Top Brewers 10-3 in championship game
Published in the July 22, 2016 edition
THE CARDINALS won the Minor League City Series Championship.
MELROSE — On Saturday June 25, National League rivals, the Cardinals and Brewers squared off for the city series championship. The Cardinals prevailed by a 10-3 score.
Calvin Zimmerman (6K’s) took the hill for the National League champ Cardinals and pitched four and two-thirds scoreless innings against the power hitting bats of the Brewers.
In the first inning Mikey Thomas led off with a walk and was then stranded at third after great fielding play by Cardinals “Swiss Army Knife” third baseman Daniel Murphy and two strikeouts by Zimmerman.
In the bottom of the first, Thomas (6 K’s) took the mound and faced Cardinals All-Star catcher, Andrew Fucci. Fucci led off with a double down the left field line. Zimmerman then hit a tough ball to Thomas, which scored Fucci. Joey “Bats” Kelleher then walked. and after a strike out, Anders Giuliano hit a two-run single scoring Zimmerman and Kelleher putting the Cardinals up 3-0 after one.
The Cardinals rallied again in the third for three more after a single by Zimmerman, a Kelleher walk, and a Jeremiah Lovely single which scored Zimmerman. But Kelleher was thrown out at the plate by a great throw by shortstop Colin Walsh and tag by catcher Jaden Aquino. Lovely scored on another Giuliano hit. Next up was speedy left fielder Willy Festa who walked and scored on a Murphy single.
In the fourth inning the Cardinals put three more runs on the board. Fucci executed a perfect bunt to reach first. Zimmerman, Kelleher, and Lovely walked and scored on a third Giuliano hit.
The Brewers rallied in the sixth inning with walk by John Recinito and a Walsh smash over Cardinals center fielder Chase Auld’s head to reach third. Aquino then walked and both scored on a Jack Clay’s double. Cardinals’ closer Joe Kelleher quickly settled down and struck out three of the next five batters to secure the 10-3 win and the championship for the Cardinals.
Cardinals finished the season with a record of 15-3. Also contributing to the successful year was Jacob McDonald, Karden Auld, and Aiden Connors.
