Goldendale clinches South Division crown with wild win over JeffCo

Goldendale blew a big lead in the ninth inning, then came back in the bottom of the frame to beat Jefferson County 8-7 on October 4 and clinch the championship in the A to Z League South Division.

Gary Gaetti's ninth-
inning double gave
Goldendale an 8-7 win
over Jefferson County
and the South Division 
title.

The G's led 5-1 going into the ninth, as Tom Glavine had allowed just five hits over the first eight innings. Goldendale manager Clark Griffith sent Glavine, who had thrown 104 pitches to that point, out to start the top of the ninth. The southpaw starter allowed singles to the first two hitters, Judy Johnson and Sam Jethroe, prompting Griffith to call on closer Goose Gossage to quell the uprising. JeffCo manager Hughie Jennings sent in Wally Joyner to bat for Brian Jordan, and Joyner grounded Gossage's first pitch between third and short for a single to load the bases. Joe Judge followed with a double down the right field line, plating Johnson and Jethroe and moving Joyner to third, making the score 5-3 with still no outs. 

Reggie Jackson then hit for Charles Johnson and popped a fly to shallow center, and John Jaso batted for pitcher Todd Jones and popped up to first on a 3-2 pitch for the second out. Derek Jeter then laced a double to right center to score Joyner and Judge and tie the game at five. Bob Johnson next drilled a home run to deep left to give Jefferson County a 7-5 lead. Gossage got Home Run Johnson to fly out to center for the final out, but the damage was done.

Mike Jackson started the ninth on the hill for the Jays, and was greeted by Josh Gibson, who lined a double to right center on an 0-1 pitch. Grant Jackson came in from the bullpen to face Lou Gehrig, who worked a 3-1 count before lacing a single to left center that scored Gibson to make it 7-6. Griffith sent in Curtis Granderson to run for Gehrig, looking to take advantage of Jaso behind the plate. Granderson took off on the first pitch and was gunned down trying to steal, which burned even more when Dick Groat hit his second home run of the season to tie the score at 7-all. 

Goose Goslin followed Groat with a single to right, then Gary Gaetti lined a double into the left field corner, and Goslin was able to beat Bob Johnson's throw to the plate to score the run that won the game and the pennant for the G's.

Ken Griffey, Jr. had three hits, including his 47th home run of the season, and Gehrig also had three hits and drove in two runs for Goldendale. 

The G's will play the winner of the East Division in the first round of the playoffs. Moses Lake leads the East by four games as we move into the final week of the season. Aberdeen and Bainbridge Island will square off in the other first-round series.

Box score

                  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9     R  H  E   LOB DP
Jays              0  1  0  0  0  0  0  0  6     7 11  1     5  1
G's               0  1  1  0  2  0  0  1  3     8 15  0    11  1
 
Jays                 AB  R  H BI   AVG    G's                  AB  R  H BI   AVG
Jeter             ss  4  1  1  2  .320    Gehringer         2b  5  1  1  0  .284
Johnson,BobL      lf  4  1  3  2  .273    GwynnSr,T         rf  4  1  2  1  .278
Johnson,HR        2b  4  0  0  0  .216    GriffeyJr         cf  5  1  3  1  .284
Johnson,Jdy       3b  4  1  1  0  .240    Gibson,J          c   4  2  2  0  .282
Jethroe           cf  4  2  2  0  .235    Gehrig            1b  5  0  3  2  .321
Jordan,Br         rf  3  0  1  1  .268     Granderson       pr  0  0  0  0  .212
 Joyner           ph  1  1  1  0  .244    Garciaparra       ss  3  1  1  1  .265
 Jackson,M        p   0  0  0  0  .000     Groat            ss  1  1  1  1  .322
 Jackson,G        p   0  0  0  0  .200    Goslin            lf  1  1  1  1  .258
Justice           1b  2  0  0  0  .207    Gaetti            3b  5  0  1  1  .225
 Jones,Chi        ph  1  0  0  0  .274    Glavine           p   3  0  0  0  .119
 Judge            1b  1  1  1  2  .248     Gossage          p   0  0  0  0  .000
Johnson,Char      c   3  0  0  0  .201                         36  8 15  8
 Jackson,Reg      ph  1  0  0  0  .281
Johnson,W         p   2  0  0  0  .213
 Johnson,Dav      ph  1  0  1  0  .217
 Jones,Tod        p   0  0  0  0  .167
 Jaso             ph  1  0  0  0  .211
                     36  7 11  7
 
Jays                             INN  H  R ER BB  K PCH STR   ERA
Johnson,W                        7.0  8  4  3  5  3 119  74  3.99
Jones,Tod                        1.0  2  1  1  0  0  12   7  3.31
Jackson,M                        0.0  1  1  1  0  0   2   2  4.83
Jackson,G        BS 4, L 4-5     0.1  4  2  2  0  0  11   6  4.12
                                 8.1 15  8  7  5  3 144  89 
 
G's                              INN  H  R ER BB  K PCH STR   ERA
Glavine                          8.0  7  3  3  2  2 111  73  3.18
Gossage          BS 9, W 9-7     1.0  4  4  4  0  0  21  15  3.65
                                 9.0 11  7  7  2  2 132  88 
 
JC : Jones,Chi batted for Justice in the 7th
     Judge inserted at 1b in the 7th
     Johnson,Dav batted for Johnson,W in the 8th
     Joyner batted for Jordan,Br in the 9th
     Jackson,Reg batted for Johnson,Char in the 9th
     Jaso batted for Jones,Tod in the 9th
     Jackson,Reg moved to rf in the 9th
     Jaso moved to c in the 9th
GOL: Groat inserted at ss in the 9th
     Granderson ran for Gehrig in the 9th
 
E-Jeter. 2B-Jeter(33), Judge(7), Gehringer(17), GriffeyJr(28), Gibson,J(14), 
Gehrig(39), Gaetti(10). 3B-Jethroe(2), Jordan,Br(2), Garciaparra(4). 
HR-Johnson,BobL(8), GriffeyJr(47), Groat(2). RBI-Jeter 2(60), 
Johnson,BobL 2(20), Jordan,Br(13), Judge 2(13), GwynnSr,T(37), 
GriffeyJr(112), Gehrig 2(127), Garciaparra(84), Goslin(54), Gaetti(40), 
Groat(13). CS-Granderson. K-Jeter, Jethroe, Garciaparra, Gaetti, Glavine. 
BB-Jeter, Johnson,BobL, GwynnSr,T, Gibson,J, Goslin 3. SH-Johnson,HR, 
Glavine. SF-Garciaparra, Goslin. WP-Johnson,W 2. 
GWRBI: Gaetti