Louisiana vs. Maine

Game 1 at Louisiana

Maine........... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 2 2
Louisiana....... 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 x - 1 8 0
W: Lyons L: Titcomb

Ted Lyons pitched a two-hit shutout and Joe Adcock drove in the game’s only run with a two-out single in the sixth.

Lyons walked four and struck out three, and didn’t allow a base hit after the third inning. Cannonball Titcomb, who gave up six hits over seven innings, matched Lyons with zeroes until the sixth.

Willard Brown singled with one out and moved to second on Albert Belle’s grounder. Adcock followed with a hit to left and Brown beat George Gore’s throw home.

Game 2 at Louisiana

Maine........... 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 - 1 6 0
Louisiana....... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 - 2 8 0
W: L. Smith L: Ladd
HR: Staub

Maine was two outs away from its own 1-0 victory, but Rusty Staub tied the game with a home run and Louisiana eventually won it in the ninth on Reggie Smith’s single.

Catcher-manager Bill Carrigan singled in a run in the fourth, and it looked like that would hold up for Maine. Starter Carl Willey allowed four hits over six innings, but walked five, and so Carrigan went to the bullpen. Kid Madden pitched a perfect seventh and Pete Ladd came on for the eighth. Ladd stayed in for the ninth and got the first out, but Staub’s homer tied it. George Strickland singled and so did pinch hitter Joe Adcock. Bob Stanley came in to face Reggie Smith, who singled up the middle to win it.

Lee Smith got the victory for Louisiana with two innings of hitless relief, featuring five strikeouts. Starter Ron Guidry only fanned two in seven innings but held Maine to an unearned run and six hits.

Game 3 at Maine

Louisiana....... 0 2 4 0 2 0 0 1 0 - 9 16 1
Maine........... 1 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 - 4 10 0
W: Pettitte L: Stanley S: Wilson
HR: Brown, Belle

Willard Brown had four hits, including a homer and triple, and Louisiana rolled this time to take a 3-0 lead in the series.

Bill Dickey was 4-for-4, and Albert Belle homered and drove in three runs to support Andy Pettitte. The left-hander was hit pretty hard, giving up eight hits and four runs, but lasted five innings to pick up the victory. Don Wilson pitched four scoreless relief innings for the save and also singled home a run in the eighth.

Brown homered in the second off Maine starter Bob Stanley and tripled in another run in the four-run third. Stanley, who relieved in Game 2 to poor results, lasted just 2 2/3 innings, allowing six runs and seven hits.

Game 4 at Maine

Louisiana....... 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 - 2 8 0
Maine........... 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 1 6 1
W: Blue L: Swift S: L. Smith
HR: Ott

This game resembled the first two, and again, Louisiana prevailed to take the series in four straight.

Vida Blue allowed just six hits over eight innings, and Mel Ott’s homer in the fifth was the difference for the Pelicans. Lee Smith struck out two in the ninth for his first save.

Bill Swift pitched well for Maine, giving up just one earned run in five innings. Blue singled in the first run for the winners after Tom Downey’s error moved Rusty Staub up a base after Staub doubled in the second. Maine’s run came in the first on singles by George Gore and Downey followed by a double play.

Heart of a champion

Hard to see any series being better than this one. Start with the starters – Leon Day and Eppa Rixey for Virginia, and Bob Gibson and “Old Pete” Alexander for Nebraska. All four Hall of Famers.

Day pitched extremely well in two of three starts, but walked away 0-2. Rixey was phenomenal both times out, 2-0 with a 1.50 ERA. Except for two Ron Hansen homers, he shut out the Cornhuskers in two games. Alex lost Game 2 despite taking a no-hitter into the seventh, but bounced back to win Game 5 and post a 2.50 ERA. Both were route-going performances.

But Gibson topped them all. Despite control issues in Game 1, he managed to win it, and then he was his usual dominant self in Games 4 and 7. He had a 2.00 ERA, 23 Ks in 27 IP (yes, 3 complete games), and scored the go-ahead run in Game 4 and the winning run in the finale in the last of the ninth. He did it all.

