Ian Stewart had a career day on Saturday with a three homer game-Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

June 3- June 9 2013

Reno 4 Colorado Springs 0

Aces were high last night in the heat of the Reno Desert. Zeke Spruill of the last place Reno Aces pitched a gem last night against the Colorado Springs Sky Sox at Reno. Spruill, a right hander who has struggled since his recent promotion from double –AA Mobile to AAA Reno, pitched a complete game seven hit shutout in a 4-0 Reno win over Colorado Springs. Spruill made 123 pitches, and was very effective despite only whiffing two batters. Spruill only walked one, and made the Express kill worms all night long with 14 ground ball outs. Spruill picked up his well deserved second win of the season.

Chris Owings, who is enjoying a fine season collected three hits, and delivered a solo home run. All four runs were scored from the long ball for Reno. There was a two-run shot from second baseman Tyler Kuhn, and another blast from Matt Davidson.

On the other side, Colorado Springs starter Drew Carpenter allowed 13 hits through six frames, but was able to pitch out of a lot of jams by only allowing two earned runs. Colorado Spring’s vaunted lineup took an ohfer against Spruill. Charlie Blackmon, Josh Rutledge, and Ryan Wheeler went a combined 0 for 11 against Spruill in the loss.

Las Vegas 7 Tacoma 1

Carlos Torres pitched a gem of his own for the Las Vegas 51’s over the Tacoma Rainiers in a 7-1 win. Torres won his sixth game of the season to improve to 6-3. His complete game two-hit win over Tacoma lowered his ERA to 3.89. The former major leaguer is trying to work his way back to the big leagues, and  performances like this can make a good case. Torres only allowed one run on two hits, while walking two and whiffing four. Torres made 101 pitches with 66 of them being for strikes. Torres improves his strike out per nine rate to 8.4 in 2013. Las Vegas used a well balanced attack, going 4 for 16 with runners in scoring position. Brandon Hicks had the big blow with a grand slam home run in the bottom of the eighth inning. Wilmer Flores collected three hits of his own in the win.

Tacoma struggled and was unable to get anything going off of Torres. Lucas Luetge allowed a grand slam, three hits and two walks in his lone inning of relief.

The New Orleans Zephyrs edged out the Albuquerque isotopes by a score of 3-2 at New Orleans on Saturday night.

New Orleans 3 Albuquerque 2

The Tope’s bullpen would get a worst performance of the week grade by serving up the eventual game winning run in the bottom of the eighth to break a 2-2 tie. The Topes has a 1-0 lead until the sixth inning, when Bryan Petersen slammed a two-run home run for New Orleans to put them ahead 2-1. The Topes would tie it up in the seventh, when Brian Barden doubled, and eventually scored on a Justin Sellers sacrifice fly. However in the eighth inning, New Orleans would re-take the lead for good. There was a Jordan Brown walk, and a Jake Smolinski RBI double, and a fielding error from Tony Gwynn Jr. allowed the winning run to score. The New Orleans bullpen finished it the rest of the way. Chris Hatcher whiffed Gwynn and Sellers to end the game, pick up his 19 save, and secure the win for New Orleans.

Fresno 15 Salt Lake 13

Last Thursday was a good old fashioned slugfest in a game between the Fresno Grizzlies, and the Salt Lake Bees. Fresno would win by a score of 15-13. The game saw Salt Lake score 11 runs in the first three frames to go up 11-0, but would see Fresno make one of the most amazing comebacks in PCL history. After scoring four runs in the fourth, and an additional run in the fifth, Fresno scored ten runs in the seventh inning to take a 15-12 lead.

The seventh inning saw Fresno collect seven hits, three walks, three costly errors charged to salt Lake, and one home run during that incredible seventh inning. Juan Perez hit a grand slam home run in the fourth, and Roger Kieschnick drove in five runs with a 2 for 5 game and a home run.

Top Performer of the week-Ian Stewart.

