American Association Insider: Miles Wolff Cup Game Four

 It seems appropriate that You Can't Always Get What You Want is playing at the Birdcage as I'm starting this blog. The Sioux Falls Canaries were within three outs of a Miles Wolff Cup but the Kane County Cougars after being left off the scoreboard all evening put up three runs in the ninth inning to extend the American Association season by one last deciding game winning 3-2 at the Birdcage. Tomorrow afternoon at 5:05 will be first pitch for all the marbles. 


Photo courtesy of Jennifer Andreachi


Photo courtesy of Jenna Spanola, Kane County Cougars 

The Canaries opened the scoring in the second inning. Jordan Barth homered to left field and Josh Rehwaldt clobbered a home run to right center to give the Canaries a 2-0 lead. 

Tanner Brown shut down the Cougars offense from there. The biggest threat to score was in the third inning when Trendon Craig tripled with two outs, but Brown struck out Josh Allen.

Vin Timpanelli kept the Cougars in the game after allowing the solo home runs. The biggest inning was in the fifth. Joe Vos tripled to lead off the inning, but Timpanelli was able to strand Vos on third base. 

Sioux Falls went to the bullpen and Cole LaLonde for the eighth inning. LaLonde was brilliant last night and kept the Cougars scoreless in the eighth. After allowing the first two batters to reach, LaLonde struck out the next three batters and Sioux Falls was an inning away from a championship. 

In 2004 on this date, Cougars manager George Tsamis won his first St. Paul championship on what was known as the Miracle at Midway. Down 6-3 in the ninth and down to their last out, the Saints would not make the third out, winning the Northern League championship on a Marc Mirizzi grand slam home run. Lightning struck again. Claudio Finol singled to lead off the inning. Blake Rutherford followed with a two run home run to right field to tie the game. After Nick Dalesandro singled, the Canaries went to Will Levine. Zach Spinn sacrificed Dalesandro to second. With two outs, Marcus Chiu who had struck out with runners on in the previous inning, singled to drive in Dalesandro to give the Cougars a 3-2 lead, silencing a Canaries crowd who had moments earlier had been ready to celebrate. 

Jake Gozzo came in to pitch the ninth for the Cougars, other than a Barth single, Gozzo earned the save and the Cougars would live to play another day. 

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