You may ask, why did Gibson start Game 1 and not Alex? A fair question. There are no wrong answers in a project like this, and it’s not exactly a problem for Nebraska. But I could have seen Alex coming out of the bullpen in a seventh game, like in the 1926 World Series, and of course Gibson proved his chops in the ’60s Series for the Cards. Alexander will start the opener against Sandy Koufax and New York, with Gibson returning for Game 3. The bullpen is well rested, having worked just 4 2/3 innings in the entire series.

With all these great pitchers, as one might expect the hitting was somewhat down in this series. Nebraska hit just .232, Virginia .217. Each team was held to three or fewer runs in four of the seven games. Wade Boggs, of course, was immune, pounding out a .429 average (12 for 28) with three doubles, a triple and four RBI. Bob Cerv (.320) and Richie Ashburn (.292) were also solid, with Ashburn driving in the series-winning run.

Virginia, as the cliche goes, can hold its heads high. Johnny Grubb, who appeared in all but one game, hit .444 while Ray Dandridge led the regulars with a .333 average. “Hooks” also tied for the team high with 3 RBI with Jud Wilson and David Wright.

So a great effort from the Virginians, but it is the children of the corn who move on to meet the big boys from New York. Our next series follows the theme of distant opponents as it will match Louisiana against tiny but feisty Maine.

Nebraska vs. Virginia

Game 1 at Nebraska

Virginia........ 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 1 0 - 4 7 1
Nebraska........ 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 3 x - 6 10 1
W: Gibson L: Day

Wade Boggs was 4-for-4, including a double that ignited the winning three-run rally in the eighth, and Bob Gibson went the distance as Nebraska won a back-and-forth opener.

Virginia went ahead 4-3 in the top of the eighth on David Wright’s RBI single, but left the bases loaded as Gibson struck out two in a row to end the inning. Boggs, who had three singles earlier, doubled off Leon Day in the Nebraska eighth. Richie Ashburn walked and Sam Crawford’s single tied the game and knocked out Day. Bob Cerv’s RBI hit off Charlie Ferguson put Nebraska ahead for good and another run scored later on a Granny Hamner error.

Gibson, who got the Game 1 nod over Grover Cleveland Alexander, struggled with his control, walking five. Day doubled in three runs in the fifth for Virginia.

Game 2 at Nebraska

Virginia........ 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 - 2 5 1
Nebraska........ 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 - 1 8 0
W: Phillippe L: Alexander S: Wagner
HR: Wilson, Crawford

Jud Wilson busted up Grover Cleveland Alexander’s no-hit bid and shutout hopes with a two-run homer in the seventh, and Deacon Phillippe made it stand up to give Virginia a split at Nebraska.

Sam Crawford had given the Cornhuskers a lead with a solo shot in the sixth. Jackie Brandt doubled with one out in the eighth to knock out Phillippe, but Al Holland finished the eighth and Billy Wagner pitched a perfect ninth for the save. Phillippe walked one and struck out one.

Alexander went the distance for Nebraska, walking two and striking out three. One of the walks, Paul Hines, scored on the Wilson homer.

Game 3 at Virginia

Nebraska........ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 3 1
Virginia........ 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 x - 1 4 0
W: Rixey L: Harder

Eppa Rixey, another Hall of Fame starting pitcher, won a great duel with Mel Harder to give Virginia a 2-1 series lead.

Rixey walked two and struck out three. The only Cornhusker to get past first base was pinch hitter Cliff Lee, who batted for Harder in the eighth and tripled with two out. But Rixey retired Richie Ashburn to end the inning.

The game’s only run came on Randy Hundley’s bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the second. Willie Horton and David Wright singled to start the inning and Gene Alley walked to load the bases. Harder gave up just four hits in seven innings, with one walk and three strikeouts.

Game 4 at Virginia

Nebraska........ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 4 - 7 11 1
Virginia........ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 - 1 7 0
W: Gibson L: Day

Nebraska tied up the series, breaking up another pitchers’ duel with seven runs in the last two innings.

