Game of the season?
The second game of the series in Calgary turned out to be a real pitchers duel lasting right into the 12th innings. Jorge Rincon worked a lead-off walk for Aviators in the top of the first, but a double-play erased that while Calgary couldn’t take advantage of reaching on an error in the bottom of the first.
Wichita went 1-2-3 in the second, Pioneers once more failed to take advantage of runners gained through a hit batsman and the game’s first hit. Another 1-2-3 innings for Aviators was followed by Damon Tipping giving up another single thankfully erased by another double-play. The fourth innings was Wichita’s third 1-2-3 innings in a row. Calgary hit a lead-off single but failed to move him as the innings finished with two consecutive fielders choice plays at second.
We moved onto the fifth with three hits by Calgary being the game’s only offence so far. Jason Bowen worked a walk in the top of the fifth with one out and advanced to second after Clive Timberlake reached on an error. A double-play wiped the threat out though. Calgary then produced the first real threat, a double and a single got their CF Juan Lopez to third. He sprinted for him and Rincon threw him out from shallow centre to snuff Pioneer’s chance out. Wichita went 1-2-3 for the fourth time in the sixth and the Pioneers repeated that in the bottom half.
It was a familiar 1-2-3 innings in the seventh for both sides and in the top of the eighth Wichita collected their sixth 1-2-3 innings. Pioneers tried in the bottom half of the innings, working a walk and advancing the batter with a sac fly, but it all came to nothing. In the top of the ninth Quintiliano Rodiea took just ten pitches to complete his side of the no-hitter but Calgary couldn’t seal the deal for him, Tony Alomar took eight pitches to send us to extra innings.
Luis Maldonado slammed his bat down in disgust in the top of the tenth as he flew out to deep left to complete another 1-2-3 Aviators innings while Alomar sat the Pioneers down for his third scoreless innings.
Still going into the 11th, Javier Bultron broke the no-hitter up with Aviators first hit of the entire game with two outs which saw the end of Rodiea’s marathon effort. Bultron went nowhere though and Juan Karabwite led off the bottom half with a single, advanced on a sac bunt before stealing third, all with just one out. Pioneers worked a walk but just couldn’t get the run home. Calgary reliever Joel Ottoboni hit John Todd to open the 12th innings and he reached second on Rincon’s sac bunt. With two outs there was a lot of frustration in the Calgary dugout as Duane Whitley Jr’s ground shot slipped between third and short into left allowing Todd to streak all the way past third and home for the game’s first run. Calgary still had a chance to save the game in the bottom of the 12th, Scott Bell reached second on a hit and advanced on a sac bunt, but when with two outs Calgary got another single Bell stormed past third and headed for home. Maldonado earned his money here though as he gunned the ball home from his right field spot and the dugout emptied as Todd was able to land the tag on Bell and seal the most unlikely of wins on just two Aviators hits in twelve innings
