November 19, 2000

Undertakers Even It Out!

STAMFORD, CT - After taking the first two games of this series, the Stamford
Zoots have now dropped two in a row at home, turning this best-of-seven series
into a best-of-three.  After falling asleep for the first two games of this
series, the Los Altos Undertakers' biggest guns (Terry Shumpert, Bret Mayne
and Jerry Hairston) finally awoke in Game Four, breathing new life into this
Undertakers team.

After three scoreless innings, Los Altos put a runner on second with two outs
and Cliff Floyd at the plate.  Stamford manager Paul Marazita foolishly walked
Floyd intentionally with the dangerous Shumpert on deck.  Shumpert made 
Marazita pay for his disrespect, drilling a double to the gap to drive home
the first run of the game.  

Stamford tied it up in the sixth on a pinch hit single by Luis Polonia off
Jim Mecir.  But Los Altos quickly regained the lead when Kenny Lofton lofted
a bloop single that scored the go-ahead run in the seventh.

Clinging to a 2-1 deficit in the eighth, Stamford summoned the Lost Perez
Brother, Yorkis, to start the eighth.  Yorkis began the inning by allowing a
triple to Larry Walker.  He then intentionally walked Albert Belle, opening
the door for reliever (and part-time wife-beater) Bobby Chouinard.  Chouinard
responded to the challenge by serving up an RBI double and an RBI single to
the first two batters he faced.  Another intentional walk (the seventh of the
series so far for Stamford) and a pinch hit bases-clearing Jerry Hairston 
double later, the Undertakers were looking at a 7-1 ballgame.