Ian Stewart gets our top performer of the week award thanks to an amazing power performance on Saturday night for the Iowa Cubs. Stewart homered three times and drove in all eight runs for Iowa in their 8-5 win over Round Rock at Principal Park.

The former major leaguer actually tied an Iowa franchise record with his eight runs driven in. Larry Haney in 71, and Tom Egan in 73 are the only other Iowa hitters to drive in eight runs in a game. Stewart who was playing first base and batted eighth, hit his first home run in the first inning, off of Round Rock starter Jake Brigham. His second home run, a two-run blast came in the fourth frame. Finally his third home run was an eight pitch opposite field three-run shot in the bottom of the eighth. Stewart had been struggling this season to find his hitting groove. Before the game Stewart was batting just .146, and collected only his second multi-hit game of the season. Iowa is hoping that this breakout game is just the beginning of Stewart turning his season around and finding his rhythm. Stewart had been taking extra batting practice, and Iowa is hoping that the extra work will start to pay off.

Stewart became the first Iowa Cub player to hit three home runs in a game since Bryan Lahair did it back in 2010. That was Stewart’s 12 career multi-homer game, with four of those coming during his days with the Colorado Rockies. His last multi-homer game came while he was with Colorado Springs back in 2011 when he drove in six runs and slammed two home runs. Check in with us next week for more top performances from around the PCL.

Moore while playing with the Houston Astros in 2012-Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Week of May 20-26

Hitter of the week- Scott Moore-Sacramento  River Cats

(.455/.554/.864) 10 for 22 3 HR 7 RBI 9 R

Scott Moore by all rights is having a solid season for the Sacramento River Cats. The First Place River Cat’s domination in the PCL over the last ten years has been remarkable, and having good players like Moore is what has allowed them to win year in and year out.

Moore has been having a good season, but the week before last he was spectacular. The 29 year old left handed hitting third baseman had one of the best series of his career against Tucson last weekend. During the three games Moore collected eight hits and slugged three home runs. Moore had a 5 for 6 performance with two home runs and four RBI in Saturday night’s game (May 22). For good measure he added another home run and two singles the following day. Moore scored seven runs in the series for Sacramento and they won one game with 20 runs. Overall during the week, Moore posted a line of .455/.556/.864 (10 for22) with three home runs, seven RBI, and nine runs scored. Moore is hitting .298 with an .865 OPS and seven home runs in 47 games in 2013.

Pitcher of the week- Martin Perez- Round Rock Express

(1-0 7 IP 3H 7K)

22 year old pitcher Martin Perez has pitched in the majors briefly with the Rangers the last two seasons. Unfortunately injuries have derailed his progress since. In spring training he broke his arm after being hit with a line drive on March 3.  He was just recently promoted from the double AA Texas League to the Round Rock Express of the Pacific Coast League, and rumors were that he would be returning to the majors quickly.  His domination of PCL hitting eventually earned him a return trip to the Rangers this Monday.

Perez a left hander, has only pitched in three games with the Round Rock since his promotion, but has been wowing everyone. In the past Perez was thought of as being too small for a power pitcher, (6’0 165), but in recent years he has increased his velocity into the low 90’s. Perez throws a fastball around 92, and a sharp breaking curveball, and changeup. His curve and change has both been voted as the best in the Ranger’s farm system.

Last week Perez had a dominating outing against the Reno Aces. Perez tossed seven shutout innings, allowing just three hits and whiffing seven in a 6-0 Round Rock victory. In his brief time in the PCL, Perez has whiffed 17 in 18 innings, while allowing just six runs, and limiting hitters to a .213 batting average against. For that he was awarded with the pitcher of the week award.

