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.

Mexico vs. Twin States

Game 1 at Twin States

Mexico.......... 0 0 0 3 1 0 2 1 1 - 8 16 0
Twin States..... 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 - 2 7 0

W: Valenzuela L: Carpenter

Fernando Valenzuela struck out 10 in a complete-game performance and Mexico got the road win it needed.
Valenzuela also drove in a run, while Jorge Orta had four hits, Mel Almada had two triples and a double and light-hitting Juan Castro knocked in three runs to back Fernando.
“I had a good fastball, I felt I could throw it by anybody tonight,” Valenzuela said.
Chris Carpenter lasted just five innings for Twin States, giving up nine hits and four runs. Mexico pounded three pitchers for 16 hits.

Game 2 at Twin States

Mexico.......... 2 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 - 7 10 1
Twin States..... 0 0 0 1 0 3 0 0 0 0 1 - 5 9 1


W: A. Lopez L: Wilson S: Gallardo
HR: Avila, Castilla, Plantier

Juan Castro, a career .230 hitter, again delivered with the bat, knocking in the winning run in the 11th as Mexico headed home needing just one more win to clinch the series.
Carlos Lopez followed Castro’s go-ahead single with a two-run double, which proved crucial as Phil Plantier homered leading off the Twin States half of the 11th. Aurelio Lopez, who got the win, issued a two-out walk, and Yovani Gallardo came in to retire pinch hitter Daric Barton as Mel Almada made an outstanding play in left field to end it.
Brian Wilson took the loss for Twin States. Mexico built a 4-1 lead against Lefty Tyler, who went nine for the home team, but Esteban Loaiza couldn’t hold it. Plantier, Larry Gardner and Pat Putnam delivered consecutive RBI singles to tie it.

Game 3 at Mexico

Twin States..... 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 2 5 0
Mexico.......... 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 1 5 1


W: Flanagan L: Higuera S: Fisher
HR: Fisk, Mora

Carlton Fisk, held to one hit in the first two games, homered in the first and Mike Flanagan pitched eight brilliant innings to help Twin States avoid the sweep.
Shortstop Ralph LaPointe knocked in the other Twin States run in the second. Flanagan allowed just five hits, including an Andres Mora home run, in 8 1/3 innings. Ernie Johnson and Ray Fisher each struck out a man with two on in relief of Flanagan.
Teddy Higuera took the hard-luck loss for Mexico, striking out 10 and giving up just five hits in eight innings.

Game 4 at Mexico

Twin States..... 0 1 1 2 3 0 0 0 0 - 7 8 0
Mexico.......... 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 - 3 7 1

W: Tewksbury L: Valdez
HR: Fisk, Plantier, Putnam

Carlton Fisk homered again, this time a three-run shot, and Twin States won on the road again to force a deciding Game 5 back at home.
Phil Plantier and Pat Putnam also homered for the visitors, and Bob Tewksbury worked seven solid innings, giving up five hits. He left after issuing his only walk to start the eighth, and Ray Collins finished up.
Mexico’s Ismael Valdez was hammered for seven hits and seven runs, six earned, in 4 1/3 innings.

Game 5 at Twin States

Mexico.......... 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 - 4 13 2
Twin States..... 0 1 1 0 0 0 2 0 1 - 5 13 1

W: Collins L: Valenzuela

Pat Putnam’s two-out single in the ninth allowed Twin States to cap a dramatic series and complete its rally from a two games-to-none deficit. It was the only home team victory in the series, and Twin States advances to meet Arkansas in the second round.

Fred Mann started the bottom of the ninth against Fernando Valenzuela with a single, and shortstop Alfredo Amezaga, who had just moved in from the outfield after Mexico made several moves in the top half to tie the game, threw the ball into the dugout. With Mann at second, Larry Gardner bunted to put the winning run on third with one out. Carlton Fisk was intentionally walked and Valenzuela struck out Chris Duffy for the second out. Putnam then lined one up the middle for his third hit of the game, scoring Mann and setting off a big Twin States celebration.

Mexico led 3-2 going to the bottom of the seventh, but Mann singled, Gardner walked and Fisk singled to tie the game. An error by Erubiel Durazo led to Joe Lefebvre’s go-ahead sacrifice fly.

In the ninth, Twin States closer Brian Wilson came in, but Mexico tied the game. Vinny Castilla doubled, and pinch runner Carlos Lopez scored when pinch hitter Mario Valdez dribbled a single in front of the plate and Fisk then made a wild throw to first. Valenzuela stayed in to bat and singled, but Valdez held at third. Ray Collins retired the next two hitters and was rewarded with the victory when Twin States scored in the bottom half.

Next: A wrap-up of this exciting series and a look ahead to the Colorado-Delaware “rivalry.”

Central casting

Unlike the previous two groups, there is no obvious winner, nor is there necessarily a sixth-place team that jumps out at you. The Central may be the most competitive group, along with the South, and therefore could be the most fun. Expect a lot of tight games featuring some of the greatest pitchers to ever toe the slab.

If you were going by baseball “population,” Missouri would be far and away No. 1. And they should at least advance to the tournament round. But it will not be easy, because as you can see, there are no days off in this group.

My guess:

1. Oklahoma. Not by size, but by peak talent. The Mick, Stargell, Bench and Joe Rogan will lead the way. Rogan’s pitching, and ability to play second base when he’s not on the mound, will be the difference.

2. Missouri. They don’t have the big bats of some of the others, including Oklahoma, but their consistent pitching led by Carl Hubbell and reasonably productive offense (Yogi, Ken Boyer) will keep them in the medal play hunt.

3. Nebraska. With Bob Gibson and Pete Alexander starting about half the games, and enough offense with Boggs, Ashburn and Crawford, I really can’t see them failing too often.

4. Kansas. Now it gets tough. Any of the other three could go here, and certainly one could knock out one of the top trio. I will pick the Kansans because of Walter Johnson.

5. Iowa. Hard to picture Bob Feller not making it to the medal round, and it certainly could work out that the Hawkeyes make it, but I don’t know if they will score enough to support their talented twirlers.

6. Arkansas. Would be a contender in most groups, and they will be a tough team here. But there’s no Gibby, King Carl or Rapid Robert on the squad.

Next: International.