Weekly Top Five: June 22-June 28

#5: Smith Shines

Doug Smith

June 28: Maple 7, Georgia 4. Doug Smith, Maple's journeyman shortstop, is having himself a nice little season. His .797 OPS may not astound, but shortstop is a weak position in the Munson League and that OPS might be good enough to get him to the All-Star Game.

This afternoon, he goes 3-for-4 with two home runs. The latter home run is a three-run shot that ties the game, 4-4. In the ninth, with two runners on, Smith singles to right, driving home what proves to be the game-winning run.

#4: Texas Tom Silences the Berserkers

June 26: Dallas 9, Minnesota 1. Texan Tom Owens is only 25, but he's already proven himself to be a consistent performer. Consider his stats since 2013.

year W- L  G GS  ERA    IP BB   K ERA+
2013 9-11 32 32 3.38 186.2 74 137  139
2014 9- 9 32 32 3.69 190.1 65 144  133
2015 9- 4 15 15 3.22  95.0 32  80  137

Tom Owens

Owens has remained relatively unheralded. Low run support the previous two seasons has kept him from reaching a double-digit win total—in fact, he has yet to post a winning record over the course of a season.

This says more about the useless of pitcher wins as a statistic than it does about Owens.

Today, Owens pitches his first career complete game. He gives up only two hits and one run: in the fourth, Matt Smith singles and Bryan Gardner doubles him home. The only other Minnesota baserunner comes on a walk in the sixth, and that baserunner is erased on a double play. Owens strikes out 10.

#3: Sasquatch Win a Pair of Wild Slugfests

Jesús Hernández

June 23: Carolina 12, Seattle 13. Seattle's Jesús Hernández hits two home runs early in the game, including a three-run shot in the fourth.

The Crush score eight runs in the sixth inning. Steve James hits a grand slam. James hit 31 home runs in Triple-A last season, but prior to tonight he had shown little power in the big leagues: the slam was only his second home run in 157 at-bats. Chris Barrett doubles in a run, and Greg Gordon hits a three-run home run.

Edgar Johnson

Carolina takes a six-run lead, 12-6, into the bottom of the eighth, but Seattle comes back and scores seven runs in the inning. A walk, a double, and a single score two runs. An error and a walk load the bases for Salvador Salgado. With two outs, he singles to right, driving in two. Edgar Johnson follows by hitting a fly ball that reaches the short porch in left field—a three-run homer that proves to be the game winner.

Jeffrey Hensley

June 27: So Cal 11, Seattle 12. The Republic's Jeffrey Hensley hits a solo home run in the first and a grand slam in the second. He also draws two walks and doubles in a run in the sixth.

So Cal takes a lead, 7-3, into the bottom of the sixth, but the Sasquatch rally. Edgar Johnson singles in a run, Steve Frend doubles in two runs, and Noel Patton hits a two-run home run. Seattle takes the lead, 8-7.

Noel Patton

In the seventh, So Cal regains the lead on a two-run homer from Rich Sweet. Seattle ties the game in bottom half of the seventh, then takes the lead in the eighth behind a second Patton home run.

Ken Forryan

But So Cal comes back once more. In the top of the ninth, Ken Forryan and Chance Parks hit solo home runs and give the Republic the lead, 11-10. Forryan wins Player of the Week this week, going 15-for-31 with three home runs. Acquired this off-season from South Carolina, Forryan is only 24, plays a strong center field, and already has 16 home runs on the season.

In the bottom of the ninth, the Sasquatch rally again. A single, a Hensley error, and a Salgado single scores the tying run. A walk loads the bases for Johnson, and he again provides the winning hit. This time, instead of a home run, he bloops a single to left.

#2: Three Dingers for Escobar

José Escobar

June 22: Boston 6, South Carolina 4. José Escobar, 24, has emerged as one of the biggest threats in the Cardinal lineup. He posted a .609 OPS in his rookie year last season. He ends this week with 15 home runs and an .841 OPS.

This evening, in the first inning, Cecil Gibbons hangs a curveball and Escobar smashes a two-run homer to right. In the second, he turns on another Gibbons offering, knocking it into the right-field bleachers. In his next at-bat, leading off the fifth inning, he turns on one more Gibbons pitch and sends a laser down the right-field line. It strikes the foul pole—his third home run of the game!

Escobar is the ninth ABL player to hit three home runs in one game. He had two more at-bats in the game—two more chances to become the first ABL player to hit four home runs in a game—but he walks in the sixth and strikes out in the eighth.

#1: Champions Battle in a Topsy-Turvy Game

June 25: Nottinghamshire 8, Montreal 9. The two teams to have won the World Series play an exciting, back-and-forth game.

Masaki Baba

The Outlaws strike first: Byron Bryant hits his 10th home run of the season, a two-run shot. Montreal strikes right back: Masaki Baba singles in two runs. Baba is making a case for Rookie of the year, and today he goes 3-for-5 and raises his batting average to .345.

In the second, the Outlaws retake the lead. Alfredo Torres, another rookie, singles in William McKenzie. Torres, 23, turned heads this season in Triple-A, posting a 1.115 OPS in 81 at-bats and earning himself a call to the big leagues.

Chris Fields

In the third, the Bandits grab the lead for the first time: Chris Fields singles in two runs. In the fifth, the Outlaws take the lead for the third time when Leslie Whitney singles in a pair. In the bottom of the fifth, Montreal ties the game again: Dan Allen singles in Tim Raines. The game stays tied until the top of the seventh: Bryant doubles in a run, and Joe O'Neal singles home Bryant.

Nottinghamshire takes this lead, 7-5, into the bottom of the ninth. Closer Oliver Bower allows a single to Baba but gets two outs. It's left to pinch-hitter Eric Ware to extend the inning: he grinds out a walk. A passed ball advances the runners to second and third, and Fields comes through by singling through the right side of the infield. Baba and Ware come home to score the tying runs.

Leslie Whitney

In the 11th, Nottinghamshire takes the lead for a fifth time when Whitney hits his sixth home run of the season. Despite the home run, Whitney only goes 2-for-6 and lowers his average to .369.

Finally, in the bottom of the 11th, Chris Collins doubles in one run, tying the game yet again. Tim Shields comes to the plate with one outs and the bases loaded, and he grounds a single through the left side. Fields races home, and the Bandits celebrate their incredible victory.