(AP) PHOENIX, AZ--Lance Johnson was taking no prisoners and leaving no
base unturned as he hit for the cycle in the first game yesterday, then
homered in the second game to lead the Sea Dogs to crucial back-to-back
victories over rival Phoenix.
Johnson had eight hits on the day in all, including what might be the
first cycle in PVBL history.
"Well, yeah, it's exciting to hit for the cycle," Johnson said. "And I
know it couldn't have been done much. But I'm much more excited that
we're two steps closer to the playoffs."
While Johnson's amazing feat was instrumental in the Sea Dogs' first win,
as were his three RBI, it was a two-man show as Chuck Knoblauch hit two
homers, his seventh and eighth, and drove in four to lead the Sea Dogs to
their 8-3 victory.
"It feels really good to knock a couple out of the park," Knoblauch, who
had 19 homers just a year ago, said. "I haven't been knocking as many
homers as I'd like this year."
Mackenzee Leefenhaufenhauz pitched six innings for his 17th victory of the
season. He allowed eight hits, striking out one and walking one, allowing
three runs, two earned.
The second game was also dominated by Johnson, as he went 4-5, driving in
a run on a solo homer and stole two bases. It was more of a team effort
in this game, as five Sea Dogs drove in a run in the 6-2 win.
Chad Ogea went seven innings, allowing just five hits and two walks. Ogea
continues to climb back towards .500 and is 4-1 since coming off the DL.
"They've just been scoring runs for me now," said Ogea. "That's the only
difference."
Notes and Quotes:
"We're in the driver's seat, and we're looking to bring this puppy home."
-Ben Petrick, who homered in the second game
* * *
Before the Phoenix series, the Sea Dogs seemed like they were a little in
cruise control, resting players - and subsequently losing two games to
Larimer, allowing Spokane to gain two games on them in the wild card race.
Now, with these two wins and a pair of Spokane losses, Washington's
lead has extended to 8.5 games, and their magic number is down to nine
with just 16 games left to play, 19 for Spokane.
"With an eight-game lead at this point in the season," manager Aaron
Weiner said, "you gotta start thinking playoffs. We're just hoping we can
make it in."
If the Sea Dogs do get in, they're likely facing a first-round matchup
against Vero Beach.
"We think we match up very well against the Bums," Weiner said. "We're
the only team in the league that can match their speed, and we've got
better pitching."
* * *
Washington's pitching trio of Shawn Estes, Ben McDonald and
Leefenhaufenhauz all have 15 wins now, with Leefenhaufenhauz leading the
charge at 17; the others have 15 apiece.
By doing so, they join only Galena's combination of Jamie Navarro(17),
Kevin Appier (16) and Darryl Kile (15). And Galena's bunch is perhaps the
more impressive, as only three teams in the Enterprise League have an ERA
of below four.
As for the Voyager, Phoenix's top three winners have 49 combined wins, two
more than Washington, but of those three, only Reynolds (20 wins) has an
ERA even below three. All of Washington's 15-game winners have ERA's of
2.92 or less, Leefenhaufenhauz a legitimate Cy Young contender if not for
Albie Lopez.
"It's amazing that two of those guys aren't even near their prime yet,"
Weiner said. "I mean, Mack's been just unstoppable in this second half,
and Shawn has really come on."
* * *
While in the middle of the pack just a few weeks ago in stolen bases,
Washington's acquisition of Lance Johnson and the returned health of
Knoblauch have bolstered the Sea Dogs to a commanding second place in
stolen bases.
"Obviously, with the team we had at the beginning of the year, we weren't
in the same class as Vero Beach speedwise," Weiner said. "Now, we're
really close."
* * *
Washington and Vero Beach have another thing in common besides speed -
health. They are the only two teams to have a full bill of health going
into the home stretch.
"We're just going to make sure that nobody gets hurt over the last couple
weeks," Weiner said. "Thankfully, we have quite a few off days (3) before
the end of the season, so we don't have to rest them while we're still
fighting for a spot."
