Sardine City edges Hoboken, 2-0, for critical Game 5 win

Daniel Norris and two relievers made Joc Pederson's 6th inning solo home run stand up before an insurance homer by Eric Hosmer in the 9th, to give Sardine City a 2-0 win in Game 5 at Hoboken.
The win puts the Straphangers one win away from their first DMBL title, leading the Best-of-7 World Series 3 games to 2. The Game 5 win was the first by a road team in the finals after both teams won their first two home games to open the series.

The left-handed Norris, who signed with Sardine City -- his fifth team of the year -- to start the regular season finale, went six innings and lost on an unearned run in Game 1. This time he pitched 7 shutout innings, walking 4 and striking out 7 while scattering 7 hits for the win. Koji Uehera went 1 1/3 innings for his 3rd save of the postseason.

Porcello took the loss despite allowing just 1 run over 8 innings on 7 hits. He struck out 7 and walked 1.

There wasn't much in the way of scoring opportunities for either team. Porcello gave up a lead-off double to Tyler Flowers in the 2nd and Hosmer singled to put runners on the corners but got out of the inning without any damage.

The Cutters' best scoring opportunity came in the 4th when Adrian Beltre and Wilmer Flores led off with back-to-back walks. But Norris got Miguel Cabrera to bounce into a 1-5-3 double play, leaving Flores at 2nd. Norris uncorked a wild pitch allowing Flores to advance to 3rd but got David Ortiz to ground out to end the inning, still scoreless.

In the 5th, Stephen Piscotty led off with a single for Sardine City and after a flyout, Ryan Schimpf walked to put two runners aboard with one out. Porcello got Yelich on a fielder's choice before striking out Longoria to keep it scoreless.

Sardine City broke up the scoreless tie in the top of the 6th when Joc Pederson homered deep to right. Pederson slugged two solo homers in a Game 3 win.

In the bottom of the inning, Flores and Cabrera had back-to-back, two-out singles but Norris struck out Ortiz to end the inning, then struck out the side in the 7th for his final inning. Pedro Baez came on in the 8th but after a two-out walk, Uehara got the call, getting Flores to ground out.

Lefty Boone Logan started the 9th for Hoboken and was greeted by Hosmer with a blast down the right-field line for an insurance run, and a 2-0 lead.

Both teams left 7 men on base. Sardine City finished with 7 hits to Hoboken's 4.

Sardine City will try to wrap up the series at home in Game 6, scheduled for Wednesday night, with probably starters Joe Ross or Corey Kluber for the No. 4 seed Straphangers and Max Scherzer for the third-seeded Cutters.