Bob Gibson struck out nine in a complete-game performance, and started the go-ahead rally in the eighth by drawing a walk from Leon Day. Richie Ashburn singled one out later, and Wade Boggs tripled to put Nebraska ahead and knock out Day. Sam Crawford’s sacrifice fly against Nick Cullop made it 3-0.

Virginia finally scored against Gibson in their half of the eighth on a single, a walk and an infield out, but Nebraska finished it off in the ninth with four more runs. Gibson singled in the first run, Johnny Hopp drove in another with a single, Ashburn hit a sacrifice fly and Crawford’s single made it 7-1.

Day, who took a three-hit shutout into the eighth, struck out five and walked three, but lost for the second time in the series.

Game 5 at Virginia

Nebraska........ 0 4 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 - 7 13 1
Virginia........ 1 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 4 6 0
W: Alexander L: Verlander

Grover Cleveland Alexander survived a shaky beginning for the victory, and contributed a two-run single in the second inning as Nebraska took a 3-2 series lead.

The ‘Husker hitters knocked out Justin Verlander in three-plus innings, shelling him for seven hits and all seven runs. Bob Cerv went 4-for-4 and Johnny Hopp drove in three runs for the winners.

Alexander, like Bob Gibson, completed the game for the second time in the series. He gave up six hits, but just two in the last six innings, and one of the four runs was unearned. He walked four and struck out four.

Game 6 at Nebraska

Virginia........ 0 2 0 2 1 1 0 0 0 - 6 14 1
Nebraska........ 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 - 3 4 0
W: Rixey L: Harder
HR: Hansen 2

Eppa Rixey won for the second time in the series and also drove in three runs with a double and single to give Virginia a chance in a seventh game.

Rixey held Nebraska to four hits, walking one and fanning three. The only Nebraska hitter to solve him was Ron Hansen, who hit a solo homer in the seventh and a two-run shot in the ninth.

Johnny Grubb had four hits and scored three runs for the Virginians, and Ray Dandridge had three hits and drove in a pair of runs. Mel Harder, who pitched very well in Game 3, didn’t have it this time. He was pounded for 13 hits and six runs in 5 1/3 innings.

Game 7 at Nebraska

Virginia........ 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 - 1 6 0
Nebraska........ 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 - 2 4 3
W: Gibson L: Wagner
HR: Wilson

Bob Gibson again did it all, striking out 10 and scoring the winning run for his third series victory as Nebraska advanced in a nail-biter.

Gibson and Leon Day hooked up in another great matchup, and Virginia led when Jud Wilson homered in the fifth. Gibson walked six, and Nebraska committed three errors, two by first baseman Johnny Hopp, but Virginia couldn’t take advantage and stranding 12 runners.

Nebraska tied it in the seventh when Richie Ashburn singled and Wade Boggs doubled him in. Day departed for a pinch hitter after the eighth, having given up just three hits and no walks, and closer Billy Wagner took over in the ninth. Gibson, allowed to bat for himself, walked. Hopp sacrificed and Ashburn singled, with Gibson just beating the throw home.

Thome and Co. in a walk

Big Jim Thome powered Illinois to a second-round victory.

Ouch. Illinois scored 30 runs in the series to eight for Venezuela. While Venezuela will continue to improve over the years, they aren’t at the numbers for Illinois, which has sent more than 1,000 players to the big leagues. The Prairie State was seeded low based on a poor round-robin record, but clearly they’re better than the seed and Michigan won’t have an easy time with Illinois in the next round.

Big Jim Thome was an amazing 10-for-18 (.556), with three homers and nine RBI. He also drew five walks for a .652 on-base percentage and posted a 1.111 slugging mark, giving him a revolutionary 1.763 OPS.

Setting the table for Thome were Hall of Famers Rickey Henderson (.400, .520 OB, 8 runs, 4 SB, 4 RBI) and Robin Yount (.429, .500 OB, 6 runs, 4 RBI). Ray Schalk, in the lineup for his defense behind the plate, hit .417 and even contributed a homer.

