfortable cushion.

Gordon made that cushion a bit more comfortable by loading the bases on a walk and 
a base hit.  Lance Berkman then drilled a two-run single to give Salem two more runs
in the inning.  Craig Wilson then put the icing on the cake with a two-run blast,
giving Salem seven runs in the inning and a 10-3 lead.

David Weathers then shut down the top of the Stamford lineup in the ninth, getting
Clark to ground out to third for the final out of the inning.

The Cowtippers stormed the field and celebrated on the pitcher's mound as if they'd
just won the BDBL championship.

"For us, this win was almost as huge as winning the championship," said Wilson.
"Everyone knows the BDBL championship comes through Stamford, and we're the first
team in the history of the BDBL to beat the Zoots in the post-season.  That's a 
pretty huge accomplishment in and of itself.  We're not done yet.  But it sure feels
good to have gotten this far."