November 9, 2001 Salem Crushes Gillette 13-4 SALEM, NH - The Salem Cowtippers scored a decisive victory today in Game One of the 2001 Ozzie League Division Series, but the game was much tighter than the final score of 13-4 would indicate. Lance Berkman, getting the starting nod over Sammy Sosa today with tough righty Andy Ashby on the mound for Gillette, launched a solo homer with one out in the first, giving Salem an early lead. Ashby followed that blast with a walk and two singles, bringing home another Salem run. Salem ace Mike Mussina cruised through the first two innings, setting down the side in order in both frames. But he ran into trouble in the third, facing the bottom third of the Gillette lineup. Bill Spiers singled to lead off the inning. Craig Grebeck, who had three hits on the day, then doubled, putting Spier at third. Ashby himself then drove home the first run for Gillette on a line drive single to left. The next batter, Johnny Damon, then hit a slow roller to Salem shortstop Damian Jackson, scoring the tying run from third. After Rafael Furcal singled to put runners on the corners, Darrin Fletcher then hit a two-hopper to Jeff Bagwell at first. Ashby took off from third and scored when Bagwell's throw to the plate was too late. That gave Gillette the lead. Undeterred by this lapse by their ace pitcher, the Salem offense kicked into high gear the following inning. After Gary Sheffield reached base thanks to an error by Gillette second baseman Furcal (one of three errors on the day for the Swamp Rats), Bobby Abreu tripled into the corner, tying the game. Two batters later, Abreu scored on an RBI single by Jeff Kent. Salem then scored a third run that inning when Kent scored on a double by Jackson. In the fourth, Mussina ran into trouble against the bottom third of the Gillette lineup once again. A Juan Gonzalez single, a Grebeck single and a throwing error by Jackson on a sure-thing inning-ending double play scored another Gillette run. With one out and a runner on second, Damon then hit another routine double play ball to Bagwell at first, but Jackson was unable to get the ball out of his glove on the return throw. That put a runner on third with Furcal at the plate. Fortu- nately, Mussina was able to retire him on a harmless grounder to first, stranding the tying run at third. In the bottom half of that inning, a two-run blast by Abreu made it a 7-4 game. Salem put runners on second and third with one out in the fifth. But with Mussina due to bat, Salem manager Mike Glander stuck with his pitcher, hoping that he'd get another inning out of his ace. Unfortunately for Salem, he didn't. Mussina began the sixth by allowing yet another base hit to Grebeck. Two batters later, he walked Damon, bringing an end to his day after 106 pitches in only 5 1/3 innings. Mike Myers then came into the game and whiffed both Furcal and Fletcher to end the Gillette threat. Clinging to a three-run lead heading into the eighth, the Salem offense gave their pitchers enough cushion to avoid another late-game screw-up that had become routine against this Gillette club during the regular season. With Hector Carrasco taking over on the mound, pinch hitter Ryan Christensen led off the inning with a double. Then, with two outs, Kent grounded to short for what should have been the final out of the inning. Instead, Grebeck's luck ran out and he couldn't get a handle on the ball. A run scored, and Salem was able to extend the inning for Travis Fryman, who singled home another run. Mike Benjamin then walked to load the bases. That brought Sammy Sosa to the plate, who launched a grand slam home run, giving Salem a six-run innings and a 13-4 lead. "My decision to start Berkman and use Sosa off the bench worked out pretty well, didn't it?," Glander bragged after the game. "This win wasn't as comfortable a win as you'd think just by looking at the final score. Those guys put up a helluva fight. They really beat up on our best pitcher, and they made it a ballgame until the eighth."