Lyrical Baseball Tournament, Round of Frishberg, Game 5: Every run matters

So here’s how the in-game schedule will work.

I’ll play Cashmen Game 6. If the series ends, no worries; I can play the remaining Fungoes games. If the series is tied, I’ll play Cashmen Game 7, then Fungoes Game 7 if the series lasts that long.

Not perfect, but it’ll work.

Mungo League Semifinal (mgd.)

Filial Fungoes 9
Paternal Fungoes 8
FFS leads 3-2

A six-run inning featuring a grand slam almost wasn’t enough.

Paternal scored six runs over the final two innings, but Filial held on thanks to a ninth-inning Johnny Mize home run, taking the series lead with a 9-8 victory.

Filial had led 7-2 entering the eighth inning, only for Paternal to cut the lead by three when Phil Cavarretta singled, Barney McCosky tripled him home, and Eddie Joost launched a two-run homer.

They had taken that 7-2 lead by sending six runners around the bases in the sixth. Trailing 2-1, Filial loaded the bases with one out before tying the game on a fielder’s choice. Rocky Bridges brought in Mize with a single before pinch hitter Bobby Estalella blooped a single into no-man’s land to re-load the bases. That sent Frenchy Bordagaray to the plate, and Bordagaray sent a 2-1 Johnny Vander Meer offering into the left-field bullpen for a grand slam.

With their lead shortened, Filial caught their breath on Mize’s two-run homer in the top of the ninth, only to inhale collectively once the bottom of the ninth came around. Hugh Mulcahy, entering his fourth inning of relief, allowed a Billy Martin single and walked pinch hitter Danny Gardella before Augie Bergamo doubled Martin home, bringing the tying run to the plate and summoning Johnny Kucks from the bullpen. Cavarretta (3-5 on the day) brought in Gardella with a groundout before Kucks induced a McCosky grounder to Lou Boudreau at short, but Boudreau made an errant throw to first, allowing Bergamo to score and McCosky to reach second as the tying run. However, Kucks induced a harmless Roy Campanella groundout and, with a full count on Joost, snuck strike three by him.

Cashman League Semifinal (mgd.)

Filial Cashmen 4
Paternal Cashmen 7
PCM leads 3-2

The top of the fifth inning encouraged Filial that they could win the game. The bottom of the fifth ensured Paternal would.

Paternal rode a five-run fifth to a 7-4 victory, putting them one win away from reaching the Harmonic Series.

Paternal took the lead two batters into the bottom of the first, as Rod Carew doubled, moved to third on a wild pitch, and scored on Mickey Mantle’s single. On the mound, Bob Feller kept Filial off the scoreboard, holding the 1-0 lead through four innings.

In the fifth, Filial finally strung hits together, turning their 0 into a 3 all at once. Mel Parnell led off with a first-pitch single before Jackie Robinson popped out. Stan Musial hit a single of his own, and after Willie Mays popped out, Ted Kluszewski launched a three-run homer deep into the stands in right.

But their lead would not last. In the bottom of the fifth, Mantle reached on a Casey Stengel error and scored on Ted Williams’ double. Bob Miller entered from the bullpen to try and quelch an early rally; however, Paternal would not only take the lead but extend it while barely hitting the ball out of the infield. Henry Aaron singled to put runners on the corners before Yogi Berra flew to center. Steve Garvey loaded the bases with an infield single, and Mike Schmidt followed with an infield dribbler too soft for any out to be recorded, tying the game. Granny Hamner singled hom Aaron to give Paternal the lead, pinch hitter Reggie Jackson hit into a fielder’s choice to extend that lead, and a Miller wild pitch gave Paternal their fifth and last run of the inning.

The teams traded runs in the eighth, Paternal’s coming on three more infield singles, before Dan Quisenberry pitched a hitless ninth to complete a two-inning save.

Round of Frishberg, Game 4 | Round of Frishberg, Game 5 | Round of Frishberg, Game 6