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| Cal Raleigh finished the series with 4 runs, 5 RBI, two doubles and two home runs. |
Just like that, Axemen starter George Kirby was gone and P-Town never threatened against the solid pitching of Ronel Blanco, Hunter Gaddis and Cade Smith. Blanco got credit for the 5-1 win as the Axemen faithful quietly headed for the exits and Ohio took a 1-0 series lead.
Fortunately for the P-Town fans, the Axemen would bounce back, sweeping the next four games to take the series 4-1 over the Cougars in this second-round playoff series in the Mason-Dixon Tabletop League. This was the first 2025 playoff series for P-Town, which earned a bye by winning the Frey Division with a record of 95-67. Ohio finished second in the division with an 87-75 record.
Game 2
Ohio got off to another fast start in Game 2 as Jonathan India lead off with a walk, scoring two outs later on a triple by Randal Grichuk. Logan Gilbert and Albert Suarez then traded shutout innings until the bottom of the fifth, when shortstop Ezequiel Tovar smashed a leadoff home run. P-Town took the lead in the sixth after a two-out double by Rafael Devers. Grichuk then muffed a fly ball to right field by Kerry Carpenter, with Devers racing around third to score the go-ahead run, making it 2-1.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, Julio Rodriguez scored an insurance run, leading off the inning with a double. After a fly out by Jake McCarthy, Ohio intentionally walked both Devers and Carpenter to bring up Tovar. Tovar then hit what looked to be a routine double play ball to third, but Tovar beat the relay throw, allowing Julio to make it home for a 3-1 lead.
Meanwhile, Gilbert blanked the Cougars after the first inning, lasting until the eighth, when Buxton lead off with a double. PT’s closer Kirby Yates came on, getting Grichuk to fly out to left. Diaz then hit a liner to right, where McCarthy made the catch and was able to nail Buxton trying to get to third, ending the inning. Ohio then went down 1, 2, 3 in the ninth, giving the Axemen a 3-1 victory to tie the series at 1-1. Gilbert got the win; Yates the save; and Gaddis the loss.
Game 3
Game 3 moved to Ohio, where Julio Rodriguez bopped the first pitch from Luis Ortiz into the outfield seats, giving P-Town an early 1-0 lead. The Cougars took the lead back in the bottom of the fourth inning with a pair of runs. After a leadoff single by Lindor, Grichuk walked after an out by Buxton. Yandy Diaz brought them both home with a double before starter Gerrit Cole struck out Teo Hernandez and David Fry to end the inning at 2-1.
P-Town tied it 2-2 in the fifth with a leadoff dinger by the Big Dumper, Cal Raleigh. However, India gave the Cougars the 3-2 lead again with a leadoff HR in the eighth inning. It looked like the Cougs could cruise to a win as Smith had shut down the Axemen over three innings.
In the top of the ninth, though, Devers started the inning with another walk and was replaced on the bases by Jake Cronenworth. After Brandon Lowe struck out, Tovar sent Smith to the showers with a single, sending Cronenworth to third. Tovar then stole second, putting the tying and go-ahead runs on second and third. Ohio then walked the Dumper to get to Michael Conforto. But Carpenter came in to pinch hit, coaxing a walk from Gaddis to bring in the tying run. Brice Turang then followed with a sacrifice fly to left field, putting the Axemen up by one run, 4-3.
With two outs and runners still on first and second, Will Wagner came on to pinch hit for Josh Lowe, and laced a double to the gap, scoring Dumper and Carpenter and extending the lead to 6-3. Yates then struck out the side in the bottom of the ninth, putting P-Town up 2-1 in the series. Yates got the win; Smith took the loss.
Game 4
In Game 4, the Cougars again jumped out to an early lead, scoring four runs in the bottom of the second inning, including a two-run triple by Tyler Stephenson, a sacrifice fly by Steven Kwan and a run-scoring double by Lindor. Drew Rasmussen held the Axemen scoreless until the fourth inning, when Devers drew his second walk of the game, then came home on a triple by Carpenter. Dumper drove him home with a single, though he was then erased by a fielder’s choice on a grounder by Josh Lowe. Edmundo Sosa kept the rally going, however, with a two-out double to score Lowe. Score: 4-3 Ohio.
McCarthy lead off the top of the fifth with a single. After Wagner grounded out, Devers delivered a run-scoring double to tie the game, followed by Carpenter’s second triple in two innings to score Devers with the go-ahead run. Carp then scored on a grounder to second by Tovar, giving the Axemen a 6-4 lead.
Game 2
Ohio got off to another fast start in Game 2 as Jonathan India lead off with a walk, scoring two outs later on a triple by Randal Grichuk. Logan Gilbert and Albert Suarez then traded shutout innings until the bottom of the fifth, when shortstop Ezequiel Tovar smashed a leadoff home run. P-Town took the lead in the sixth after a two-out double by Rafael Devers. Grichuk then muffed a fly ball to right field by Kerry Carpenter, with Devers racing around third to score the go-ahead run, making it 2-1.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, Julio Rodriguez scored an insurance run, leading off the inning with a double. After a fly out by Jake McCarthy, Ohio intentionally walked both Devers and Carpenter to bring up Tovar. Tovar then hit what looked to be a routine double play ball to third, but Tovar beat the relay throw, allowing Julio to make it home for a 3-1 lead.
