Grandal's 9th inning HR ties Game 2, Ortiz wins it in 10th for Cutters

Yasmani Grandal's 9th-inning home run off Koji Uehara tied the game and an inning later, David Ortiz's fourth hit gave Hoboken a 6-5 victory over Sardine City in Game 2 of the DMBL World Series.

The 3rd-seeded Cutters now lead the Best-of-7 series 2-0 over the 4th-seeded Straphangers.

After getting shutdown by Clayton Kershaw in Game 1 on Tuesday night, Sardine City put up a run in each of the first two innings for an early lead on Rick Porcello. Christian Yelich led off the game with a double and three batters later, Joc Pederson singled him home. In the 2nd, Porcello issued a one-out walk to Stephen Piscotty and Ryan Schimpf made him pay for it with an RBI double, extending the lead to 2-0.

Hoboken struck back with three runs in the 3r off Joe Ross. Ben Zobrist singled and Adam Eaton walked to open the inning, setting up Matt Joyce to drive them home with a double down the right-field line. Ortiz reached on an infield single, advancing Joyce advancing to 3rd who later scored on a groundout to first base by Adrian Beltre.

Sardine City opened the 4th inning with hits by Eric Hosmer and Piscotty before the game was interrupted for almost an hour by rain. When play resumed, Addison Russell singled, driving in Hosmer for a 3-3 tie. Beltre then snared a Schimpf line drive and stepped on 3rd base to get Piscotty for an unassisted double play. After Yelich walked, Evan Longoria struck out to end the inning.

The Cutters would take the lead right back in the bottom of the 4th, with three straight singles, first by Curtis Granderson, followed by Zobrist and Eaton, the third one bringing home Granderson. Joyce came up with two men aboard but grounded into an inning-ending double play while the rain picked up again.

That would be all for Ross, Sardine City's starter. He labored through 4 innings, throwing 73 pitches and allowed 4 runs on 7 hits while striking out 4 and walking 1. His counterpart, Porcello, would only last another inning, going 5 while scattering 3 runs and 7 hits with 6 strikeouts and 2 walks, exiting as the pitcher of record with a 4-3 advantage.

Nate Jones tossed a clean 6th for the Cutters while Joe Blanton breezed through the next three innings for the Straphangers, striking out 4 over 36 pitches to keep them in the game.

Lefty Boone Logan pitched a clean 7th for Hoboken but walked Corey Seager to lead off the 8th. The rookie shortstop advanced on a wild pitch before Pederson struck out. Tyler Flowers came through with another timely postseason hit, doubling home Seager for the tying run. Hosmer grounded out to second, getting the go-ahead runner to 3rd in Flowers. Piscotty was walked intentionally so Logan could face Russell, who drove in another run, this time with a double, for a 5-4 Sardine City lead.

Carl Edwards, Jr. was summoned and got Javier Baez -- who had come into the game after Kurt Suzuki pinch-hit for Schimpf against Logan in the 7th -- to end the 8th on a pop out to short.

Pedro Baez struck out Miguel Cabrera to start the bottom of the 8th for Sardine City but then allowed a double to Ortiz and he promptly got the hook. Uehara came on and Ortiz reached third on a groundout before Brad Miller grounded out to end any threat.

Lefty Brad Hand started the 9th for Hoboken by striking out Yelich. Longoria lined a single to left center but then was tagged out at second base. Seager flied out to center to end the top of the 9th, with Sardine City clinging to a 5-4 lead.

Grandal led off the bottom of the 9th by launching a homer deep down the right-field line off Uehara to tie the game at 5-5, sending the Hoboken fans into a frenzy. Uehara settled down to get out of the 9th but the damage had been done. It was the second game-tying, 9th-inning home run he surrendered this postseason (1st round, Game 2).

It looked like the Straphangers might get a run back in extra innings. Hand opened the 10th by walking Pederson, then plunked Flowers. His prayers were answered though when Hosmer grounded into a double play before Piscotty grounded out to end the 10th.

Uehara didn't help his cause, walking Joyce and Cabrera to start the bottom of the 10th, only to face the Cutters' best postseason hitter in Ortiz. The big Dominican, who will retire after the 2017 DMBL season, delivered a single into left center field, to plate Joyce with the game-winning run.

Both teams recorded blown saves, Hoboken's by Logan and Sardine City's by Uehara, his second of the postseason. Uehara (1-1) went 1 2/3 innings allowing 2 runs, 2 hits, 2 walks and 2 strikeouts, taking the loss. Logan's line was nearly identical, except he had 3 strikeouts. Mr. Hand allowed 1 hit over 2 innings and earned the win (1-0).

Each team finished with 10 hits. Sardine City left 8 men on base, Hoboken left 6. Ortiz led all batters with 4 hits; only 1 RBI but it was the game-winner. Joyce finished 1-4 with 2 runs and 2 RBI for Hoboken. Russell had 2 hits and 2 RBI to lead the Straphangers, who got one hit from every other starter.

The series shifts to The Cannery in Sardine City for the next two games. Game 3 is scheduled for Friday night when Max Scherzer will take the mound for Hoboken against the Straphangers' Corey Kluber.