Lansing - Lugnuts center fielder Felix Pie raced to home plate, sealing the team's 7-6 comeback win in the 10th inning over the Beloit Snappers in the opening game of the 2003 Midwest League Championship Series at Oldsmobile Park Tuesday night.
With one out and runners at first and third, Brian Dopirak stepped to the plate, ripping a ball at Snappers third baseman Adam Heether. Heether knocked down the ball and threw home, but not in time to get the speedy Pie.
On Tuesday, Pie was 3 for 5 at the plate, upping his playoff leading postseason average to .545 on 12-for-22 hitting. Pie also scored three runs and drove in another for the game.
"Felix is that type of guy, it seems like," Lansing manager Julio Garcia said. "I've only known him for a year, but he thrives on those types of pressure situations."
Lansing dug itself an early hole as starting pitcher Anderson Tavarez gave up five runs in the first three innings.
The Lugnuts, however, were not helping their pitcher. Lansing stranded two runners in both the first and second innings, as it was unable to hit the ball on the ground.
But left fielder Keith Butler made two diving catches keeping the Snappers' offense somewhat tamed.
"We were just trying to get maybe a run an inning," Butler said. "And that's kind of what we did. We felt the pressure was on them, being up 5-0 so early."
But the Lugnuts clawed their way back into the game in the middle innings, taking advantage of a fatigued Beloit team. The Snappers were playing their fourth game in as many days
Lansing began its comeback in the fourth inning when second baseman Matt Creighton reached on an error by Heether. Three batters later, right fielder J.J. Johnson reached on his second infield hit of the game. The next two hitters, Butler and Pie, had back-to-back RBI singles, which scored Creighton and Johnson.
The Lugnuts continued scrapping for runs, scoring two more in the fifth inning. Third baseman Casey McGehee and designated hitter Jake Fox scored on singles by catcher Jose Reyes and Johnson.
Pie tied the score in the sixth inning when he was knocked home by McGehee's fielder's choice. Both teams were held off the scoreboard until Pie touched the plate in the tenth.
With the championship series only five games, Lansing has to win two of the next four games to claim the title while Beloit has to win three of four.
"It's always big to win the first game," Johnson said. "We were down, but everyone stayed in the game mentally."
Beloit boasts a somewhat star-studded lineup featuring two sons of former Major League Baseball stars, in Prince Fielder and Anthony Gwynn.
Fielder is the son of former Detroit Tigers star Cecil Fielder and Anthony Gwynn is the son of former San Diego Padres star Tony Gwynn.
The two paced the Snappers' offense, going a combined 4-for-7 with two runs and one RBI.