Henderson and Thome each drew five walks in the series. The entire Venezuelan team drew five walks in the series. Four came in Game 2 against Red Ruffing. Robin Roberts (2-0, 1.00) walked none in two complete games. Illinois had a team WHIP below 1, giving up 36 hits and those five walks in 44 2/3 innings. The staff ERA was 1.21.

Carlos Guillen was the top hitter among those appearing in all five games, at 4-for-10. Andres Galarraga was in the starting lineup for all five and hit the only Venezuela homer, batting .350 and driving in three runs. Magglio Ordonez also drove in three but had just one hit in 18 at-bats.

As for the pitching … well, let’s not even go there. It was mostly bad. The Ozzie Guillen press conferences (he’s the Venezuela manager) would have been interesting, as usual. But it’s not really a bad team, this was just a bad matchup and Illinois was on fire.

On to what promises to be a more interesting series between Nebraska’s two aces (Grover Cleveland Alexander and Bob Gibson) and Virginia, another team with new talent to go with some solid “veterans.”

Illinois vs. Venezuela

Game 1 at Illinois

Venezuela....... 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 - 4 6 2
Illinois........ 2 1 1 2 6 1 0 0 x - 13 19 1
W: Roberts L: Santana
HR: Galarraga

Every Illinois starter had at least one hit in pounding Venezuela starter Johan Santana, and Robin Roberts pitched a strong game for the win.

The top three Illinois batters – Rickey Henderson, Robin Yount and Jim Thome – had three hits apiece, and Red Schoendienst drove in three runs. Roberts got into the act with a hit, RBI and run during the home team’s six-run inning off reliever Kelvim Escobar. Santana exited after four innings, allowing 11 hits, three walks and six runs.

Roberts walked none and struck out four. He gave up a two-out homer to Andres Galarraga after an error in the ninth.

Game 2 at Illinois

Venezuela....... 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 - 2 6 0
Illinois........ 3 0 0 3 0 0 0 2 x - 8 13 0
W: Ruffing L: Zambrano
HR: Thome 3, Yount

Jim Thome went deep three times and drove in six runs, and Robin Yount had four hits including a two-run homer to back Red Ruffing for a 2-0 Illinois series lead.

Rickey Henderson led off with a single and Yount followed with a homer off Venezuela starter Carlos Zambrano. Thome then homered to make it 3-0, and his three-run blast in the fourth chased Zambrano. He added a two-run homer off Ugueth Urbina in the eighth. Thome walked and grounded out in his other trips to the plate.

Ruffing went eight innings, giving up five hits. Magglio Ordonez’s two-run single in the sixth ended the shutout bid.

Game 3 at Venezuela

Illinois........ 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 - 3 9 1
Venezuela....... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 8 0
W: Saberhagen L: Garcia

Bret Saberhagen scattered eight hits and Jim Thome had three more hits to put Illinois within a victory of a sweep.

Thome doubled in a run in the first and singled home another in the third against Freddy Garcia, who kept Venezuela close with help from the bullpen but got no help from his offense.

Robin Yount had two hits and through three games equaled Thome’s series batting average to an incredible .643. Leadoff man Rickey Henderson was hitless, but drew a walk, stole his fourth base of the series and his average “fell” to .545.

Saberhagen pitched around several threats. The biggest came in the fifth when Venezuela loaded the bases with one out. Bobby Abreu hit into a double play, though, to end the inning. Saberhagen walked one and struck out three.

Game 4 at Venezuela

Illinois........ 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 - 1 3 0
Venezuela....... 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 - 2 10 1
W: Urbina L: Reuschel

Venezuela prevented a sweep, scoring the winning run on a Jason Isringhausen wild pitch in the last of the ninth.

Carlos Guillen singled off Rick Reuschel in the ninth. Henry Blanco hit into a force play and pinch hitter Pablo Sandoval singled for the 10th hit off Reuschel, sending Blanco to third. Isringhausen relieved and his first – and only – pitch bounced past catcher Ray Schalk, scoring Blanco.

