Worst All-Time Twins Tournament, Park Round, Day 4: Double, double... oy, you’re in trouble

Two regionals cleared, two remaining.

Hayden Regional

(6) 1948 Senators 3
(14) 1951 Senators 6
‘48 loses 3-1

‘48 had the opportunity to extend their quarterfinal to a winner-take-all fifth game, but let it slip away in the seventh.

Two batters after Gil Coan’s RBI double tied the score, Cass Michaels lined a bases-clearing double to provide the final margin of ‘51’s 6-3 win that sent ‘48 into the Manfred Regional.

Both teams put runs on the board in the second, but ‘51 took the lead after Sam Mele’s two-run homer wiped out Al Evans’ RBI single.

In the top of the sixth, however, ‘48 lined three singles to tie the score again and put runners on the corners, setting up Junior Wooten’s lead-changing sacrifice fly.

Set up with a 3-2 lead, Early Wynn yielded the mound to Dick Welteroth in the seventh, only for the first two batters of the frame to single. After a popout, Coan lined a double to score Clyde Kluttz as the tying run. Welteroth intentionally walked Eddie Yost to load the bases for Michaels, who lined a double to right that brought all three men home.

Though ‘48 managed a hit in each of the final two innings, they were never able to bring the tying run to the plate, as Mickey Harris retired Sammy Meeks looking to yank his own team out of the tournament.

Series LVP

Tom McBride, ‘48 LF
2-15, 2 1B, 2 BB, 2 R, 8 LOB, .133/.265/.133

Zach Regional (played)

(10) 1982 Twins 10
(15) 2013 Twins 12
‘82 loses 3-1

‘82 had the opportunity to extend their quarterfinal to a winner-take-all fifth game, but let it slip away in the seventh.

Two batters after RBI singles by Trevor Plouffe and Chris Herrmann flipped ‘82’s 8-7 lead into a 9-8 deficit, Brian Dozier lined a bases-clearing double to provide the key margin in ‘13’s 12-10 win that sent ‘82 into the Manfred Regional.

(Hmmm... this sounds very familiar.)

The seventh-inning collapse was ‘82’s third lost lead of the game, the first and worst a 6-1 lead that turned into a 6-6 deficit with the benefit of just one hit.

Having put up six runs in the top of the third, the major blow John Castino’s three-run homer, ‘82’s mound play fell apart in the fourth. Albert Williams walked the first three batters of the inning, then yielded the mound to Jeff Little, who walked three of his own, cutting the lead to 6-4. Jack O’Connor entered to relieve Little and got Joe Mauer to ground into a run-scoring double play, but Josh Willingham singled — the only hit of the inning — to bring home Eduardo Escobar with the game-tying run.

The teams traded runs in the fifth, Plouffe’s solo homer negating Josh Roenicke’s run-scoring wild pitch, but ‘82 took one final lead in the top of the seventh on a solo home run by Ron Washington, who finished a single shy of the cycle.

Then came the bottom of the seventh.

After a walk and single, O’Connor got two men out to leave runners on the corners for incoming reliever John Pacella, whom ‘13’s lineup shelled. Plouffe singled home Willingham to tie the score, Herrmann singled in Oswaldo Arcia to give ‘13 the lead, Escobar loaded the bases with another single, and Dozier broke the streak with a double that brought all three runners around to score.

Even down four, ‘82’s bats were not done creating excitement. In the top of the ninth, ‘13 brought in Glen Perkins to close out the game in a non-save situation. Perkins hit Tom Brunansky before a popout and strikeout put ‘13 one out from a tournament exit. But with two strikes, Tim Laudner singled to bring up the red-hot Washington, who launched a two-run triple over Arcia’s head in center. The tying run came to the plate in the form of pinch hitter Mickey Hatcher, but Perkins struck him out to leave ‘82 in the dust and in the bracket.

Series LVP

Albert Williams, ‘82 SP
2 GS, 5.1 IP, 7 H, 11 R, 11 ER, 1 HR, 9 BB, 2 K, 18.56 ERA

There’ll be no rubber games in the Park Round, as the Nolasco Round matchups have been decided:

Park Round, Day 3 | Park Round, Day 4 | Nolasco Round, Day 1