Timmins Men's Baseball League

09/10/2015 - Jacks take Game 1

TIMMINS - It was billed as a pitchers’ duel and Chris Greer and Marc-Andre Lavoie did not disappoint the small crowd gathered at Fred Salvador Field Wednesday night.

The two aces were in fine form through through seven regulation innings, with the score deadlocked at 1-1.

Only in the eighth inning did either pitcher show a chink in their armour, as the Orioles plated a pair of runs to jump in front 3-1 in the top of the frame against Greer.

The Whiskey Jacks responded with three runs in the bottom of the inning, however, to pull out a 4-3 victory in Game 1 of the Timmins Men’s Baseball League best-of-five championship series.

The Orioles drew first blood in the low-scoring contest, taking advantage of some defensive miscues by the Whiskey Jacks in the top of the fifth inning.

With two out in the frame, Orioles lead-off hitter Mario Fillion reached base on an error by Whiskey Jacks third baseman Josh Vandal.

Fillion then stole second base and came around to score the game’s first run on an error by Whiskey Jacks short stop Jamie Dallaire that allowed Eric Paquette, of the Orioles, to make it all the way to third base.

The Whiskey Jacks were able to retire Lavoie, however, before Paquette could advance any further.

That would be the only scoring until the bottom of the seventh inning, as the Whiskey Jacks were down to their final three outs before they could push across the tying run.

Cedric Bradette drew a lead-off walk against Lavoie to get things started.

Matt Bechard followed with a single to move him up and an RBI single from Owen Rigg drove him home.

Bechard was gunned down at the plate trying to score the game-winning run and Lavoie then struck out the next two batters to force extra innings with the game deadlocked at 1-1.

Lavoie doubled to lead off the top of the eighth inning and one out later came around to score the go-ahead run on Eric Boulard’s RBI single — one of three hits on the night for the Orioles catcher.

Boulard moved up to second base on a passed ball and then came in to score an insurance run on a throwing error by Whiskey Jacks catcher Jamie Dagenais.

Greer buckled down and struck out the next two batters to keep the deficit at two runs heading to the bottom of the frame.

Dallaire singled to lead off the inning for the Whiskey Jacks and moved up to second base when Dagenais reached base on an error by Orioles second baseman David Tambeau.

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