Ugueth Urbina pitched two hitless innings for the win. Venezuela starter Wilson Alvarez held the high-powered Illinois attack to three hits and a run in seven innings.

Game 5 at Venezuela

Illinois........ 0 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 - 5 6 1
Venezuela....... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 6 0
W: Roberts L: Santana
HR: Henderson, Boudreau, Schalk

Robin Roberts pitched a six-hit shutout, walking nobody, and Rickey Henderson hit a three-run homer in the second to propel Illinois into a third-round matchup against Michigan.

Henderson just missed a homer leading off the game against Johan Santana, but in the second, with Schalk and Roberts aboard after two-out hits, Rickey didn’t miss. His blast, along with Lou Boudreau’s solo shot in the fourth, gave Roberts a comfortable cushion. Ray Schalk, not a big home run hitter, also connected off Francisco Rodriguez in the ninth.

Brock steady

Brock had 12 hits in six games for Arkansas, which moves on to meet Georgia in the third round.

Lou Brock, as he did in all those World Series, had a great series for Arkansas, batting .429 (12 for 28). George Kell played in all four Arkansas triumphs, hitting .385 and moving over to first base because Brooks Robinson was at third. Pat Burrell had three of Arkansas’ five homers and drove in eight runs while Rick Monday had seven RBI.

Arkansas hit .298 as a team and posted a 2.89 ERA, led by Cliff Lee’s outstanding Game 5 start and the two top performances by Dizzy Dean (1-1, 1.59). And the pair of wins by No. 2 starter Lon Warneke means that Dean will open the Georgia series instead of having to face Twin States ace Chris Carpenter in a Game 7.

Twin States gave it a go, nearly pulling off a very large upset and making it to the third round. Fred Mann was the top hitter against Arkansas, hitting .409 for the series while Carlton Fisk batted .381 (but with no homers). For the two series combined, Mann hit .333 while Fisk was at .310 with the two homers against Mexico and nine total RBI.

Carpenter (1-1, 3.79 in three starts) and Lefty Tyler (1-1, 3.10) were good enough in the first two rotation spots, but didn’t get enough help against Arkansas. Tyler fanned 21 batters in 26 innings, not bad for a deadball era guy.

But it’s Arkansas that moves on to meet Georgia – with the winner of that series facing the Texas-Rhode Island winner in the Sweet 16.

Next it’s the up-and-coming Venezuelans taking on Illinois. A lot of guys played for the White Sox, like Chico Carrasquel, Luis Aparicio, Magglio Ordonez, Wilson Alvarez, and currently Freddy Garcia and Omar Vizquel – plus of course the manager, Ozzie Guillen. Who will have the advantage?

Arkansas vs. Twin States

Game 1 at Arkansas

Twin States..... 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 1 5 0
Arkansas........ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 6 2
W: Tyler L: D. Dean

Lefty Tyler pitched a six-hitter and Carlton Fisk drove in the only run in the first inning as Twin States ran its winning streak to four games with the road victory.

Twin States won three in a row to rally past Mexico in the first round, and held on behind Tyler’s stellar pitching in this one. He walked one and struck out six, and set the side down in order in the ninth.

Dizzy Dean gave up just five hits, also in going the distance, but Fred Mann doubled to start the game and scored on Fisk’s single. Dean walked three and fanned seven.

Game 2 at Arkansas

Twin States..... 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 - 2 5 0
Arkansas........ 0 0 5 3 0 2 0 1 x - 11 16 0
W: Warneke L: Flanagan
HR: Rolfe, Burrell

Lon Warneke held Twin States to five hits over eight innings, striking out eight, and Arkansas busted out after being blanked in the opener.

Warneke started the home team’s five-run third by drawing a walk from Twin States starter Mike Flanagan. Lou Brock followed with one of his four hits, and a wild pitch finally got Arkansas on the board. Rick Monday later tripled home two runs.

Pat Burrell homered in the fourth off Jean Dubuc for Arkansas.

