WHIV 2062.5- Hustlers Win Division and Bye, Immediately Waste This Advantage

[recte44]

Las Vegas was playing from behind most of the season. The Calgary Pioneers were in the drivers seat in the Johnson League Frontier Division nearly all year, but then September came around. While Calgary struggled, the Hustlers flourished. A 15-8 September record for the Hustlers brought about the unthinkable- a Frontier Division title and Geogeghan Round bye, earned on the last day of the regular season.

Did the break in the action end up hurting the Hustlers? This is a debate as old as time. Bye good, or bye bad? In this case, the Hustlers presented themselves with all kinds of challenges. Without getting into too much of the minutia, let's take a quick look at what went wrong.

Game 1: Jim Fleming left with a minor injury after four innings of work, but pitching wasn't the issue. Vegas scored only two runs (in the bottom of the seventh) until the bottom of the eleventh inning, when a sac fly by Armando Diaz gave the Hustlers a 3-2 win in extras.

Game 2: Both offenses woke up. Starter Bret Harrell was ineffective, but a yeoman's performance by Jose Martinez in relief (3.2 perfect innings, six strikeouts) kept the Hustlers in the mix. With a 7-5 lead in the ninth inning, closer Rafael Gonzalez allowed two runs to tie it. Two innings later, Augusto Dominguez allowed two runs in the top of the eleventh and the Hustlers couldn't respond. The air seemed to let out of the Hustlers' proverbial balloon right here.

Game 3: Carlos Berrera was magical and the Hustlers cruised to a 3-1 lead. Hope was still alive. However, this would be the last win of the Hustlers' 2062 season.

Game 4: Ramon Gonzalez allowed four runs in six innings, and the bats were asleep. 7-2 Jimmies.

Game 5: Artuto Perez continued to dominate. Jimmies win, 5-2.

Game 6: Harrell shat the bed again, the Hustlers couldn't recover. Season over.

In the end, the pitching which had been seen as a strength, let the team down in this series. The Jimmies were clearly the better team.

[Jwalk100]

Peaked too early.

[Trebro]

Ugh. They gave it all to get that division title and just had nothing left, it seems?