Anthony Lewis, on a roster filled with PCL veterans, was perhaps the unlikeliest of stars for the Salt Lake Buzz Thursday night. Lewis, just recently promoted from double-A, didn't have even one PCL single to his credit - let alone a double, triple or homer - and wasn't even in the starting lineup in the second game of the Northern Division playoffs against the Edmonton Trappers.
The closest Lewis got to the action during the first five-plus innings was when he was coaching first base.Yet Buzz manager Phil Roof felt Lewis was the man to pinch hit with two outs and the bases loaded in the sixth inning of a one-run game.
The Buzz newcomer responded, as he rocked the first pitch he saw up the middle for a two-run single, helping the Buzz to a 4-1 victory to even the best-of-five series at one game apiece.
"I was just out coaching first when they told me to go get a bat," said Lewis, a former star high school quarterback who was recruited by Utah football coach Ron McBride. "It showed they have a lot of confidence in me."
Lewis certainly wasn't the only left-handed pinch hitting choice Roof had. Salt Lake had a pair of veteran hitters on the bench in Mark Leonard and Denny Hocking.
"I had some choices, but I wanted Lewis in that situation," said Roof. "He has a quick bat and I knew they would be throwing strikes to get ahead in the count."
Thursday's game was a vast improvement for the Buzz - especially in the pitching category - after being shellacked 15-1 in the series opener.
Starter LaTroy Hawkins, a Buzz veteran now in his third PCL divisional playoff series, came up big with six strong innings. Hawkins, who missed his final start in the regular season due to a sore throwing arm, gave up just one run on five hits to the Trappers.
"I felt a lot better out there tonight, but it still hurts to throw a breaking ball," said Hawkins. "It was a good thing my fastball was working."
Said Roof, "The key to the game was that Hawk gave us six big innings. I was proud of him."
When the Buzz bullpen was called upon it delivered, too, athough not without making the silver-haired Roof a little more gray. Kevin Legault, Erik Bennett and Scott Watkins combined for three shutout innings - even if they made things interesting. The Trappers stranded six baserunners in the seventh, eighth and ninth. They had the bases loaded in the eighth and runners on first and third in the ninth, but didn't score either time.
"You've got to give (Salt Lake) credit because they made the pitches when they had to," said Edmonton manager Gary Jones. "We played well even though we lost. Aslong as we play hard and with consistency, I like our chances the rest of the series."
Said Roof, "We got lucky late in the game."
The Buzz opened the scoring in the second inning when designated hitter Mike Durant hit a two-out, RBI single to center. The Trappers knotted the game in the third on a run-scoring single by Allen Battle.
Salt Lake regained the lead in the sixth when Mitch Simons doubled to lead off the inning and scored on a single by Brent Brede.
Still in the sixth, Trapper left-handed starter Steve Wojciechowski walked Miller and Ryan Radmanovich to load the bases with two outs. Edmonton inserted right-handed reliever Paul Fletcher, prompting Roof to send Lewis to the plate to pinch hit for Durant, who happened to be 2-for-2 at the time.
The strategy worked for Salt Lake, as Lewis came up with the biggest hit of the night.
Buzz lefty Dan Serafini (7-7, 5.58 ERA) is scheduled to start tonight's 7 o'clock game against Trappers right-hander Bobby Chouinard (10-2, 2.77 ERA). The fourth game of the series is set for Saturday at 7 p.m. with game five, if necessary, Sunday afternoon at 2. The Trappers earned the right to host the entire series by winning both halves of the PCL's split season.
BUZZ BRIEFS: The Trappers had seven hits to Salt Lake's six. The big difference was that Edmonton left 12 runners on base to Salt Lake's six . . . Hocking has a sore hamstring and is listed as day-to-day . . . Buzz third-base coach Steve Liddle previously has been involved in an Edmonton vs. Salt Lake PCL Northern Division playoff series - as a member of the Trappers. Liddle was an Edmonton catcher in 1984 when the Trappers faced the old Salt Lake Gulls in the playoffs. Liddle, in fact, had the game-winning, two-run single in the series finale. The Trappers went on that season to win their only PCL title in their 16-year history.
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Buzz in playoffs
Northern Division
Game 1 Edmonton 15, Salt Lake 1
Game 2 Salt Lake 4, Edmonton 1
Game 3 Salt Lake at Edmonton, today, 7 p.m.
Game 4 Salt Lake at Edmonton, Saturday, 7 p.m.
Game 5 Salt Lake at Edmonton, Sunday, 2 p.m.