Game 3 at Twin States

Arkansas........ 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 3 - 4 6 2
Twin States..... 1 0 1 0 1 2 0 5 x - 10 16 0
W: Carpenter L: Burnett
HR: Monday, Mann

Chris Carpenter pitched five-hit ball over eight innings and eleven Twin States players collected at least one hit to give the hosts a 2-1 series lead.

Carpenter walked two and struck out four, and was one of the many on his team to get a hit at the plate. Fred Mann had three hits, including a homer leading off the game against A.J. Burnett, who lasted 5 1/3 innings. Only two of the five runs Burnett allowed were earned, due to errors by Aaron Ward and Arky Vaughan. Twin States put it out of reach in the eighth with five runs off Paul Dean.

Rick Monday hit a three-run homer off Jean Dubuc in the ninth for Arkansas.

Game 4 at Twin States

Arkansas........ 0 0 4 0 0 1 0 0 0 - 5 11 0
Twin States..... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 - 2 7 0
W: D. Dean L: Tewksbury S: Kinder
HR: Burrell 2

Pat Burrell homered twice, knocking in three runs, to support Dizzy Dean and Arkansas tied up the series.

In the third, Dean singled leading off. Arky Vaughan singled and Rick Monday hit a sacrifice fly. George Kell doubled to score Vaughan and Burrell followed with a two-run shot.

Burrell homered off Ray Collinsrn the sixth to make it a 5-0 lead. Dean was breezing until the eighth, when Daric Barton came off the bench to hit a two-run double. Dean retired Larry Gardner with the bases loaded to end the inning, and Ellis Kinder pitched a perfect ninth for the save.

Game 5 at Twin States

Arkansas........ 0 0 2 1 0 0 2 0 2 - 7 11 0
Twin States..... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 - 1 6 2
W: Lee L: Tyler
HR: Brock

Cliff Lee took a shutout into the ninth and Lou Brock hit a two-run homer to put Arkansas one win from the series victory.

Lee also singled in the third off Lefty Tyler and scored when Brock homered to make it 2-0. Aaron Ward drove in a run in the fourth for a 3-0 lead.

Tyler struck out 12 – including Lee four times and Brock three times – in eight innings, but gave up four runs, while Lee gave up six hits. He left after loading the bases in the ninth on a hit batsman and two walks. Johnny Sain got a run-scoring double play and a lineout to end it.

Game 6 at Arkansas

Twin States..... 0 0 1 0 0 0 3 0 0 - 4 8 0
Arkansas........ 0 1 0 2 1 1 0 0 x - 5 11 1
W: Warneke L: Flanagan S: Robinson
HR: Plantier

Arkansas held off a late Twin States rally to advance to a second-round series against Georgia.

Lon Warneke wasn’t as sharp as he was in Game 2, but won for the second time in the series. Both teams had lots of opportunities to score, leaving a combined 23 men on base.

Lou Brock had two more hits, both RBI doubles, and Pat Burrell singled in another run in the sixth to make it a 5-1 lead. Mike Flanagan left in the fifth, giving up five runs.

Phil Plantier’s three-run homer in the seventh finished Warneke’s day and made it a one-run game. Gene Bearden, Ellis Kinder and Hank Robinson finished up, with Robinson getting Joe Lefebvre to hit into a double play with the bases loaded to end the series.

Rhode to the final 32

The ball missed Gabby's mitt in Game 3, but otherwise he was a hero for Rhode Island in the series.

Rhode Island, the smallest state, put up a good enough record to be seeded 33rd and dispatched Oregon in five games in an Atlantic-Pacific rivalry of sorts. Nap Lajoie was the top hitter for average (.381) and contributed a pair of doubles and triples, and Hugh Duffy batted .368, but let’s talk about Gabby Hartnett. Old Tomato Face (that was apparently one of his nicknames) batted .316 with a homer and eight RBI. He also overcame a game in which he inexplicably made three non-throwing errors, practically a statistical impossibility for a catcher.