Matin Perez-Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Week of May 27-June 2

Hitter of the week –Kole Calhoun –Salt Lake Bees

(.497/485/.667) 11 for 27 2 HR 9 RBI 7 runs scored)

One of the Angel’s top prospects Kole Calhoun had a rough start to begin the season. He broke a bone in his hand in the first game of the season,  which caused him to miss the first six weeks of the season. Calhoun returned to the Bees on May 19, and has been raking it ever since. For the week of May 27-June 2, he was superhuman. The left handed hitting right fielder collected five multi-hit games in seven days, and homered and drove in three runs in both Monday and Saturday’s games. Despite playing in just 15 games this season, Calhoun is hitting .387 (24 for 62), with three home runs.

Week of May 27-June 2

Pitcher of the week – Robbie Erlin Tucson Padres

(1-0 7 IP 2H 11K)

The Padres top ten pitching prospect Robbie Erlin had a great week last week. Despite struggling in his previous few starts, Erlin turned it around with a top-notch performance in a win against Sacramento. Erlin tossed seven scoreless frames, while allowing just two hits, and whiffing 11 batters. His 11 whiffs matched a franchise record previously held by Sean O’Sullivan. Erlin was soon promoted to the big leagues following this start, and earned his first big league win against the Blue Jays on Saturday. He allowed just two runs on eight hits in 6.1 innings. All total with Tucson, Erlin was 4-0 with a 3.79 ERA.

These are our top hitting and pitching performances of the week. Which players will be heating up the PCL next week? Check in with us here to find out. We’ll have more top performers next week. To the players above, we recognize and salute you!

We’ll also have a look at the other side of the coin. The top worst performers of the week will be documented in a later post. I didn’t want to stink up this post with those lousy performances. For that we will have a separate article. Check for that later in the week.

Baseball’s top youngsters were on rare display Saturday night at Talking Stick’s Salt River Fields. The East division trumped the West division squad by a score of 9-4 in the annual Arizona Fall League’s Rising Stars Game. The offenses exploded during the beginning innings, after the West took an early 4-3 lead, the East squad scored six runs in the bottom of the fifth to take back the lead for good. The East scored one run in the first, second, and fourth innings, before exploding for six unanswered runs in the fifth. The game featured perhaps the top two outfield prospects center fielders Billy Hamilton, and Brian Goodwin, who dueled each other the entire game. It was Goodwin, and his East all-stars who came out the winners.

Chase Anderson pitched two perfect frames in the AFL Rising stars game-Photo courtesy of MLB.com

Brian Goodwin, a prospect in the National’s farm system, hit the game’s only home run, a towering shot off of Twin’s prospect Kyle Gibson, that landed in the right field outfield grass. Goodwin went 2 for 5 with the solo home run, and an RBI single, and scored twice. Another outfield prospect, the speedy Billy Hamilton also put on a speed show for the 5,713 fans in attendance. Hamilton stole two bases, scored two runs, and walked twice during the offensive slugfest. Hamilton also showed his speed in the field, robbing Goodwin of an extra base hit with a great running catch at the warning track.The West grabbed an early lead with two runs in the top of the first. Hamilton led off with a walk, and stole second, the first of his two steals. Hamilton then stole third, and Rymer Liriano, the Padre’s hitting prospect doubled home Hamilton for the first run of the game. Liriano would score on a sac fly from Hunter Morris to give the West a 2-0 lead.However in the bottom half of the first, Goodwin’s solo shot, put the East team within one run. The East would tie the game in the bottom of the second. Austin Romine lead off with a triple, and scored on a Kyle Gibson wild pitch. Chris Owings singled, stole second, and scored on a line drive RBI single to right by Giant’s outfield prospect Gary Brown. That made the score 3-2 East.

The West would respond with two runs in the top of the fifth to take the lead 4-3. After Tommy Joseph singled, and then was pinch-run for by Nick Ahmed, the East would bring in pitcher Tony Zych, who would end up picking up the win. Hamilton laid down a drag bunt single up along first base, and Jonathan Singleton’s throw is wide, allowing Ahmed to score, and Hamilton to go to third on the throwing error. Hak-Ju Lee singled home Hamilton, and Liriano doubles Lee to third. That’s all the West would get, as Zych whiffs Morris, and retired Nick Franklin on a pop out.