Meanwhile, Gilbert blanked the Cougars after the first inning, lasting until the eighth, when Buxton lead off with a double. PT’s closer Kirby Yates came on, getting Grichuk to fly out to left. Diaz then hit a liner to right, where McCarthy made the catch and was able to nail Buxton trying to get to third, ending the inning. Ohio then went down 1, 2, 3 in the ninth, giving the Axemen a 3-1 victory to tie the series at 1-1. Gilbert got the win; Yates the save; and Gaddis the loss.
Game 3
Game 3 moved to Ohio, where Julio Rodriguez bopped the first pitch from Luis Ortiz into the outfield seats, giving P-Town an early 1-0 lead. The Cougars took the lead back in the bottom of the fourth inning with a pair of runs. After a leadoff single by Lindor, Grichuk walked after an out by Buxton. Yandy Diaz brought them both home with a double before starter Gerrit Cole struck out Teo Hernandez and David Fry to end the inning at 2-1.
P-Town tied it 2-2 in the fifth with a leadoff dinger by the Big Dumper, Cal Raleigh. However, India gave the Cougars the 3-2 lead again with a leadoff HR in the eighth inning. It looked like the Cougs could cruise to a win as Smith had shut down the Axemen over three innings.
In the top of the ninth, though, Devers started the inning with another walk and was replaced on the bases by Jake Cronenworth. After Brandon Lowe struck out, Tovar sent Smith to the showers with a single, sending Cronenworth to third. Tovar then stole second, putting the tying and go-ahead runs on second and third. Ohio then walked the Dumper to get to Michael Conforto. But Carpenter came in to pinch hit, coaxing a walk from Gaddis to bring in the tying run. Brice Turang then followed with a sacrifice fly to left field, putting the Axemen up by one run, 4-3.
With two outs and runners still on first and second, Will Wagner came on to pinch hit for Josh Lowe, and laced a double to the gap, scoring Dumper and Carpenter and extending the lead to 6-3. Yates then struck out the side in the bottom of the ninth, putting P-Town up 2-1 in the series. Yates got the win; Smith took the loss.
Game 4
In Game 4, the Cougars again jumped out to an early lead, scoring four runs in the bottom of the second inning, including a two-run triple by Tyler Stephenson, a sacrifice fly by Steven Kwan and a run-scoring double by Lindor. Drew Rasmussen held the Axemen scoreless until the fourth inning, when Devers drew his second walk of the game, then came home on a triple by Carpenter. Dumper drove him home with a single, though he was then erased by a fielder’s choice on a grounder by Josh Lowe. Edmundo Sosa kept the rally going, however, with a two-out double to score Lowe. Score: 4-3 Ohio.
McCarthy lead off the top of the fifth with a single. After Wagner grounded out, Devers delivered a run-scoring double to tie the game, followed by Carpenter’s second triple in two innings to score Devers with the go-ahead run. Carp then scored on a grounder to second by Tovar, giving the Axemen a 6-4 lead.
Ohio got one back in the sixth on a solo HR by Kwan. P-Town’s Carpenter answered that with a solo HR in the eighth, giving the Axemen their 7-5 margin of victory and a 3-1 lead in the series. After his shaky start, Freddy Peralta got the win, with Yates earning another save. Gaddis got his second loss of the series.
Game 5
The Axemen headed off any Game 5 drama for the home team, pouncing on the Cougars for seven runs before the end of the fifth inning. The hit barrage included run-scoring doubles by Conforto and Tovar and Big Dumper capped it off with a three-run bomb with two outs in the fifth.
Game 5
The Axemen headed off any Game 5 drama for the home team, pouncing on the Cougars for seven runs before the end of the fifth inning. The hit barrage included run-scoring doubles by Conforto and Tovar and Big Dumper capped it off with a three-run bomb with two outs in the fifth.
Meanwhile, Kirby rebounded from his Game 1 disaster, surrendering only a sacrifice fly by Kwan in the sixth, when the Axemen held a 7-0 lead. Yates and Bryan Abreu then shut down the Cougars for the rest of the game, giving the visiting Axmen the 7-1 win and the series, 4-1.
As Ohio manager Larry Wilson noted, the Cougars got the clutch hits they needed in Game 1 and to start Game 2 but from then on it seemed P-Town got the rolls they needed to advance to the next round, where they will meet the winner of the Port Matilda-County Road series in the semifinals.
As Ohio manager Larry Wilson noted, the Cougars got the clutch hits they needed in Game 1 and to start Game 2 but from then on it seemed P-Town got the rolls they needed to advance to the next round, where they will meet the winner of the Port Matilda-County Road series in the semifinals.
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