Hartnett is the big power threat on a Rhode Island roster made up of a few Hall of Famers – the above-mentioned threesome – as well as a few good modern guys like Davey Lopes and Paul Konerko, a handful of current players and a pitching staff that, well, it took awhile for us to come up with a rotation that made sense. (If you’re wondering how I got Lopes and Lajoie in the lineup … Nap played shortstop.)

But the pitching was solid. Andy Coakley won his Game 1 start. Max Surkont pitched seven innings of shutout ball in Game 4. Jumbo Brown and Tom Lovett pitched well enough to win their starts. It’s still something of a patchwork staff, and I don’t expect it to hold up against the big boys from Texas. But in a seven-game series, who knows?

Scott Brosius was the high man in batting average for Oregon at .421. Dale Murphy hit .316 but didn’t homer. The only longballs for the Beaver State came from Richie Sexson and Dave Kingman, who each hit a pair. Sexson drove in a team-high five runs. Both of Kong’s were solo shots and, perhaps predictably, were his only two hits in 18 at-bats. He fanned six times.

Jim Rooker recorded the only Oregon win, though Mickey Lolich pitched well enough to win Game 5. But the bullpen faltered a couple of times, especially in the clincher. It was a fairly even matchup and all the games were settled by one or two runs. However, it’s the Rhode Islanders who will be moving on to face Texas.

Our next matchup involves a team that came out of the first round, Twin States, against a team with a first-round bye, Arkansas. The winner gets Georgia, which must be getting quite impatient by now. Twin States, also known as New Hampshire/Vermont, spotted Mexico a two-game lead in the best-of-5 first round and came back to win the series. Arkansas opens with noted braggart Dizzy Dean.

Oregon vs. Rhode Island

Game 1 at Oregon

Rhode Island.... 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 2 1 - 6 12 2
Oregon.......... 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 - 4 8 1
W: Coakley L: Lolich
HR: Sexson

Andy Coakley shook off a three-run Oregon first inning and pitched a complete-game eight-hitter to give Rhode Island a road victory.

Two hits, Dale Murphy’s double and Ed Daily’s two-base error in right field gave Oregon a 3-0 lead. But Rhode Island roared back to tie it against Mickey Lolich in the fourth on Nap Lajoie’s triple, doubles by Gabby Hartnett and Fred Corey, and Daily’s game-tying single. It was still 3-3 in the eighth when Lolich’s wild pitch scored Lajoie with the go-ahead run. Daily followed with another RBI hit.

Coakley allowed Richie Sexson’s solo homer in the ninth, but finished off the win. He struck out seven and walked one.

Game 2 at Oregon

Rhode Island.... 3 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 - 6 7 0
Oregon.......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 4 0 - 5 8 2
W: Wheeler L: Lahti
HR: Hartnett, Kingman

Rocco Baldelli’s RBI single in the 10th gave Rhode Island two wins, heading home for the next three games (if needed).

Rhode Island held a 5-0 lead entering the last of the seventh behind Walter “Jumbo” Brown. It was 5-1 going to the ninth, but the first two Oregon batters reached base and Clem Labine relieved Brown. Dave Kingman walked to load the bases and Richie Sexson followed with a two-run double, putting the tying runs in scoring position still with nobody out. Dan Wheeler came in and got pinch hitter Wes Schulmerich on a slow roller which scored another run and moved the tying run to third. One out later, pinch hitter John Jaha singled to tie the game.

In the 10th, Nap Lajoie reached on a fielder’s choice and stole second with two out. That led to an intentional walk of Gabby Hartnett, who had hit a three-run homer in the first. But Baldelli, a late-inning defensive replacement, singled off Jeff Lahti to score Lajoie.

Game 3 at Rhode Island

Oregon.......... 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 - 3 5 1
Rhode Island.... 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 - 2 6 4
W: Rooker L: Lovett S: Jansen
HR: Sexson, Kingman

Richie Sexson hit a two-run homer in the sixth to break a 1-1 tie and Jim Rooker and Larry Jansen combined on a six-hitter to get Oregon on the board in the series.