The East would rally back for six runs in the bottom of the fifth. The losing pitcher, Michael Tonkin, was charged with four of the six runs. Kaleb Cowart singled, and Romine was hit by a pitch. Corey Dickerson’s single to center scores Cowart, and Yankee’s infield prospect David Adams doubles in Hamilton and Romine, giving the East the lead. There was another fielding error, a pitching change, and then Goodwin’s second hit, a double, plated the fourth run of the frame. Ricky Oropesa singled in a run, and the sixth run was plated on a Joc Pederson sacrifice fly. Perhaps the real offensive star of the night, was Liriano, who had three hits, two doubles, drove in and scored a run. The six runs would be plenty, as the East cruised to victory the rest of the way, even surviving a late rally in the ninth from the West.

Jarred Cosart-Jerry Lai-US PRESSWIRE

Houston pitching prospect Jarred Cosart started the game for the East squad, and lasted two frames, allowing one run on two hits, walking two and whiffing one. His opposing starter Kyle Gibson pitched two innings as well, allowing two runs on three hits, and whiffing two. If you are looking for a pitching star, check out righty Chase Anderson. The unlikely hero who relieved Cosart, tossed two perfect frames, whiffing four.The East squad was 5 for 11 with runners in scoring position, while the West team was only 2 for 11. The west also left ten men on base, and couldn’t come up with the big hits throughout the game. The East banged out nine runs on 12 hits. Goowdin’s homer was the lone round tripper in the game. The final out of the game was recorded on a Heath Hembree whiff of Michael Almanzar with the bases loaded. The East was able to stave off a final rally by the West team.Goodwin had a lot of fun playing while he impressed the scouts in the stands with his strong performance.

“This was more fun than I thought it would be” Goodwin said. “I met some new guys, we played the game we love and we came out with a win. What else are you playing for?”

Chase Anderson, the local Arizona prospect, relished the opportunity to play, as he is coming back form injury after missing most of last season. “I was hoping for an opportunity to play in this league this year,” Anderson said.

Many of these young players will become major leaguers. 72.6% of the players in the Rising stars game go on to play in the big leagues. That’s a pretty good success rate.

You can check out the box score here, and the rest of the video highlights here.

Jarred Cosart pitches during last season’s futures game. He’ll get the start for the East in tomorrow’s showdown.-Jerry Lai-US PRESSWIRE

Cosart called the game a “great honor”, as the game will showcase some of the best up and coming talent. One of the top youngsters taking the field tomorrow will be the number 44 prospect overall Mike Zunino. Zunino is a top catching prospect in the Seattle Mariner’s system. Zunino ascended through the system quickly, reaching the double-A level in just his first season of professional Baseball. The 2012 Golden Spikes winner, is known to have a powerful bat, with great bat speed, and a strong throwing arm. He’s one of many young stars that will have the spotlight shined upon during the game tomorrow.Another one of the Mariner’s top prospects Nick Franklin, who was the 2011 Rising Stars game MVP, will also be playing. Last year he pulled in the honors with a 4 for 5 home run, two doubles, and four RBI performance. Joining him will be fellow Seattle prospect James Paxton. All three prospects are ranked in the top 100.Joining Zunino on the East roster is other top Houston prospects Jonathon Singleton, and George Springer. Tiger’s top hitting prospect Nick Castellanos will join other top hitting prospects like the National’s Anthony Rendon, Arizona’s Matt Davidson, Joc Pederson of the Dodgers, and outfielder Gary Brown of the Giants.

The west roster is just as good. Their team will feature the Red’s speester Billy Hamilton, Christian Yelich of the Marlins, Hak-Ju Lee of the Rays system, and Rymer Liriano of the Padres. Yelich is very interesting. He was sidelined with a concussion in early June, but that didn’t stop him from getting the call for the West division roster. Yelich finished third in batting for the South Atlantic League in 2011, and is known to have good speed, and is a solid outfielder. The left handed hitting 19 year old is ranked at number 17 on the top 100 prospects list.

