Topic: Front Page
The New Jersey Bandits started the 2007 NYLISL season with some fireworks, pounding West Side Stories ace Francisco Liriano for eight runs on 11 hits in a 16-3 Opening Day victory. Morgan Ensberg homered twice and drove in five runs to support Roger Clemens.
The next five games of the series included a pair of thrillers. The Stories won Game 2 by scoring three runs off Bandits relief ace Mariano Rivera in the eighth inning to tie the game. The added two more off Billy Wagner with three straight pinch hits in the bottom of the 10th to re-tie the contest and notched the winning run in the 11th on a Jermaine Dye single.
The Stories took the next two contests to improve their winning streak to three games, but saw it come to a halt with a Bandits comeback in Game 5. With Stories closer Mike Gonzalez needing a day off, the Bandits scored twice off his replacement in the bottom of the ninth inning, winning 3-2 on Luis Castillo's squeeze bunt.
Matt Cain and Bob Howry combined on a six-hit suthout in Game 6 to salvage the series for New Jersey, as each team went 2-1 in its home park. More NYLISL action is expected next weekend, as teams appear to be shaking off the two-month slumber that the league fell into after the February 3 draft.
Posted by nylistratleague
at 3:36 PM EDT
Updated: Friday, 13 July 2007 3:35 PM EDT
