Cairo Pharaohs
#1 vs Cairo Pharaohs 2-3
12:05 PM ET Thursday April 1st 2049
Piraeus Park 27,970
David Guerra
Despite getting of to a flying start on Opening Day at home against the Cairo Pharaohs, The Fighting Centaurs succumbed to a 3-2 defeat to the visitors from Egypt.
Athens took the lead in the bottom of the 3rd when Cristo López reached on a walk after Tokimasa Yano had hit a deep flyball to centre that was caught by Cairo's Freddy Ayala, a Bob Allen single moved López to 2nd which was followed by a Rúbem Bordonhos single to load the bases. Luis Domínguez failed to do any damage as he struck out swinging on a 0-2 count, it was left to Athens can favourite Quinn Greene to open his and the Fighting Centaurs account for the season when he rattled a Shea Valance fastball against the outfield fence in centre just missing a Grand Slam by a couple of feet, however it did score López and Allen. Bordonhos was out on a 8-3-5 play trying to stretch the play out much to the displeasure of his manager.
The Pharaohs would pull a run back when in the top of the 5th Frank Mahaffey hit a 1 out double, Quintin Trewartha hit a 2 out triple to score Mahaffey but that was all she wrote until the top of the 6th.
The top of the 6th started of with Athens Keijo 'Coach' Reini walking Cairo's Cary Brackett, a 3-1 count faced David Guerra and it made the difference as he dispatched it into the leftfield bleachers to make it a 3-2 scoreline for Cairo, the final score as it turned out to be.
"We had the game right there for the taking," said Athens manager Devin Newman. "But we decided not to take it."
Athens would turn the series round in game #2 with an 8-5 win, another 3 run win came in the form of a 9-6 win for the Fighting Centaurs in #3.
There winning run continued when they faced the Mumbai Metro Stars winning 5-2 in the first game of a 3 game series, they followed that up with a 3-1 win in game #2. The third game will be played today at Piraeus Park, tickets are still available at the ticket office.