Dave Kingman also homered off Tom Lovett, the Rhode Island starter who went seven innings. His defense committed four errors, including three by Hall of Fame catcher Gabby Hartnett. The only costly one, though, was Rocco Baldelli dropping a fly in center right before Sexson’s homer.

Rooker went seven innings, giving up six hits and two runs, one earned, while walking nobody. Jansen retired all six batters he faced for the save.

Game 4 at Rhode Island

Oregon.......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 - 1 9 0
Rhode Island.... 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 x - 3 8 0
W: Surkont L: Bevens S: Combs
HR: Lopes

Davey Lopes led off the sixth with a home run, breaking a scoreless tie, and Rhode Island won behind Max Surkont to grab a 3-1 series lead.

Surkont pitched seven shutout innings, scattering seven hits. Wally Backman’s RBI single off Dan Wheeler gave Rhode Island a run, but Pat Combs got Johnny Pesky to hit into a double play to end it.

Bill Bevens hadn’t allowed a run until Lopes took him deep. Then Hugh Duffy, Nap Lajoie and Gabby Hartnett followed with singles, scoring another run, and a third scored on Paul Konerko’s forceout.

Game 5 at Rhode Island

Oregon.......... 0 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 - 4 11 0
Rhode Island.... 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 2 - 5 9 1
W: Labine L: Andersen
HR: Flynn

Rhode Island rallied with a pair of runs in the ninth to advance to a second-round meeting with top seed Texas.

Bill Almon, in his only at-bat of the series, tripled to score pinch runner Rocco Baldelli with the winning run. Paul Konerko started the inning against loser Larry Andersen, who got out of a jam in the eighth, with a single. Artie Clarke ran for Konerko and stole second. Fred Corey sacrificed the tying run to third and Clarke scored on a wild pitch. Jimmy Cooney then walked, Baldelli entered on the base paths and Almon tripled to left.

Clem Labine, the third Rhode Island pitcher, pitched the ninth and picked up the win. Game 1 starters Andy Coakley and Mickey Lolich matched up again, with Coakley not as effective as in Rhode Island’s opening win. Coakley gave up 11 hits and four runs, but Johnny Flynn batted for him and homered off Lolich to cut it to 4-2. Lolich pitched seven-plus, giving up six hits and three runs.

The second round, and beyond

We have 48 teams still in the tournament. This round features seeds from 17-42 plus the six survivors of the first round. The 1-16 seeds are still idle until third-round play.

Here are the pairings in bracket order, which is also the order of how they’ll be played:

Oregon vs. Rhode Island (winner plays Texas)
Arkansas vs. Twin States (winner plays Georgia)
Illinois vs. Venezuela (winner plays Michigan)
Nebraska vs. Virginia (winner plays New York)
Louisiana vs. Maine (winner plays North Carolina)
West Virginia vs. Colorado (winner plays Tennessee)
Maryland vs. Europe (winner plays Ohio)
Indiana vs. Mississippi (winner plays Missouri)
Kentucky vs. Canada (winner plays Iowa)
Wisconsin vs. Dakota (winner plays Washington)
Panama Plus vs. Minnesota (winner plays Japan)
Massachusetts vs. Alaska/Hawaii (winner plays Puerto Rico)
Florida vs. Yellowstone (winner plays Pennsylvania)
Oklahoma vs. Connecticut (winner plays Alabama)
New Jersey vs. Dominican Republic (winner plays California)
Cuba vs. District of Columbia (winner plays South Carolina)

We have some interesting “groupings” down the road, if the teams make it that far. For instance, Texas and New York, two of the favorites to win the whole thing way back when we started talking about it, would meet in the quarterfinals. Same with Pennsylvania and California. The “middle” looks more wide open with Ohio and Japan as the best seeds there.

But that’s getting ahead of ourselves. The first series of Round 2 matches two states, Oregon and Rhode Island, who probably haven’t played each other a whole lot in anything. Neither squad has especially strong pitching, and the winner has the unenviable task of tackling Texas. Based on their seedings it’s 32 vs. 33, so it should be as tight as any series we’ve had yet. And we go to best-of-seven for the rest of the way.