Longmeadow was filled with hopes and dreams as there team took the field, and a treat is what they got in three highly contested games between the doughnuts and lightning.
The Unit vs. Pettite (Game 1 - Day 1)
The doughnuts grabbed an early lead in the second keyed by a triple from aaron boone, but the lightning answered back in the fourth as Shawn Green ripped a two run shot. The Doughnuts seemed to put the game out of hand in the sixth with a five run inning key with back to back hrs from palmeiro and boone. Things were looking bleak for the Lightning trailing the unit 7-3 heading to the bottom half of the sixth. However Mt williams hit his second hr of the day to close the score to 7-5. Still entering the bottom half of the eighth it was 8-5 doughnuts when Brad Ausmus came through in the clutch and ripped a three run hr off worrell where the lightning then finished off in the bottom of the ninth with a two run walk off hr by hillenbrand to complete the comeback 10-8. The lightning managed to outslug the doughnuts in a great season opener, unless your the Unit who was just in shock.
The essentials:
Doughnuts - 020 005 010 - 8 12 0
Lightning - 010 202 032 - 10 12 0
Doughnuts Data:
Pitching: Johnson 6.2, Sauerbeck .1, Worrell .2, Haney.1(L) Holmes .1
Catching: Lopez 9
Home Runs: Palmeiro, Boone
Stolen Bases: None
Injuries: None
Ejections: None
Limits Used: None
Lightning Data:
Pitching: Pettite 5, Redding 2, Henriquez 1, FROD (W) 1
Catching: Ausmus 9
Home Runs: Williams(2), Green, Hillenbrand, Ausmus
Stolen Bases: None
Injuries: None
Ejections: None
Limits Used: None
Other Info:
Day game, Temperature: 60, clr,
Wind lt at 0-9 mph, Home umpire - Hudson (N)
The series would continue despite a rainout on day two which made day 3 a doubleheader. as the weather turned from the 60's to a miserable 30 degrees with the wind blowing left to right as powerball was about to end somewhat.
Simontachi vs. Miller (Game 2- Day 3)
Javy Lopez started the fun as they squeaked out a run in the second. As the lightning looked pathetic with a leadoff hit by Vina in the first and then shut out tilled the sixth when lightning finally struck where the lightning took the lead 2-1 off a double by hillenbrand aided by an error by gonzo. A PH double by Hampton even the scored however in the seventh. The bullpens held each other down the rest of the way until the bottom of the Ninth when Miggy launched a walk off HR to the sounding cheers of the crowd .
The essentials:
Doughnuts - 010 000 100 - 2 7 1
Lightning - 000 002 001 - 3 5 0
Doughnuts Data:
Pitching: Simontachi 6, Holmes (L) 2
Catching: Lopez 8
Home Runs: None
Stolen Bases: None
Injuries: None
Ejections: None
Limits Used: None
Lightning Data:
Pitching: Miller 7, FROD (W) 2
Catching: Ausmus 9
Home Runs: Tejada
Stolen Bases: None
Injuries: None
Ejections: None
Limits Used: None
Other Info:
Day game, Temperature - 30, Cold
Wind lft-rt at 20-29 mph, Home umpire: Welke (N)
The Night cap would continue in the brutal cold and wind....
Could the Lightning sweep.......
Another great game is about to occur.
Harang vs. Hernandez (Game 3 - Day 3)
The wind really got to the lightning this game as they launched deep shots, but right into the wind and led Harang to pitch 6 inning of one hit ball even though the one hit was a solo shot by hillenbrand. The Doughnuts extended their lead to 3-0 with a solo shot by gonzo. Entering the eighth it was 3-1 doughnuts when they had bases loaded with no outs off C. Thurman. With a chance to blow the game open, but thurman then struck out the next three batters to make for a very interesting ninth. with Mesa in Green leads off with a single followed by mcgriff who gets on due to a two based error by boone in the frigid cold. second and third no outs...HMMM tejada comes up and whiffs followed by a hillenbrand infield out advancing the runners to make the score 3-2 for Mabry. Mabry comes up and rippes a shot to deep left as with most of the shots his game couldn't quite get there, and the doughnuts escaped with a win.
The essentials:
Doughnuts - 020 100 000 - 3 10 2
Lightning - 000 010 001 - 2 4 0
Doughnuts Data:
Pitching: Harang (W) 6, Worrell 2, Mesa (S) 1
Catching: Barajas 9
Home Runs: Gonzo
Stolen Bases: Boone
Injuries: None
Ejections: None
Limits Used: None
Lightning Data:
Pitching: Hernandez (L) 6.2, Thurman 1.1, Henriquez 1
Catching: Marrero 9
Home Runs: Hillenbrand
Stolen Bases: None
Injuries: None
Ejections: None
Limits Used: None
Other Info:
Night game, Temperature - 30, Cold,
Wind left-to-right at 20-29 mph, Home umpire - Williams (L)