Mike Zunino, the Mariner’s top catching prospect is just one of many young players to watch tomorrow.-Rob Foldy-US PRESSWIRE

The 2009 game saw 28 of the players make it to the majors the following season. In 2010 there were 12 players who made it, and last season the game saw 18 players reach the big league level the next year. Many remember last year’s game featuring Bryce Harper, and Mike Trout.

You can check out the rest of the rosters below.
rising stars rosters

The Rising stars game is more than just an exhibition game. It’s a way for young players on the upswing to showcase their skills and show their teams they’re ready for the major leagues. Their teams will get a chance to evaluate their growth before the long winter begins. It could be considered as a natural pre-curser to the majors for many of these young players. Again, you can check out the game tomorrow on MLB.com, and the MLB Network at 8PM eastern, 5PM Pacific time.

Irving Falu with James Overkamp. Photo from Mr. Overkamp.

Irving Falu, the 29 year old switch-hitting infielder is one of the top hitting infielders in the pacific coast league. Falu originally from Hato Rey, Puerto Rico, was first drafted by the San Diego Padres in 2001, but did not sign with them. Instead he was drafted two years later by the Kansas City Royals in the 21st round of the 2003 draft. Falu is known as an organizational guy. He has all of the tools of a great player, but had been languishing down in the minors for many years. Falu a switch-hitting infielder, can play shortstop, second base, third base, plus all three outfield positions, although Falu has played more games at shortstop, and third. He began with the Royal’s Arizona fall league team, and by 2009 he was promoted to the triple-A Omaha Storm Chasers.

He started off somewhat slow at first. In his first full minor league season in 2005 for the Burlington Bees, he hit .253 with a .343 OBP, 34 stolen bases, and 72 runs scored in 119 games. Falu spent the next season in 2006 playing for the High Desert Mavericks. That year, Falu played in 126 games. He hit .299 that season with a .351 OBP. He drew 40 walks, and only whiffed 46 times. He hit three home runs, drove in 49 runs, collected 159 hits, and scored 87 runs. It was a very solid season for the young table setter. That got him promoted up to the double-A ball Wichita Rangers. Falu initially struggled in his first year at that level. His average dropped to .242 that season, and in 135 games, he only had 115 hits, and his OBP dropped down to .294. After stealing 34 and 31 bases the previous two seasons respectively, his steals dropped down to 15.

Falu would rebound in 2008. He remained in the Texas League where he hit .301, with a .367 OBP. He smacked five home runs, had 42 RBI, in 101 games. Finally in 2009, Falu was promoted to the triple-A Omaha Storm Chasers. Falu hit .269 in his first season with Omaha in 122 games. Falu really came into his own over the last couple of seasons. In 2010 for the Storm Chasers, Falu batted .301 with a .358 OBP, 21 stolen bases in 111 games.

Irving Falu triples in his first MLB at-bat.-Peter G. Aiken-US PRESSWIRE

Falu is known as a table setter. He’s a speedy contact hitter that bats at the top of the lineup, and gets on base for the big boys. It’s something that Falu has become very adept at. Falu very rarely strikes out. As a matter of fact, during his minor league career, Falu has walked more than he has whiffed. (382 walks, 364 whiffs). Falu has never whiffed more than 47 times in any minor league season. Defensively Falu ranks at a +7 runs above average, and ranks at least average at shortstop. Falu has a .280 career batting average, and a .345 OBP. He has stolen 191 bases, and collected 1,098 hits in over 1,000 games accross eight minor league seasons. Falu has become a fan favorite with the Storm Chaser fans. The fans would chant Faluuuuuuuuuu when he would come up to the plate.But when would Falu get the call that he was going to the majors? The Irving Falu story doesn’t end there though. There is so much more to the switch-hitting infielder than meets the eye. Many young players have languished in the minors over the years, but when I saw this story from Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports I knew that Falu was no ordinary minor league ball player. You see, James Overkamp a 12 year old little leaguer had just found out his mom had been diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer. Imagine how frightening that is for a 12 year old boy. So his father had an idea. While his mother was recovering from chemotherapy treatments, his father would take young James to meet his favorite ball player, in order to help lift his spirits. James’ favorite player is Irving Falu. Young James liked Falu’s hustle and versatility.

