Bulldogs Force Winner-Take-All Game Five

The Reading Bulldogs were having a great Friday night, and then Lexington Blue Sox right fielder Dan Graham stepped to the plate—but, Reading's second-year semi-pro team rallied Sunday to tie up the series.

The fifth-seeded Bulldogs had already won the front end of their doubleheader, 3-2, to pull even with the top-seeded Blue Sox in their best-of-five Intercity League semifinal series, and, with Graham at the plate, they led again in game three, 2-1, with two outs and a man on third in the bottom of the fifth inning.

Before Graham’s at bat, Bulldogs manager Matt Morrison visited the mound to tell pitcher Nick Kelley to be weary of the 35-year-old slugger.

“I told him, ‘Don’t give him anything over the plate,’” Morrison said.

Kelley followed his coach’s advice, but it didn’t matter, as Graham blasted a down-and-in changeup over the center-field fence at Lexington High School for a go-ahead, two-run homer.

“We’ve had a lot of tremendous players here, a lot of great players,” Blue Sox manager Rick DeAngelis said, “but [Graham] is the greatest of the great, the best of the best.”

The Bulldogs would end up losing the game 5-2 to fall behind to 2-1 in the series. Reading’s Ben O’Shea, , toed the rubber for the Bulldogs in their must-win game four Sunday at —a game that the Bulldogs won to force game five Monday in Lexington.

After second baseman Brett Flutie led off the game with a single, the Bulldogs went hitless against Blue Sox starter Steve Bodnar until the top of the fifth inning.

Bulldogs catcher Zak Talis singled to start that inning, and then right fielder Steve Buitkus, of Reading, reached on a bunt. With two runners in scoring position and two outs, shortstop Doug Dellorfon, the team’s No. 9 hitter, hit a go-ahead, two-run single to give the Bulldogs a 2-1 lead. However, Graham’s answer would come in the bottom half of that inning.

Blue Sox center fielder Dan Capra had a two-run double in the bottom of the sixth inning to make the final 5-2.

Blue Sox starter Steve Bodnar went the distance and had 12 strikeouts in the win.

Kelley took the loss for the Bulldogs and was relieved by Drew Eisenberg after the fifth inning.

In the front end of the doubleheader, the teams , at the start of extra innings, and after O’Shea pitched a no-hit top half of the eighth inning, Talis ended the game with a walk-off single with one out and the bases loaded in the bottom half of the inning.

Third baseman Bill Cataldo singled, and then designated hitter Trevor Manzi and center fielder Alex Fischer walked to load the bases for Talis.

O’Shea picked up the win, with Blue Sox pitcher Tim Lahey getting the loss.