Piscotty's arm, bat big in Sardine City win

Stephen Piscotty made a big play in the field and then at the plate during a critical 6th inning, to help Sardine City gain a 7-3 victory in Game 2 of their semifinal series against Tucson on Monday night.

It was just another scenario in which unexpected postseason heroes emerge as the top-seeded Straphangers took a 2-0 advantage in the Best-of-Seven series. Game 3 will be in Tucson on Wednesday when the King Snakes likely will have Max Scherzer available for his first start of the series.

Javier Baez smacked two solo homers off Madison Bumgarner, one in the 2nd and another in the 4th inning, and the Straphangers added a run in the 3rd. Piscotty led off the inning with a single to left center but George Springer struck out and Corey Seager grounded to short, only to beat out the throw to 1st to avoid a double play.

James McCann then delivered with a double deep to right field, scoring Seager all the way from 1st. McCann took 3rd base on an error by Avisail Garcia but Bumgarner came back to strike out Edwin Encarnacion to end the inning, with Sardine City up 2-0. Baez's second solo shot in the 4th -- deep down the left field line -- made it 3-0.

Held to one hit through 4 innings by Zack Godley, No. 4 Tucson finally responded in the top of the 5th inning, tying the game on a combination of singles, a double, wild pitch and an error. With one out, Garcia reached when Baez flubbed a grounder at 2nd base and Eric Thames followed up with a single to shallow center. Mike Zunino then doubled to score Garcia, cutting the lead to 3-1. A wild pitch by Godley plated the second run when Thames scampered home as Zunino took 3rd.

Brandon Crawford dribbled a grounder in front of the plate and McCann was slow out of his crouch but decided to make a throw to 1st base. Crawford beat it out for an infield single while Zunino raced home from 3rd with the tying run. Godley was able to coax an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play out of Jose Altuve but the King Snakes had tied the game at 3-3.

Godley's wildness flared up in the 6th. With one out, Marcell Ozuna was awarded 1st after getting hit by a pitch. A single to left center from Nelson Cruz suddenly put King Snakes on the corners. Nolan Arenado stepped to the plate and grounded a pitch back to the mound. Without hesitation, Godley threw home where McCann applied the tag on Ozuna for the second out. Now with runs on 1st and 2nd, Garcia, this year's batting champion, stepped in. He grounded a single between third and short and Cruz blew through a stop sign, barreling home with the go-head run but Piscotty came up throwing and nailed him at the plate, ending the inning stilled tied at 3-3.

In the bottom of the 6th, Sardine City quickly re-took the lead 4-3 when Encarnacion lofted a homer deep to left center. A 1-4-3 double play from Baez erased Kyle Seager at 1st base but the Straphangers quickly got two more aboard with singles from Cody Bellinger and Eric Hosmer. That brought up Piscotty, the No. 9 hitter. He ended Godley's night, sending a fastball deep down the left field line for a three-run homer, extending the lead to 7-3.

Tanner Roark came on in relief, getting Springer to ground out to 3rd to end the 6th inning.

Godley danced around a walk in both the 7th and 8th inning. Ryan Madson relieved him after the 2nd walk, with one out in the 8th and got Tucson to go quietly. In the bottom of the 8th, Baez and Bellinger singled to threaten against Roark but Hosmer struck out and Piscotty, with another chance to extend the lead, this time grounded into an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play.

In the 9th, Madson plunked Garcia to start the inning, which immediately brought a call to the bullpen. Sardine City closer Andrew Miller came in only to walk Andrew McCutchen, who pinch-hit for Thames. Another pinch-hitter stepped up, with J.T. Realmuto batting for Zunino. Miller struck him out for the 1st out, with the tying run on deck.

Crawford grounded to 2nd, where Baez pivoted to force McCutchen, who took out Seager to break up a potential double play as Garcia advanced to 3rd base. Altuve came to the plate and Miller issued another walk, loading the bases with a 7-3 lead. Brett Gardner, who had delivered a few big hits in the 1st round series against Marietta, came to the plate representing the tying run but failed to come through this time, striking out to end the game.

Bumgarner (1-1) was tagged for 7 runs (6 earned) and 11 hits. He struck out 3 with no walks. Roark pitched the final 2 1/3, yielding 3 hits and striking out 3.

Godley (1-0) went 7 1/3 innings for the win. He scatted 6 hits and 3 runs (2 earned), with 2 walks an 7 Ks. Madson struck out the only 2 batters he faced but did hit another. Miller finished with a 2-strikeout, 2-walk 9th inning in a non-save situation.

Tucson finished with 3 runs on 6 hits, leaving 8 men on base. No King Snakes had more than 1 hit, RBI or run scored. Sardine City battered 14 hits, scored 7 runs and left 5 men on. Baez finished with 3 hits, including 2 HRs. and 2 runs scored. Piscotty had 2 hits and 3 RBI, all coming on his big home run.

In the regular season series, the Straphangers had a 6-4 edge head-to-head against Tucson.
The King Snakes were just 18-32 (.360) against playoff teams while Sardine City was 37-21 (.638), tops among the six teams, that included both wild cards from its division.