Irving Falu-Debby Wong-US PRESSWIRE

Mr. Overkamp brought his son to meet Falu in person. According to Passan, the Storm Chasers allowed the starting position players to run out to their positions with a local fan. James was allowed to walk out with Irving Falu. While the two were walking they began to talk. James told Falu about his Mom, and the two struck up a friendship. Hearing about James’ mom hit home for Falu, since his mother had been such a vital force in his Baseball career, and had sent him from Puerto Rico to play Baseball in the US. Falu remembered how his mom took him to practices, and supported him along the way.Throughout the 2011 season, the friendship between Falu and James grew. James would sit as close to Falu as he could during every game. If Falu played the outfield, James would sit in the bleachers, and the two would talk between innings. Falu would ask him how he was doing in school, and how his little league team was playing. He would ask about his mom. As the season progressed, James was eventually invited to stand next to Falu while the national anthem was sung at a Storm Chaser game. I’m happy to report that after six months of chemotherapy, James’ mom has fully recovered.Falu’s 2012 season with the Omaha Storm Chasers was one of his best. In 88 games he was batting .329 with a .375 OBP. He hit seven home runs, drove in 50 runs, and stole 21 bases, and a very solid .838 OPS. Finally Falu got the call. He was being called up to the major leagues. Apparently Yuniesky Betancourt had gone on the DL, and on May 6, of 2012, Falu made his MLB debut with the Kansas City Royals. And so Falu called his Mom, and got her tickets, and sent her on a plane to see his MLB debut at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City. There was no way he was going to let her miss this.

On May 6, Falu tripled in his first at-bat off of Yankee’s pitcher Phil Hughes, with his mom watching from the stands. James watched the game on television and cheered for his friend. Falu had made it to the big leagues. Falu played in 24 games for the Royals this season. He hit .341 in 85 at-bats. He collected 29 hits, and scored 14 runs. Falu had finally made it after spending eight years in the minor leagues. Falu and young James supported each other during that long summer last year. Even though Falu may not make the Royal’s starting roster next spring, James is still very proud of his friend. He was happy that he saw his friend’s dream come true.

“He tries to make me feel good,” Falu said. “And if he can go home and talk about my friend Irving, maybe he can forget for a minute his mom is sick. That’s why I do it. I’m not special.”

