July 30, 2007 — Javier “Javo” Encarnacion pitched a three-hit masterpiece against the Yankees Sunday to help the Monarchs even the Raphael Jackson AA finals at two games apiece.
Trailing the Yankees 2-1 in the best-three-of-five championship series, Encarnacion used a sharp breaking curve ball to undo the powerful Yankees lineup. Meanwhile, young Yankee left hander Angel Cruz got off to a rough start and had to leave the game after giving up six runs in the first without recording an out. He was relieved by veteran ace Angel Torres, who held the Monarchs in check the rest of the way.
But the damage had already been done. The Monarchs ended up putting eight runs on the board in the bottom of the inning and cruised to victory on the left arm of Encarnacion.
Batting first, the Yankees came up with one run on a wild pitch to open the scoring in the top of the first. The Monarchs then scored all the runs they would need in the bottom of the inning when they took full advantage of young Cruz’s wildness. Some timely hitting and five walks later they led 8-1 at the end of one inning. The Monarchs’ runs came on a two-run double off the bat of Carmelo Torres, an RBI single from Kenny Milligan, bases loaded walks drawn by Renee Rosado and Duane Brannigan, a sacrifice fly by Milligan and a couple of Yankees miscues. They would not score again until the sixth inning.
After a scoreless second, the Yankees plated one run in the top of the third on Leroy Simmonds’ sac fly to trail 8-2 after three innings.
Throughout the game, the Yankees would get their lead-off hitter for an inning on base, but more often than not Encarnacion would pitch his way out of the jam. The Yankees would only score one more run, which came in the fifth on a sac fly off the bat of Mackeel Rogers, bringing them to within five at 8-3.
The Monarchs then wrapped up the game by scoring two runs in the bottom of the sixth on an error and an RBI single by Encarnacion, one run in the seventh on Leon Lang’s RBI single and one in the eighth on a Yankee error to set the final score at 12-3.
Encarnacion’s dominant performance on the mound means that Monday night’s game will be for all the marbles, with the winner getting crowned the 2007 Raphael Jackson AA baseball league champions. Cruz’s rough start earned him the loss for the Yankees.
Leading the Monarchs offensive attack was Lang, who went 3 for 4 with an RBI. Encarnacion helped his own cause by going 2 for 4 with an RBI, and Carmelo Tores went 2 for 5 with two RBIs. For the Yankees, Omari Eastman went 2 for 3 and Roberto Soto 1 for 4.
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