Beavers win final game at PGE Park
PORTLAND, Ore. – Nick Green hit a tiebreaking two-run home run in the eighth inning to send the Portland Beavers off with a 6-5 victory over the Las Vegas 51s in their final game before a sellout crowd of 15,639 fans Monday afternoon at PGE Park.
The back-and-forth affair featured four lead changes over the middle innings but ultimately saw the Beavers (59-85) close out PGE Park with a win after Green followed franchise hits leader Craig Stansberry’s single with a home run onto the left field concourse off Jamie Vermilyea (0-1).
The 51s (66-78) had taken the lead in the sixth on Aaron Mathews’ two-run homer but Portland rallied to tie the game at four with a run in the seventh, which came on a pair of singles by Sean Kazmar and Josh Barfield and a wild pitch by Willie Collazo.
Luis Perdomo (4-6) gave up a solo shot in the ninth to Chris Lubanski but threw the final pitch and earned the final victory in franchise history.
Portland grabbed a 1-0 lead in the third on Wily Mo Peña’s towering solo home run onto 18th Avenue behind the left field wall.
Mike Jacobs homered for the third straight game, a two-run shot in the fourth that handed the 51s their first lead of the day at 2-1.
But Portland pulled back ahead in the fifth inning with a double by Dusty Ryan, an RBI triple by Kazmar and a run-scoring single by Barfield.
Kazmar finished with three hits and two runs while Barfield, Peña and Ryan had two hits each as Portland won its fourth straight season finale at home by out-hitting Las Vegas 13-8.
Jacobs and Lubanski each had two hits for Las Vegas, which, like the Beavers, finished in fourth place in its division.
Las Vegas got six innings out of starter Brad Mills, who struck out seven without a walk but gave up three runs on nine hits.
The Beavers threw five relievers, including Aaron Poreda, who started things off with two scoreless frames.
NOTES: Before the game, Alexis Bishop, 85, threw out the final first pitch at PGE Park. Bishop also threw out the first first pitch at then-Multnomah Stadium in 1956 … a pre-game ceremony on the field honored 15 former Beavers, who played for the club as far back as 1955 … after the game, Beavers manager Terry Kennedy helped dig up home plate and presented it to the Friends of Baseball organization as well as a group of youth baseball players, who will serve as guardians of the artifact until baseball one day returns to Portland … Stansberry finished atop the Beavers’ career hits list with 400 … earlier in the day, the San Diego Padres selected the contract of outfielder Mike Baxter from Portland. Baxter, who has never been to the major leagues, led Portland in nearly every offensive category in 2010, hitting .301 with 30 doubles, 18 home runs, 78 RBIs, 89 runs and 22 stolen bases … the 15,639 in attendance were a Beavers season high … the Beavers outpaced Round Rock for 15th place in the 16-team Pacific Coast League after finishing 16th in 2009.
Beavers Game File
MONDAY’S GAME: Beavers 6, Las Vegas 5
WINNING PITCHER: Perdomo (4-6)
LOSING PITCHER: Vermilyea (0-1)
SAVE: None
HOME RUNS: Peña (9), Green (4), Jacobs (6), Mathews (11), Lubanski (17)
The back-and-forth affair featured four lead changes over the middle innings but ultimately saw the Beavers (59-85) close out PGE Park with a win after Green followed franchise hits leader Craig Stansberry’s single with a home run onto the left field concourse off Jamie Vermilyea (0-1).
The 51s (66-78) had taken the lead in the sixth on Aaron Mathews’ two-run homer but Portland rallied to tie the game at four with a run in the seventh, which came on a pair of singles by Sean Kazmar and Josh Barfield and a wild pitch by Willie Collazo.
Luis Perdomo (4-6) gave up a solo shot in the ninth to Chris Lubanski but threw the final pitch and earned the final victory in franchise history.
Portland grabbed a 1-0 lead in the third on Wily Mo Peña’s towering solo home run onto 18th Avenue behind the left field wall.
Mike Jacobs homered for the third straight game, a two-run shot in the fourth that handed the 51s their first lead of the day at 2-1.
But Portland pulled back ahead in the fifth inning with a double by Dusty Ryan, an RBI triple by Kazmar and a run-scoring single by Barfield.
Kazmar finished with three hits and two runs while Barfield, Peña and Ryan had two hits each as Portland won its fourth straight season finale at home by out-hitting Las Vegas 13-8.
Jacobs and Lubanski each had two hits for Las Vegas, which, like the Beavers, finished in fourth place in its division.
Las Vegas got six innings out of starter Brad Mills, who struck out seven without a walk but gave up three runs on nine hits.
The Beavers threw five relievers, including Aaron Poreda, who started things off with two scoreless frames.
NOTES: Before the game, Alexis Bishop, 85, threw out the final first pitch at PGE Park. Bishop also threw out the first first pitch at then-Multnomah Stadium in 1956 … a pre-game ceremony on the field honored 15 former Beavers, who played for the club as far back as 1955 … after the game, Beavers manager Terry Kennedy helped dig up home plate and presented it to the Friends of Baseball organization as well as a group of youth baseball players, who will serve as guardians of the artifact until baseball one day returns to Portland … Stansberry finished atop the Beavers’ career hits list with 400 … earlier in the day, the San Diego Padres selected the contract of outfielder Mike Baxter from Portland. Baxter, who has never been to the major leagues, led Portland in nearly every offensive category in 2010, hitting .301 with 30 doubles, 18 home runs, 78 RBIs, 89 runs and 22 stolen bases … the 15,639 in attendance were a Beavers season high … the Beavers outpaced Round Rock for 15th place in the 16-team Pacific Coast League after finishing 16th in 2009.
Beavers Game File
MONDAY’S GAME: Beavers 6, Las Vegas 5
WINNING PITCHER: Perdomo (4-6)
LOSING PITCHER: Vermilyea (0-1)
SAVE: None
HOME RUNS: Peña (9), Green (4), Jacobs (6), Mathews (11), Lubanski (17)
To listen to the broadcast of the final game and its festivities, visit: http://www.richburk.com/index/pg67695