A three game sweep will do.
The big story here was the day that
Roosevelt Davis had. It was against the odds he was on the Playoff Roster, much less batting fifth and hitting two homers, driving in three. Davis had been given multiple tries at the majors, and this September had the feeling of a last chance for the 22 year old to make his way into the Hustlers plans. He crushed in September with the Hustlers, made the playoff roster, and is now a big part of the lineup. Credit
Mike Alexander with a workmanlike start and
Todd Stone finally getting back to the postseason, having only been there with Madison in 2049 (wow!).
Unheralded: The "interim" middle infield of
Juan Luis Manuel and rookie
Randy Wright with two double plays (ending with first baseman
Helmut Grun)
Manuel hit an unlikely homer in the sixth inning with two outs to really put the Hustlers in control of the game. He drove in three runs in the game.
Bret Harrell wasn't at his sharpest, but was able to go his usual five solid innings and got the win.
Adam Bristcoe and
Alex Payne teamed up to hold the Crawdads scoreless the rest of the way. Payne struck out five in 2 1/3 innings and earned a playoff save.
Unheralded: Five of the Hustlers seven runs came with two out! Grun,
Tristan Lloyd,
Chris Hall all had one 2-out RBI while Manuel had two.
Vegas got off to a fast start with four runs in the first inning, and three more in the fourth to take control of a game that was never really as close as the score indicates. Grun was on another level, 3-5 with five RBI and two home runs. Davis added another homer, drove in two and scored twice. The Hustlers also welcomed back
Stewart Turton who had a hit in four at-bats as well as being involved in two double plays, one while playing shortstop and one having moved to second base.
Mahad Einan continues to perplex the Hustlers staff with his subpar pitching, but it was enough to earn him a win.
Unheralded: Everyone will rush to pat guys like Grun and Davis on the back, but how about
Kyle McKinlay?? Three and a third innings of relief, allowing just one run, and earning a save in a clinching game. As much as anyone in the Vegas pen this year other than Stone, McKinlay embodies the group's anonymity and it was fitting that he closed out the game today. "We're just a bunch of has-beens and never-were's," chuckled McKinlay. "Which is better than some of the other guys who have never been through a playoff series."
