Weekly Top Five: April 27-May 3

Before we get to Top Five, a few notes and honorable mentions. Nottinghamshire started out slow, losing five of their first seven, but they've been hot since, winning 16 of 18: they now have the best record in the RCL at 18-8. The Boston Cardinals snap Terry Sterling's hitting streak at 22 games. Anthony Atkinson, who has already pitched a no-hitter this season, takes a no-hitter into the sixth: he allows Las Vegas just one hit over eight shutout innings. Gunners Troy Baker and Ron Cutter shut out Georgia on three hits.

#5: Mustangs and Tornadoes

Freddy Castillo

April 27: Mile High 4, Kansas City 6. Arch-rivals clash, and Tornado catcher Freddy Castillo comes up big. He hits two home runs, including a grand slam that gives Kansas City their 6-4 lead. The slam also knocks out Mile High starter Manuel Ruíz. Last year's Cy Young winner is still looking for his first win: he is 0-3 with a 5.82 ERA in five starts.

#4: Rumble in San Diego

April 28: Washington 9, San Diego 10. Joe Leftwich caps a six-run fourth with a three-run homer to give Washington the lead, 7-4. Hops reliever Steve Johnson enters the game and drills Tom Becker in the back. Becker immediately charges the mound: the two exchange punches and the benches empty.

The umpires eject Becker and Johnson.

Bryan Caldwell

In the bottom of the fifth, the Hops send 11 men to the plate and score six runs of their own. San Diego hangs on to defeat their division rivals. Hops left-fielder Bryan Caldwell goes 3-for-3 with a double and two home runs.

The following day, ABL Commissioner Jason Goldberg announces that Becker and Johnson will each be suspended for five games.

#3: Crazy Game in Toronto

Dave Nicholson

April 27: South Carolina 4, Maple 5. Two struggling starters regain their form tonight. Dave Nicholson gives up a home run to the second batter that he faces, Vic Jennings, then clamps things down: he allows just two more hits, both singles, over eight innings of work. Roberto Martínez matches him. Over 7 1/3 innings he, too, allows just three hits, one of which is home run. In the seventh, Orlando Bustamante slugs his eighth dinger of the year.

The game goes into the ninth, tied 1-1, but with Nicholson and Martínez out of the game, the offenses break free. The Bombers' Jayson O'Neill hits a solo home run and Gunner Smart hits a two-run home run: South Carolina takes a lead, 4-1, into the bottom of the ninth.

Eric McSwan

The Marauders rally. A hit batsman and a flurry of singles score one run and load the bases. The heroics are left to Eric McSwan, who doubles off the left-field wall, driving in two and tying the game at four runs apiece.

In the 11th, Jeff Davis grounds a ball to second baseman Gerald Pugh for what should be the third out of the inning, but Pugh lets the ball skip through his legs. On the next pitch, Dave Guenette doubles in Davis. Maple defeats their division rival.

This is the second straight game in which "Pepe Le" Pugh stunk up the game with an extra-inning error that cost the Bombers the game.

But South Carolina's luck turns for the better as they win the next two games over Maple, each by one run, and then travel to Dallas and sweep the Texans. They finish the week in first place, a half game ahead of San Francisco.

#2: Bandits Driven Berserk

Zach Milford

April 27: Minnesota 2, Montreal 0. Division rivals square off in Canada this week. Big Jim Brady pitches 8 1/3 shutout innings, but Daron Brown and four relievers match him. The two teams take a scoreless time into extra innings. In the top of the 10th, veteran Zach Milford hits a two-run home run.

April 28: Minnesota 12, Montreal 5. Kevin Tolbert goes 4-for-5 with a double, home run, and three runs batted in.

Chris Wine

April 29: Minnesota 9, Montreal 2. Bryan Gardner hits a pair of home runs. Chris Wine (4-0) pitches a complete game, allowing just two runs. He wins the award for April Pitcher of the Month, winning four of his five starts with a 2.01 ERA.

The Berserkers complete the sweep of the Bandits, and the sweep narrows the gap between them from 4 1/2 games down to 1/2 games. By the end of the week, Minnesota sits just a half game back of the division lead. We might have a race in the Tony La Russa Division this season!

#1: Walk-Off Home Runs

Archie Sardeson

April 30: Jersey 3, San Francisco 4. The Jesters take a lead, 3-2, into the bottom of the ninth. Artie Sanders leads off with a single. Two outs later, Archie Sardeson comes to the plate.

Who is Sardeson? An Englishman hailing from a town near Birmingham, Sardeson was a non-descript infield prospect up until a year ago. Last year, at the age of 21, he began to hit, posting a .871 OPS in Double-A and a .855 OPS in Triple-A. He earned a call-up at the end of the year, and he posted a .910 OPS over 63 at-bats. Was it a fluke? He's hitting well this season, batting .261 and drawing enough walks to reach base at a .346 clip.

Tonight, the young shortstop wins the game for the Quakes by hitting a two-out, two-run, walk-off home run!

Ramón Guzmán

May 2: Boston 1, So Cal 3. Evan Warner and Jim Fleming hook up in a pitchers' duel: Warner allows one run over eight innings while Fleming tosses a shutout for 7 2/3 innings. Neither gets a decision.

The Cardinals take a lead, 1-0, into the bottom of the ninth. After a walk, a double, and two outs, the game is left to young Ramón Guzmán. In his rookie year last season, Guzmán quietly hit 25 home runs. This afternoon, he hits his fifth of the season, a two-out, three-run, walk-off home run!

Brendon Palmer

May 3: Seattle 3, Cabo San Lucas 4. Last season, Seattle led the Clemente League with 102 wins while Cabo San Lucas led all of baseball with 105 wins. This year, the Sasquatch have been hovering just above .500 while the Toreros once again have the best record in baseball.

This afternoon, Seattle looks to avert a sweep, and they take a lead, 3-1, into the bottom of the ninth. A strike out, a miffed ground ball, and a single bring up pinch hitter Brendon Palmer. A backup catcher signed this off-season, Palmer has been known to jack one out of the yard now and again: two years ago, he hit 22 home runs for Nottinghamshire. This afternoon, he hits a three-run, walk-off home run. The Toreros win the game and sweep the series.