Coyotes blow important series
The penultimate series of May saw Albuquerque head for Victoria to play the division leading Canucks in a three-game set. Just one and a half games back the Coyotes had a real chance of taking over the division lead.
In a low offense game both teams managed just seven hits, Albuquerque went up 2-0 early, but Victoria came back. Scoring in the fourth and the sixth innings to tie the game Canucks took advantage of a walk and a double to win the game in the seventh innings. Paul Cash & Luis Ayla took advantage of their only hits to drive in a run each but it wasn’t enough. Chris Sackett left at 2-2 after six innings having given up six hits and three walks but Augusto Ramirez surrendered that vital walk and hit.
Seeking to get back in the series Coyotes came flying out of the box and were up 4-0 mid-second. Victoria aren’t top of the division for nothing though and quickly edged back as close as 4-3 before four runs in the top of the fifth finally levelled the series for Albuquerque. It took Coyotes back to second in the division, but still one and a half games back, they had blown the chance to go top. Brian Best hit a 2-run homer, Chris Jenkins hit a 3-run homer and Raul Lopez went 3-4 scoring each time on base. John Antill relieved the injured Josh Hayworth and pitched two clean innings to extend his 2044 record to 4-0.
It was a bit of an anti-climactic final game, but we tried to convince them we had a long, long way to go yet, the top of the table will have many twists in 2044 yet. After Canucks scored in the first the Coyotes pulled out the stops and led 2-1 after the fifth innings. Again, Victoria had enough in the tank to come back and win the game & the series. Back to back homers off starter Francisco Perez dropped his record to 5-4 and left Coyotes two & a half games out of first and a half game ahead of third placed Brooks Fighting Pheasants. Dalton Hensley had two of Albuquerque’s three hits and collected an RBI too.
So, not the first place we had hoped for, but with 87 games still to go there’s plenty of time to claw back those two & half games.