Bainbridge scores comeback 7-5 win over Aberdeen in playoff opener

BAINBRIDGE ISLAND, WA (GPS)--Aberdeen scored five runs off Bert Blyleven in the top of the first to stun the Bees and a capacity crowd at Battle Point Park Oct. 12, but BB settled down, Bainbridge fought back and beat the A's 7-5 in their west side playoff series opener.

Bert Blyleven survived a rocky
first inning and earned the win
in Bainbridge Island's 7-5 win
in game one of their playoff 
series against Aberdeen.

Aberdeen led 5-0 after just six hitters. Roberto Alomar led off the game with a flyout to center fielder Cool Papa Bell, but shortstop Luke Appling followed with a double off the wall in right center on an 0-2 pitch. Henry Aaron then grounded a ball to first, which Jeff Bagwell booted for an error to put runners at the corners. Dick Allen followed with a line-drive base hit to left center, plating Appling and moving Aaron around to third. Bobby Abreu jumped on a 1-0 fastball from Blyleven and ripped one down the right field line for a triple, scoring Aaron and Allen. Joe Adcock then drilled a 1-2 pitch deep down the left field line and into the stands for a home run, and Aberdeen was up 5-0.

Given a huge edge, Aberdeen starter Pete Alexander, who went 19-3 on the regular season, coughed up a big chunk of it immediately to let Bainbridge Island back into the game. Bell opened the bottom of the first with a line single down the left field line. Max Bishop, a surprise starter at second where Craig Biggio had gotten most of the playing time for the Bees, worked Alexander for a walk. Barry Bonds then came to the plate and slugged a massive home run deep into the right field seats, and just like that it was 5-3 Aberdeen.

Cool Papa Bell scored
two runs as Bainbridge
Island came from behind
to beat Aberdeen 7-5.

Blyleven recovered from his first-inning shellacking and gave up just two hits and a couple of walks over the next five innings. Meanwhile his mates chipped away at the lead. An error by Appling on Bell's leadoff grounder opened the door for Bainbridge Island in the third. Bishop followed the miscue with a fielder's choice grounder. Bonds beat out an infield single to move Bishop to second, and Bagwell walked to load the bases with one out. George Brett then scorched a grounder toward right field that Alomar managed to snag before it got through. His only play, though, was at first, where Brett was retired, but Bishop scored to make it 5-4. Alexander struck out Yogi Berra to end the threat. 

The Bees took the lead in the bottom of the fifth. Bell, in the middle of things again, led off with a double to left center. Bishop laid down a bunt that Alexander fielded, getting Bishop at first while Bell moved to third representing the tying run. Aberdeen opted to pitch to Bonds, who ripped a line drive to shallow right center, but Richie Ashburn snagged it and Bell held at third. Bagwell came up and lined a single down the right field line to plate Bell to tie the game, and Brett bombed a double off the center field wall, easily scoring Bagwell from first and giving the Bees the lead 6-5.

That was it for Alexander and, essentially, for the A's. The Bainbridge Island bullpen allowed no hits and walked one over the final three innings. The Bees scored an insurance run in the seventh on a pinch single by Johnny Bench, and Rod Beck struck out the side in the top of the ninth to nail down Bainbridge Island's 7-5 win and a 1-0 lead in the series.

Game two will be played at Battle Point Park tomorrow. Kevin Brown is slated to start for Bainbridge Island while Babe Adams will go for Aberdeen.

                       Game 1 box score, October 12
  
                    1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9     R  H  E   LOB DP
Aberdeen            5  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0     5  6  1     4  0
Bainbridge Island   3  0  1  0  2  0  1  0  x     7 11  1     7  1
 
A's                  AB  R  H BI   AVG    B's                  AB  R  H BI   AVG
Alomar,R          2b  4  0  0  0  .000    Bell,CP           cf  5  2  2  0  .400
Appling           ss  3  1  1  0  .333    Bishop            2b  1  2  0  0  .000
Aaron,H           rf  4  1  0  0  .000     Biggio           ph  2  1  1  0  .500
Allen,D           3b  3  1  1  1  .333    Bonds,Ba          lf  3  1  2  3  .667
Abreu,B           lf  4  1  2  2  .500    Bagwell           1b  3  1  1  1  .333
Adcock,J          1b  4  1  2  2  .500    Brett,G           3b  4  0  1  2  .250
 Abernathy        p   0  0  0  0  .000    Berra,Y           c   3  0  1  0  .333
Ashburn           cf  4  0  0  0  .000     Bench            ph  1  0  1  1 1.000
Ashby,Al          c   3  0  0  0  .000    Bonds,Bo          rf  4  0  0  0  .000
Alexander,P       p   2  0  0  0  .000    Banks,E           ss  4  0  0  0  .000
 Allen,Neil       p   0  0  0  0  .000     Beck,R           p   0  0  0  0  .000
 Averill          ph  1  0  0  0  .000    Blyleven          p   2  0  0  0  .000
 Aguirre          p   0  0  0  0  .000     Brock,L          ph  1  0  1  0 1.000
 Allison          1b  1  0  0  0  .000     Benitez          p   0  0  0  0  .000
                     33  5  6  5           Britton          p   0  0  0  0  .000
                                           Boggs,W          ph  1  0  1  0 1.000
                                           Boudreau         ss  0  0  0  0  .000
                                                               34  7 11  7
 
A's                              INN  H  R ER BB  K PCH STR   ERA
Alexander,P      L 0-1           4.2  6  6  5  2  4  69  46  9.64
Allen,Neil                       1.1  2  0  0  0  1  21  13  0.00
Aguirre                          1.0  2  1  1  1  0  12   7  9.00
Abernathy                        1.0  1  0  0  0  0  12   8  0.00
                                 8.0 11  7  6  3  5 114  74 
 
B's                              INN  H  R ER BB  K PCH STR   ERA
Blyleven         W 1-0           6.0  6  5  4  2  3  89  54  6.00
Benitez          H 1             1.1  0  0  0  1  0  15   9  0.00
Britton          H 1             0.2  0  0  0  0  0   4   3  0.00
Beck,R           S 1             1.0  0  0  0  0  3  15  11  0.00
                                 9.0  6  5  4  3  6 123  77 
 
ADN: Averill batted for Allen,Neil in the 7th
     Allison inserted at 1b in the 8th
BI : Brock,L batted for Blyleven in the 6th
     Biggio batted for Bishop in the 7th
     Bench batted for Berra,Y in the 7th
     Biggio moved to 2b in the 8th
     Bench moved to c in the 8th
     Boggs,W batted for Britton in the 8th
     Boudreau inserted at ss in the 9th
 
E-Appling, Bagwell. 2B-Appling(1), Bell,CP(1), Brett,G(1), Boggs,W(1). 
3B-Abreu,B(1), Adcock,J(1). HR-Adcock,J(1), Bonds,Ba(1). RBI-Allen,D(1), 
Abreu,B 2(2), Adcock,J 2(2), Bonds,Ba 3(3), Bagwell(1), Brett,G 2(2), 
Bench(1). CS-Brock,L. K-Abreu,B, Ashburn, Ashby,Al 2, Alexander,P, Allison, 
Bagwell, Berra,Y, Bonds,Bo, Blyleven 2. BB-Appling, Allen,D, Ashby,Al, 
Bishop, Bonds,Ba, Bagwell. SH-Bishop. 
  GWRBI: Brett,G