It was over before it really started. It took nearly 4 months for
Punxatawney to return to the lead of the Riker division, but the fashion in
which they regained the lead was impressive. In the first inning of their
final game in a 3 game set against Houston, the Hogs scored 7 times, adding
3 more in the 3rd. The game was never in question, and the Groundhogs went
on to win 12-3. This win gave them the lead of the Riker division, and
while their winning streak came to an end at 11 games at the hands of Tampa
Bay, a Springfield victory over Houston kept the Groundhogs in the lead at
the end of the day.
Leading the offensive attack in the opener were two young superstars of the
Groundhogs, 3B Scott Rolen and RF Alex Ochoa. Rolen went 4-5, doubling
twice, homering once, and driving in 4 runs. Ochoa went 3-5, with 2 runs, 6
RBI, and a pair of homeruns. Jason Giambi also had 4 hits, going 4-5 with 2
runs.
Cal Eldred suffered at the hands of the Hogs offense, allowing 10 runs, 9
earned, in the first 4 innings. Jeff Juden and Grady Norris both did
better, combining to hold Punxatawney to 2 runs over the final 5 innings.
The benefactor was Sean Bergman, who had another excellent start for the
Hogs. He won his 15th game, allowing 2 runs in 7 innings while striking out
7. Dustin Hermanson allowed 1 run in relief, and Curly Karkovice finished
the game up with a scoreless 1 1/3 innings.
"This is incredible," said Ochoa. "Its been great here in Punxatawney, I'm
overjoyed that I ended up here. Today was my day to show my appreciation, I
guess."
The Hogs celebrated the victory, the 11 game winning streak, and most
importantly, the 1 game lead they held in the Riker division. Perhaps they
partied a little too hard, however. The lowly Tampa Bay Mets, trailing by
over 30 games, easily beat Masato Yoshii and the Hogs back in Punxatawney by
a score of 6-2. Al Leiter threw a great game while Yoshii struggled.
Ex-Hog Rick Wilkins, batting 4th for the Mets, went 3-4 with a homerun.
"Rick was bitter when we traded him," said Shapiro. "But we can't let his
revenge get in the way of our comeback."
Now, both Punxatawney and Houston have 8 games remaining. The ease of
schedule favors the Hellraisers, now. Here are the remaining schedules:
Punxatawney: 2 vs. TAM, 3 vs. HOU, 3 vs. SPR
Houston: 2 vs. SPR 3 vs. PUN, 3 vs. TAM
Realistically, the season will be decided in the final series between the
two teams. However, Punxatawney could take up to a 3 game lead into that
series, which would give them a considerable advantage. But with the
winning streak done and the comeback over, can the Hogs hold on? We shall
soon see if the Hogs can threepeat in the Riker, or whether Houston will
take their first title!
