Fortune smiled on the Bears Monday night as we earned our first victory of the franchise. A banged-up and shortened Cubs squad gave us everything they had but we managed to pull it off by a score of 7-4.
The Bears turned a nice double play to end the top of the first inning facing the minimum three batters and set our sights on our first lead of the season. Mark Teson led the bottom half of the inning off with a single and his cousin Jay drove him home after Mark stole second. Austin Blum was hit by a pitch and erased on a fielders choice by Joe McTiernan. With runners on first and third, McTiernan stole second and Dean Rowe drew a walk loading the bases. Brian Pahler shot a sharp single to right to drive home a run and Bret Sentiwany singled home the third Bears run following Pahler. Two batters later, Josh Wixon singled to drive home two more runs and the Bears led 5-0 after the first inning.
Cubs starter Bob Poulin settled in; shut the scoring down and allowed only three more hits over the next three innings while striking out four.
Meanwhile, Bears starter Curt Tucker got himself into and out of trouble in the second inning pushing through a walk and an HBP while maintaining a scoreless inning.
The Cubs fought back scoring two runs in the third on three singles and two stolen bases one more in the fourth inning on two walks, one hit and a sac fly and one more in the fifth on two hits and two stolen bases. However a key play saved the game for the Bears when the second steal attempt was cut off by Bears shortstop Jay Teson and thrown back to catcher Patrick O'Sullivan cutting the run down which would have tied the game. A harmless fly ball to center ended the fifth with a 5-4 Bears lead still intact.
The top of the sixth started with the only two errors of the game on the Bears and runners were at first and second with no outs. A double steal advanced the runners and the comeback seemed imminent. However, Curt Tucker Beared down and induced a grounder to third, a grounder to the pitcher and a fly ball to center against three straight hitters and it turned out the Bears luck had not run out.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Bears managed to get two hits and two steals against Cubs reliever Chris Dunn (who had struck out the side in the fifth inning) but still had runners stranded at second and third with two outs. Up stepped Stu Howells for the Bears who swung wildly at two fastballs from Dunn, but Howells managed to fight off another fastball blooping one over the head of the first and second basemen and in front of the right fielder to plate two gigantic insurance runs and the Bears led 7-4.
With the nerves calmed and a three run lead, Tucker finished what he started by getting a pop-up to third, a grounder to short and a screaming line-drive snared by Stu Howells at second to finish the Cubs in order in the seventh for the win.
In the victory, Mark Teson went 2-for-3 with a run, 2B and two steals; Jay Teson was 2-for-3 with a run, 2B and RBI, Dean Rowe scored twice, Stu Howells was 2-for-2 with a BB and 2 RBI, and Josh Wixon drove in 2 runs as well. Curt Tucker (as mentioned) went the distance allowing four earned runs on seven hits, three walks and one HBP.
Up next for the Bears is a tough Padres squad at Schenectady Babe Ruth on Friday.
-- Edited by The_Hurricane on Tuesday 20th of May 2014 01:31:27 PM
