Oct. 14, 2007
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CARY, N.C. -
Sophomore Alex White drove in three runs, including the series-clincher in the 10th inning, to lift the Carolina Blue Sox to a 5-4 win over the Sox Slayers Sunday in a decisive game four of North Carolina's intra-squad Fall World Series at USA Baseball National Training Complex Stadium. The Blue Sox captured the series, 3-1, and no game will be played Monday.
White was 2-for-5 with three RBI, while junior Tim Federowicz had three hits, scored two runs and picked up the win in relief. He started the 10th inning rally with a single and crossed the plate with the winning run when White singled down the right field line off Nate Striz (0-1) for the walk-off base hit.
Federowicz (1-0) faced just three batters in the 10th before starting the game-winning rally. He followed Rob Wooten and Jared Bard in relief, who combined for 2 2/3 scoreless innings. Lefty Brian Moran struck out five and allowed just one run over 4 2/3 innings of relief for the Sox Slayers.
In addition to Federowicz and White, Kyle Seager and Zeke Blanton each had two hits for the Blue Sox, while the top four batters in the Sox Slayers order - Mike Cavasinni, Garrett Gore, Dustin Ackley and Kyle Shelton - each had two hits on the day. Shelton had two hits in all four games of the series.
White, who started at his fourth different position in four games, had a key two-run single in the second, as the Blue Sox jumped out to a 3-0 lead. Singles by Chad Flack and Blanton sandwiched around a hit batter loaded the bases for Ryan Graepel, who hit a grounder to third and an errant throw home allowed Flack to score the game's first run. White followed one batter later with a single through the left side to plate Federowicz and Blanton for a three-run cushion.
The Slayers answered right back in the top of the third with a two-out rally to trim the lead to 3-2. Gore started the rally with an infield single and stole second before Ackley singled off the leg of right-hander Mike Facchinei to score the Slayers' first run. Ackley then swiped second and moved to third on a throwing error by Flack before Shelton doubled to right to drive in Ackley with the second run of the inning.
Shelton also singled and scored in a game-tying rally in the sixth for the Slayers. After singling to center to lead off the inning, Shelton moved to second on a Seth Williams walk and took third on a wild pitch. First baseman Michael Knox followed with an RBI groundout to shortstop to tie the game at three.
After the Sox Slayers tied the game in the sixth, Moran struck out the side in the bottom of the inning on just 10 pitches and Gore singled home the go-ahead run in the top of the seventh. Cavasinni dropped a bunt down the third base line and took second on a two-base throwing error before Gore singled through the right side to give the Slayers a 4-3 lead.
Trailing by a run, the Blue Sox tied the game in the bottom of the ninth on back-to-back doubles by Tim Fedroff and Seager off Moran. After Seager stole third, he was picked off third base by catcher Mark Fleury to send the game to extra innings.
Facchinei struck out three and allowed two runs on four hits and one walk over three innings. For the Sox Slayers, starter Patrick Johnson went 3 2/3 innings and gave up three runs (two earned) on four hits and a walk. He struck out two.
