FTC extends East lead

A three-game set in a hitter's park ended up with Finer Things Club (Chad East) taking two of three from Army of Steamrollers (Scott East) in a trio of pitching duels.

Game 1: Finer 4, Army 2
W-Westbrook (4-1), L-Sonnastine (1-3), S-Chamberlain (3)
Frank Thomas hit his 10th home run of the season, and Jake Westbrook danced around his five walks in 5 1/3 innings as the Club escaped a winner. Scott Downs was the game's hero, going 2 2/3 scoreless innings against the Steamrollers' lefty-dominated lineup while striking out five. Army managed just four hits.

Game 2: Finer 4, Army 3
W-Verlander (7-4), L-Bedard (3-6), S-Betancourt (11)
Justin Verlander and Erik Bedard matched each other with 10 strikeouts apiece, but the Verlander allowed fewer runs in a pitcher's duel. Finer jumped out early with Mike Lowell's two-run single in the first, and Thomas later added his 11th homer of the year. Bedard-killer Robinson Cano batted 3-for-3 and scored twice for FTC. Franklin Gutierrez made it interesting, going deep off Downs in the eighth in a pinch-hitter spot for Curtis Granderson to cut it to 4-3. But part-time closer Rafael Betancourt worked a 1-2-3 ninth for his 11th save.

Game 3: Army 6, Finer 3
W-Guthrie (8-3), L-Halladay (7-4), S-Wolfe (2)
Granderson hit a pair of ballpark two-run homers (each on 1-8 rolls), helping Army avoid the sweep. The game got very interesting in the ninth, when Finer loaded the bases with two out in a 6-3 game, but Brian Wolfe got all-or-nothing pinch-hitter Raul Casanova to tap out to end the game.

Up next:
Bob Loblaw (26-28) at Finer Things Club (34-20)
Surly Nausicians (27-24)* at Army of Steamrollers (28-26)