Fellow Colonels,
The two-time defending Champs went into this series teetering on the brink of the playoff race, knowing that they were probably already out of it, but that anything but a sweep would knock them out for sure. Luckily, the Eagles didn't make them teeter too long.
Game 1 - Elmer Dessens vs. Kris Benson
The big bat of Alfonso Soriano led the way for Tupelo, as the all-star had a double and a pair of three-run homers in his first three at-bats, giving the Eagles a 7-0 lead, Mizzou tried to scratch back, but couldn't, and the roster roulette began.
Jailbirds 000 012 001 4 10 0
Eagles 130 300 10x 8 12 1
Jailbirds:
Pitching - Dessens L (2-2) 4, Holmes 1, Roberts 2, Benitez 1
Catching - Piazza 8
Home Runs - None
Injuries - None
Limits - OPalmeiro (1 ABL, 4 ABR)
Eagles:
Pitching - Benson (W) 5.1, Cerda 1.2, Santana 2
Catching - Barrett 7, Santiago 2
Home Runs - Soriano 2 (off Dessens 2, 2nd inn., 2 on, 2 out; 4th inn., 2 on, 2 out)
Injuries - None
Limits - None
Night game, 90s, Partly Cloudy, Wind Blowing Left to Right, 10-19 MPH
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Game 2 - Joe Roa vs. Chris Carpenter
Knowing that they were safely out of the playoff race, the Cons' bats finally came to life, as both Jason Giambi and Eric Hinske belted a two-run homer in the first to stake Missouri to a big lead. Piazza added a two-run shot in the 3rd to make it 6-0, and the Cons put it in cruise control from there, Giambi icing the cake with another two-run shot in the 9th.
Jailbirds 402 001 002 9 10 1
Eagles 000 201 001 4 13 0
Jailbirds:
Pitching - Roa W (3-2) 6, Rhodes 2, Roberts 1
Catching - Piazza 6, Widger 3
Home Runs - Giambi 2 (14, off Carpenter, 1st inn., 1 on, 1 out; off Powell, 9th inn., 1 on, 0 out), Hinske (2, off Carpenter, 1st inn., 1 on, 1 out), Piazza (6, off Carpenter, 3rd inn., 1 on, 2 out)
Injuries - None
Limits - Palmeiro (4 ABR), Widger (1 ABR)
Eagles:
Pitching - Carpenter (L) 4, Santana 3, Powell 2
Catching - Santiago 9
Home Runs - None
Injuries - None
Limits - None
Night game, 50s, Cloudy, Light Wind
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Game 3 - Pedro Martinez vs. Al Leiter
In Pedro's swan song as a Jailbirds, he started off by retiring the first 7 hitters he faced, inspiring dreams of a fitting send-off. In the top of the fourth, Piazza homered, and Mark McLemore doubled in another run to give the Cons a 2-0 lead, and them Pedro turned into a pumpkin. The Eagles responded with an RBI triple from Nomar Garciaparra in the bottom of the frame, and he scored when Benito Santiago took Martinez deep. The TTDC (two-time defending champs) tied it in the 6th on an unlikely 420-foot shot by McLemore, but Pedro was in a giving mood, and coughed up a four-spot to Tupelo in the bottom of the inning, capped by a two-run shot to Jermaine Dye.
Mizzou got one back in the 8th, but couldn't score Orlamdo Palmeiro from second with none out, and another back in the 9th, but couldn't cash Junior Spivey from second with one out. Amazing, isn't it, that Pedro leaves Missouri an even 8-8 for his career as a Con?
Jailbirds 000 201 011 5 12 0
Eagles 000 304 00x 7 9 0
Jailbirds:
Pitching - PMartinez L (4-4) 6, Holmes 2
Catching - Piazza 9
Home Runs - Piazza (7, off Leiter, 4th inn., 0 on, 1 out), McLemore (3, off Leiter, 6th inn., 0 on, 2 out)
Injuries - None
Limits - EPerez (4 ABL), OPalmeiro (4 ABL)
Eagles:
Pitching - Leiter (W) 6.1, Cerda 2, Paronto 0.2
Catching - Santiago 9
Home Runs - Santiago (off PMartinez, 4th inn., 1 on, 1 out), Dye (off PMartinez, 6th inn., 1 on, 1 out)
Injuries - None
Limits - None
Night game, 90s, Cloudy, Wind Blowing Out 10-19 MPH
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Game 4 - Steve Trachsel vs. Odalis Perez
Back to Mizzou for a make-up game, oddly scheduled as an afternooner in Kansas City after a playing a night game in Tupelo the evening before.
The Eagles broke through first, as Mo Vaughn somehow beat out a double play ball with runners on the corners and one out in the first to drive in a run, but Trachsel had a rough first inning of his own. After a leadoff double to Junior Spivey and two quick outs, Trachsel then walked three in a row before serving up a three-run triple to the unheralded Mark Little (who is now an everyday outfielder for the JBirds). It was 4-1 Cons after one, and though the Eagles got one back in the second, they would score no more as Odalis Perez held them in check, going the route on a five-hitter, retiring 23 of the last 25 hitters he faced.
The Jailbirds exploded in the bottom of the 8th, a last gasp before seven of that game's starters are traded, scoring nine runs on just five hits, thanks to four walks and a two-base error by Big Mo.
Eagles 110 000 000 2 5 1
Jailbirds 400 011 09x 15 15 0
Eagles:
Pitching - Trachsel (L) 6, Santana 1, Powell 1
Catching - Santiago 6, Barrett 2
Home Runs - None
Injuries - None
Limits - None
Jailbirds:
Pitching - OPerez W (2-4) 9
Catching - Piazza 9
Home Runs - None
Injuries - None
Limits - None
Day game, 80s, Partly Cloudy, Light Wind
Percentage Limits used:
Eagles - Cerda
Jailbirds - Phelps