The duel between the Vienna Wanderers and the Traiskirchen Grasshoppers was also the match-up between two of the best pitchers in the baseball league. Timothy Allen Holmes (Wanderers) has recorded an earned run average of 2.41 so far this season, the best in the league among pitchers with a comparable workload. Traiskirchen’s TJ McKee (ERA 2.43), on the other hand, was clearly ahead of the league in this category with 104 strikeouts before the floodlit game on the Spenadlwiese. The signs pointed to a close game with few runs – and they turned out to be true.
McKee did indeed concede a run in the first inning after an RBI double by Hiroyuki Sakanashi. However, it was to be the only one the Australian (11 strikeouts) had to concede in his seven innings on the mound. After a rather mixed start for McKee with three hits in the first quarter, the right-hander then delivered his usual top performance. The Viennese only managed two more hits in the eighth inning, in which the Grasshoppers’ offense then equalized.
Up until then, Wanderers starter Holmes had managed a shutout. At the beginning of the eighth inning, however, the American produced two walks. This ended Holmes’ strong outing just before Kyle Ashby’s RBI single, which tied the game. With the score at 1:1, relievers Peter Reyes (Wanderers) and Jan Raunigger (Grasshoppers) took over. And again it was Sakanashi who produced a hit. His single helped Dominik Talir score a run and secured the 2:1 final score in the Spenadlwiese Ballpark.
Wanderers win after overtime
The Vienna Wanderers, who were initially two wins behind a play-off spot in fifth place, recorded a sweep against the Traiskirchen Grasshoppers at the weekend. After the Viennese narrowly won part one of the duel on Friday, the teams moved to Traiskirchen for game two on Saturday.
The result was no clearer, quite the opposite. After nine innings, the score was 4:4. The Grasshoppers had already taken a 4:1 lead after a strong performance by starter Markus Trimmel and home runs by Alexander Schiller and Tobias Werner. But RBI singles by Luis Portner and Dominik Talir and a throwing error brought the Wanderers the equalizer in the eighth inning – and the Viennese went into extra innings for the third time in the last four games.
In the tenth inning, both teams remained scoreless. The game was decided in the eleventh inning. Peter Reyes put his team on the road to victory with a lead-off home run. Sakanashi’s subsequent walk paid off, as the Japanese managed another run after a sac fly from Michael Savino – 6:4. The hosts had no answer. Relief player Angelo Thau then recorded three quick outs.
2024-06-30 21:35:57
#Baseball #close #Traiskirchen #loses #thrillers #Wanderers