That’s what Passan had quoted Falu saying about his friend James. But you see, that is where Falu is wrong. He is special, and there is a young friend of his who can tell you why. I can see why. I just hope that the Kansas City Royals eventually see it too.

~~~~~

For more on the Kansas City Royals, check out Kings of Kauffman!

The Albuquerque Isotopes are the current triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Topes originally moved to Albuquerque from Calgary, in 2003. Albuquerque has strong Baseball roots, going back over 40 years. The city of Albuquerque once hosted the Dukes for many years, before they moved up to Portland and became the Portland Beavers. The Dukes were the triple-A affiliate of the Dodgers for many years as well. The team derived their name from the fictional Baseball team (Springfield Isotopes) from the t.v. show The Simpsons.

What was most amazing about their record setting year, wasn’t so much the many awards they won, but their incredible come from behind win in game four of the PCL American Conference Championship series on September 8th, over their conference rivals, the Omaha Storm Chasers. The Topes facing elimination, scored a season high nine runs in the bottom of the seventh inning on eight hits to beat Omaha 12-10. Elian Herrera had two triples in that historic frame, which set an Isotope record. Yet another record broken by the upstart Isotopes.

The Isotopes finished the 2012 season with an 80-64 record, and won the American Southern Division championship. This was just their third division title in Isotope’s history. The Topes finished a game and a half ahead of second place Oklahoma City.

The awards are many, and the Pacific Coast League records set were peppered throughout the season. Outfielder Jerry Sands, in his final season with the Topes, led the league with 107 RBI, was third with 26 home runs, and won the isotope’s MVP. Sands himself tied a PCL record during a July 29th game against the Nashville Sound by slugging not one, but two grand slam home runs. The perfect power performance was just the fifth time that’s ever happened in PCL history.

Sands wasn’t the only Isotope player breaking records during their historic season. Starting pitcher John Ely captured the PCL pitching triple crown, by leading the league in all three pitching categories. (ERA, wins, whiffs). Ely, (14-7, 3.20 ERA, 165 SO) won the PCL pitcher of the year award for his terrific year. Also recognized was skipper Lorenzo Bundy, who won PCL manager of the year award.

Counting all of the Isotope’s accomplishments this season, it was their incredible comeback win over the Storm Chasers that made their PCL playoff series historic. Manager Lorenzo Bundy called this the greatest comeback he had ever been a part of.

The Isotopes were playing the Omaha Storm Chasers in the best three out of five American Conference championship series. With the Isotopes down in the series two games to one, the Topes entered the elimination game four needing a win to stay alive and force a game five the following night.

The Topes were derived from the longtime t.v. show The Simpsons. Homer is a huge Topes fan.

A pair of lefties did battle in game four at Isotope’s park that night. Veteran journeyman Doug Davis countered Isotope’s lefty Cole St. Clair. Unfortunately for Albuquerque St. Clair was bombed. The potent Omaha lineup lit up St. Clair like a Christmas tree. Omaha scored one run in the first frame, four in the second, and three in the third. The Storm Chasers blasted three home runs in the game. Catcher Adam Moore hit two home runs, a three-run shot in the third inning, and a solo shot in the fifth. Right fielder Jason Bourgeois added a solo shot of his own in the top of the seventh. Irving Falu, one of the top hitters in the PCL added a run scoring triple, and by the bottom of the seventh inning, Omaha was up by a score of 10-3. Cole St. Clair lasted just three innings, allowing eight runs on seven hits, and not whiffing a single Storm Chaser.

With the Topes down 10-3 in the seventh frame, the season appeared all but over. What was that that saying about not going gently into that good night? Well, the Topes weren’t going into that night without kicking and screaming! As a matter of fact, the Topes had to rally just two nights before in game two just to even the series at 1-1. They were down 3-0 and rallied for four runs in the sixth inning to beat Omaha 5-3.

Doug Davis wasn’t pitching spectacular in game four, but he was getting the job done. He had allowed three runs and six hits up to that point, and it looked like the Isotope’s season was about to end. Until the Topes scored nine runs, on eight hits to take a 12-10 lead. How did it happen? The seventh inning saw two triples from Elian Herrera, two doubles, a fielding error, A three run home run from Tony Gwynn Jr., three singles, two sacrifice flys, a hit batter, and two Omaha pitching changes.

