From: hbrooks@uiatma.atmos.uiuc.edu (Harold_Brooks)
Subject: American Association Championship Series-Game Two
Organization: NSSL
Date: Fri, 11 Sep 1992 16:00:47 GMT


(This report is not as detailed as for game one since 1) I didn't
attend and 2) the local cable company showed a tape of a Norman City
Council meeting from Tuesday night where they debated whether they
were going to pave one block of an alley in the east part of town.
If anyone is interested in the details of the meeting, let me know
quickly because I'll be reusing the video tape on which I had been
hoping to get last night's game.)

It seemed difficult to believe that they could match the drama of
the first game of the American Association Championship Series
when game two began last night, but it was almost a case of 
deja vu all over again at All-Sports Stadium in Oklahoma City.
For the second consecutive night, an injured '89er who couldn't 
run came off the bench to hit a game-tying home run in the bottom
of the ninth and the '89ers went on to win.  Last night's final 
score was 6-5 in 11 innings and gives OKC a 2-0 lead over Buffalo in 
the best of seven series.  The daily Kirk Gibson Award for last night
goes to Steve Balboni, suffering from a bad back and tendinitis
in a knee.  Balboni, hitting for Jim Walewander with two out and a 
man on first in the bottom of the ninth, hit a 2-2 pitch from Bison
closer Blas Minor over the left field wall to tie the game at 4-4.
Both teams scored in the 10th before ex-Bison Keith Miller ended the
game with a 2-out home run in the bottom of the 11th.

Hector Fajardo and Brett Backlund, recent call-ups to the Triple-A
level, started the game for OKC and Buffalo, respectively, and both
pitched well.  Fajardo settled down after walking the first two men
of the game.  Two ground outs gave him the chance to get out of the
inning, but 1B Rob Maurer dropped Fajardo's throw on what would have
been the third out and Buffalo jumped on top 1-0 in the first.  Al 
Martin tripled and scored in the third to increase the lead to 2-0.
Chuck Jackson doubled leading off the OKC 5th and scored on Keith 
Miller's two-out single to cut the lead to 2-1.  

Greg Edge doubled with one out in the Bison 8th.  After Greg Tubbs
was retired, left-hander Terry Burrows came in to face Al Martin,
who singled.  Jeff Bronkey was brought in to pitch to Kevin Young.
Martin stole second and moved to third on a wild pitch.  Young then
hit a sacrifice fly to make the score 4-1, Buffalo, going into the
bottom of the 9th.

Ray Stephens, who hit a grand slam in the first game, hit a long
fly to right-center that Tubbs got to, but couldn't hang on.  It was
ruled a double.  Jackson hit a bloop single to right to move Stephens
to third.  Jim Presley then hit a run-scoring fly ball to make the
score 4-2.  Kevin Belcher struck out, pinch hitting for Larry Hanlon,
setting the stage for Balboni's heroics.

In the top of the 10th, with one out, Bruce Schreiber, who had 
replaced Edge at second for the Bison, doubled.  Tubbs singled him
home to give Buffalo a 5-4 lead.  Gerald Alexander came in to pitch
for OKC and promptly loaded the bases by hitting Martin and walking
Young.  He then struck out Brian Dorsett.  Bryan Gore relieved and
retired Jose Tolentino to end the threat.

In the bottom of the inning, Dan Peltier led off with a chopper to
third.  Young, who had started two double plays to end OKC threats
earlier, charged the ball, but his throw went down the right field
line and Peltier ended up at second.  After a Rob Maurer fly out,
Russ McGinniss, who hit the game-tying home run in game one, singled
in Peltier to tie the game at 5-5.  Pitcher Steve Fireovid pinch ran
for the ailing McGinniss and moved to second as Ray Stephens drew a
walk.  Jackson and Presley were retired to end the inning without
further damage.

Wayne Rosenthal set down Buffalo in order in the top of the 11th
before Miller ended the game with a two-out home run off of Jim
Tracy in the bottom of the 9th.

Tonight, the teams meet in the final game at OKC before playing
up to four games Saturday through Tuesday at Buffalo.  As luck
would have it, I'll be at a conference in British Columbia all
next week, so game reports are unlikely before the 21st.

BUFFALO                           OKLAHOMA CITY
NAME      POS AB  R  H RBI BB     NAME      POS AB  R  H RBI BB 
Tubbs      cf  4  1  1  1  1      Miller  lf-2b  6  1  2  2  0 
Martin     lf  3  2  2  1  1      Peltier    rf  5  1  0  0  0 
Young      3b  3  0  1  2  1      Maurer     1b  5  0  3  0  0 
Dorsett    dh  5  0  1  0  0      McGinnis   dh  5  0  1  1  0 
Tolentino  1b  5  0  0  0  0      Fireovid   pr  0  0  0  0  0 
Prince      c  5  0  0  0  0      Stephens    c  4  1  2  0  1 
Bullett    rf  4  0  0  0  1      Jackson cf-ss  5  2  2  0  0 
Richardson ss  5  0  0  0  0      Presley    3b  3  0  0  1  1 
Edge       2b  3  1  1  0  0      Hanlon     ss  2  0  0  0  1 
Schreiber  2b  1  1  1  0  0      Belcher*   cf  2  0  0  0  0
                                  Walewander 2b  3  0  2  0  0
                                  Balboni+   ph  1  1  1  2  0
                                  Scruggs    lf  1  0  0  0  0
----------------------------      ----------------------------
Totals        38  5  7  4  4      Totals        42  6 13  6  3

Buffalo        1 0 1   0 0 0   0 2 0   1 0 -- 5
Oklahoma City  0 0 0   0 1 0   0 0 3   1 1 -- 6
Two out when winning run scored.

*Struck out for Hanlon in 9th.
+Homered for Walewander in 9th.
E-Maurer, Young.  LOB-Buffalo 6, OKC 8.  DP-Buffalo 2, OKC 1.
2B-Walewander, Maurer, Jackson, Edge, Stephens, Schreiber.
3B-Martin.  HR-Balboni, Miller. SB-Martin.  SF-Young, Presley.

Buffalo       IP  H   R  ER  BB   K
Backlund      6.2 5   1   1   3   5
Dalton        0.2 2   0   0   0   0
Minor         2.2 5   4   3   0   2
Tracy (L)     0.2 1   1   1   0   0

Oklahoma City IP  H   R  ER  BB   K
Fajardo       7.2 3   3   2   3   2
Burrows       0   1   1   1   0   0
Bronkey       1.2 3   1   1   0   1
Alexander     0.1 0   0   0   1   1
Gore          0.1 0   0   0   0   0
Rosenthal (W) 1   0   0   0   0   0

WP-Bronkey  HBP-Martin by Alexander
Time-3:35 ATT-5,826

Harold
-- 
Harold Brooks                    hbrooks@uiatma.atmos.uiuc.edu
National Severe Storms Laboratory/CIMMS (Norman, OK)
Cal Ripken   April-August   .249 BA  .355 SLG  .329 OBA
Cal Ripken (1 Sep.- 9 Sep.) .152 BA  .182 SLG  .222 OBA
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