Game 9

Diamondbacks 14, Red Sox 12
Sunday, July 15, 2007 @ Wolf Field, Dillsburg

In a close, high-scoring contest like this, you could pick any number of moments that could have turned the game around for the Sox, from the offense leaving two runners in scoring position in the 1st inning, to Lance Strous's screaming line drive just finding the leftfielder's glove in the 9th.

But the truth is, this one was lost in the bottom of the 7th, when the Sox defense gave the D-backs at least six outs on a series of misplays. The Sox had re-taken the lead moments earlier when Strous, who hit the ball hard all day, launched a long homer to leftfield. Taking the field with a one-run lead in the bottom of the 7th, the Sox gave up a soft single, then got a spectacular play by shortstop Matt LaBuda, who ranged far to his right and fired a laser across the diamond to nip the batter at first base. But the Sox then botched a couple of routine plays to hand the D-backs a four-run lead.

The offense threatened in the top of the 8th, but the inning ended abruptly after one runner was picked off and two more were erased on a double play awarded to the D-backs on an interference call.

The Sox scratched out a pair of runs in the 9th, and brought Strous to the plate representing the tying run, but his wicked liner was just snared by the leftfielder in the tip of his glove high above his head.

Any time you lose, especially a close one, you can point to mistakes and missed opportunities, and the Sox had plenty of both. The Sox jumped to an early 6-0 lead, thanks in part to a double by Bart Miller in the first inning and a triple by Dave Strock in the second, but left runners in scoring position in each of the first three innings. Another scoring opportunity was missed when the Sox lost a runner at third base on a close play leading off the 5th.

The D-backs threatened right from the start, but Sox starter Mike Craig did a nice job picking his spots to challenge their deep lineup, and was able to nurse a lead into the middle innings. The trouble started when a high pop up down the leftfield line fell just out of the reach of three Sox defenders. The D-backs took advantage of the opening, driving several balls through the unfenced gap in leftcenterfield on the hard, fast outfield grass. The D-backs eventually grabbed a one-run lead in the bottom of the 6th, before Strous temporarily put the Sox back in front with his two-run shot in the 7th. But the tough Diamondbacks squad wouldn't let the Sox get away with their miscues.

Still, the Sox did a lot of things right in this game. Tim Wendel had three hits and made a nice relay to the plate to cut down a runner in the bottom of the 8th and keep the Sox within striking distance. The infield executed a slightly frantic, but ultimately successful, rundown to end a scoring threat. Matt Eckenrode showed an effective curveball in relief of Craig, but was the victim of the defense's lapses.