The frame began with Elian Herrera’s first of two three-baggers. Herrera’s first triple landed over the heads of diving right fielder Jason Bourgeois, and center fielder Wil Myers. Shortstop Dee Gordon reached base on a fielding error from Omaha third baseman Anthony Seratelli.  Josh Field’s RBI single brought in the first Tope’s run of the inning, making the score 10-4 Omaha. Slugger Jerry Sands launched a double down the left field line, that bounced just inside the chalk, and up into the seats. The double scored both Gordon, and Fields, and the Isotopes were now only down 10-6. Scott Van Slyke doubled off the wall in left to score Sands, and the lead was now cut to 10-7. The Topes weren’t done yet.

Image from Mikesciosciastragicillness.com-Tony Gywnn Jr. slugs a three-run shot to put the Topes ahead for good.

With a three run lead, Omaha made the first pitching change of the inning. Replacing Doug Davis with lefty Brandon Sisk. Trent Oeltjen greeted him right away with a line drive single, sending Van Slyke to third. With runners at the corners, Matt Angle’s sacrifice fly scored Van Slyke form third. The play was close though. Angle’s sac fly was more like a sac line drive, it was hit so hard. The ball was scorched so fast at left fielder Derrick Robinson, he had a play at the plate to try and gun down Scott Van Slyke, who was trying to tag up. Somehow though, Van Slyke two-stepped around Omaha catcher Adam Moore’s tag to score. The Topes were now down by a score of 10-8. Next up, Josh Bard’s ground ball single into left sends Oeltjen to third. Tony Gwynn Jr. followed by bombing a three-run homer over the right field fence and into the right field Burm, to give the Isotopes the 11-10 lead. The incredible rally wasn’t over yet. The Topes wanted an insurance run, and Herrera would give it to them. Herrera would smack his second three-bagger of the frame. A slicing deep fly to right, that got past the diving Bourgeois. The Storm Chasers make the final pitching change of the inning. They bring in left Tommy Hottovy. He plunks Gordon with a pitch. Josh Field’s sacrifice fly to right scores Herrera, to give the Topes a 12-10 lead. The comeback was now complete. Jerry Sand’s fly out to center mercifully ends the inning for Omaha. But with the balls flying out of Isotope’s park, would the Tope’s bullpen be able to hold the two-run lead?

As it turned out, Lorenzo Barcelo became pitching star of the night for Albuquerque. Barcelo had been called into the game in the top of the seventh inning. He surrendered the solo home run to Jason Bourgeois, but didn’t surrender anything else the rest of the way. After Irving Falu led off the top of the eighth with a single, Barcelo answered the call. Barcelo whiffs Mitch Maier, and Wil Myers, and induces an inning ending fly out from Max Ramirez. After the Topes go down in order in the bottom of the eighth, Barcelo comes out to close shop for the Isotopes, and send the series to a decisive game five. Barcelo picked up the win in relief, and the Topes had 15 hits. Barcelo is a comeback story himself. This was only his second game with the Topes, after the 35 year old veteran was plucked from the Mexican League.

In the top of the ninth, with the Topes leading 12-10, Barcelo gets Bourgeois to ground to third. Ray Navarro flies out to left. The final out is recorded on a whiff of Adam Moore. The Isotopes had done it. They had beaten the Omaha Storm Chasers 12-10. Their unbelievable nine run come from behind victory kept them alive to play another night.

You would think that after that incredible comeback the Topes would mop the floor with Omaha in game five. Unfortunately that was not to be. Sometimes Baseball just isn’t like that. Sometimes the good guys don’t come out ahead in the end. In game five the Topes got clobbered, and this time there was no historic comeback rally. The Topes lost game five 16-7. Starter Will Savage got torched, and Omaha relief pitcher Donnie Joseph whiffed seven Topes to get the win. The Storm Chaser’s lineup destroyed Isotope’s pitching in game five. Omaha had home runs from Myers, and Mitch Maier, and two triples from Jason Bourgeois. Despite Josh Fields driving in three runs and hitting a home run, the Topes fell well short, losing the series 3-2.

Even though the Albuquerque Isotopes didn’t make it to the PCL Championship series this year, it doesn’t underscore their amazing accomplishments this season. Faced with the odds against them, the Isotopes never gave up on their season or themselves. That historic playoff rally personifies the Isotope’s never say die team spirit. The Topes will be looking forward to building on their 2012 success, hoping it leads them to a solid foundation for the future.

This tells us all that a Baseball game is really never over until it’s over. For the Isotopes, that has been their motto all year long. So the next time you watch an Isotope’s game, never turn it off before the end, or leave early. That’s because no lead is safe, and the Isotopes never give up until the last out is made.