Around the ABL: Mile High's High Drama

This week, Mile High faced hated rival Kansas City and mildly disliked rival Eureka. Every single game was decided by a single run.

September 7: Kansas City 5, Mile High 6. The Mustangs blow a 4-1 lead by surrendering four runs in the eighth: Bob Watkins doubles in Lawrence Fox, and Ricardo Marquis hits a three-run homer. The Mustangs tie the game in the bottom half of the inning, and the game goes to extra innings. In the 14th, with two outs and runners in scoring position, Manuel Sánchez singles in Jeff Wade.

Fernando Garza

September 8: Kansas City 0, Mile High 1. Kurt Taylor, Barry Johnson, and David Reynolds combine to shut out the Tornadoes. The Mustangs score: Danny Hardy walks, advances to second and to third on infield ground outs, and scores on a Fernando Garza single.

Chet Carver

September 9: Kansas City 2, Mile High 3. Garza hits a solo home run in the sixth, then triples in Eric Black in the eighth. Chet Carver (5-6) pitches eight strong innings, allowing one walk, one single, and one solo home run to Freddy Castillo. The Mustangs sweep the Tornadoes by the narrowest of margins. In an interview after the game, Kansas City manager Damian Connor vows revenge: the two teams will play each other in the final series of the season. Mile High manager Anastasio Rosário laughs.

Tim Berry

September 11: Eureka 0, Mile High 1. Eduardo Gómez leads off the second inning for the Hornets by blooping a single to short center. That would be Eureka's only hit. Tim Berry (1-0) pitches 8 1/3 shutout innings, facing just two batters over the minimum: besides the bloop single, he hits Mike Bergeron with a pitch in the seventh. Oh yeah, this was Berry's major league debut. The 25-year-old from Nashville has had a crazy year bouncing between Double-A (where he had a 1.04 ERA in 52 innings) and Triple-A (where he had a 7.04 ERA in 47 1/3 innings) before finally getting his cup of coffee.

September 12: Eureka 4, Mile High 3. The Mustangs finally lose a close games. They almost pull out a win. Down by one in the bottom of the ninth, they scrape out the tying run but leave the winning run stranded at third. In the 10th, Mike Bergeron singles in Willis Parks to put Eureka ahead for good.

September 13: Eureka 1, Mile High 2. Len Brewer hits a two-run home run in the sixth. Bob Armstrong (4-2) pitches eight innings and allows one run on three hits.

There you have it! Five wins and one loss, each decided by a single run. The Mustangs' good showing this week puts them at 77-69 and only five games back in the wild card with 16 games to go.