Ramakis' Offense and Whicker's Pitching lead Team Black to 3-2 Game 3 Win

Greensboro, NC (10/08/00) - Zach Whicker pitched two scoreless innings of relief and Anthony Ramakis reached base three times as Team Black withstood a late Team Cardinal rally to win Sunday's game, 3-2, and take a 3-0 lead in the Third Annual Guilford Fall World Series.  Ramakis kept two-run rally alive and also got on base to score the winning run. 

Whicker, who was three for six at the plate in the first two games, and Ramakis, the winning pitcher in game one, reversed roles Sunday as a cool fall breeze quieted the bats in game three.  Ramakis' first at bat yielded a one-out bunt single, which loaded the bases for Josh Wolfe's RBI walk and Chris Solas' sacrifice fly as Cardinal grabbed the early lead with a two-run second inning.   Starting pitchers Eric Pelletier and Ryan Mercer settled into a tight pitching duel from that point until the sixth inning.

Mercer allowed only three hits through six innings while striking out four and walking one.  He was helped by three double plays, all started by third baseman Andrew Duffy. The three twin-killings by a third baseman shattered the old World Series mark of 0 held by every third baseman to make an appearance. 

Mercer was not infallible, however. In the third inning, two of his own misplayed bunts loaded the bases with no one out, but a strikeout and Duffy's unassisted twin-killing got him out of the jam.

"I was trying to induce the triple play with nobody out," Mercer lamented. "The strikeout killed that strategy.  The double play was the next best thing."

He also worked out of trouble in the sixth as Chris Francis walked with one out, stole second and third, but was left there by a pop to Duffy at third and an inning-ending strikeout. For his part, Pelletier tightened his belt after the two-run second and struck out eight over the next four innings.  He ended up allowing just three hits, two bunt singles by Ramakis and an infield hit by Gabe Staub in 8 1/3 innings of work.

With their backs to the wall in the top of the seventh, Matt Webb reached first with a one-out hit by pitch, his second of the day.  Zach Morgan moved him to third with a double to the wall in right.  Pelletier turned to his bench and sent pinch-hitter Jeff Carmichael to the plate for his first appearance in the series.  Carmichael laced a ground double down the right-field line, which scored Webb and Morgan to tie the score and put the go ahead run in scoring position.  Inexplicably, Carmichael broke on contact on Steve Danis' pop up to first and was doubled off of second to end the threat.

Carmichael had no explanation. "I ran, I shouldn't have, but I did, that's all I can say, I ran, I was out, end of inning, I ran, oops."  He was to undergo psychological testing on Monday's travel day.

Team Black's scored the deciding run in the ninth. Ramakis drew a one-out walk and moved to second on Staub's infield single to short.  The hit prompted Pelletier to relieve himself on the mound.  (You don't very often have the opportunity to use that particular double entendre. I couldn't help myself. - GB). 

The win gives Black an insurmountable 3-0 lead in the series, but Cardinal is still playing for pride and a tie, in this six-, not seven-, game series. Tuesday's 2:20 game four is slated to rematch opening-game starters Ramakis and Team Cardinal's Brian Michael.

Cardinal skipper Eric Pelletier, whose tirade following game one has been under league scrutiny, was fined following today's third game and required to haul scrap fence rail protector to the trash heap beyond leftfield.  "I've learned my lesson," Pelletier said.   "I won't complain about the umpiring even if it does cost us the out, the game and the series.  It was the worst call I've ever seen, but that's not a complaint, just a fact."

For those comments, Pelletier has been fined 6.2 million dollars, exactly one half his signing bonus when he decided to stay with Cardinal rather than jumping to Black with ex-teammate Josh Wolfe.

"I knew he could be bought," Wolfe said.

- G. Baker