Comeback Complete - Airhogs Win Title
By Josh Hirsch
They did it the hard way, falling behind two games to none to St. Paul Saints in the 2011 American Association Championship Series, but the Grand Prairie AirHogs found a way to complete their comeback, getting 6 2/3 strong innings from Jason Jennings and several timely hits to beat the Saints 8-5 in Game 5 at QuikTrip Park, earning the 2011 championship crown.
Each team went down in order in the first, and the AirHogs got a pair of two-out hits but failed to score in the second. But Grand Prairie broke the deadlock in the third, starting with a leadoff walk by Saints starter Todd Mathison (1-1) to Danny Figueroa. Stephen Douglas then launched a triple to centerfield to put the AirHogs on the board. With the St. Paul infield in, German Duran's single through the left side on the first pitch made it 2-0.
Duran doubled the AirHogs lead with a two-run home run in the fourth, a long drive to left off Mathison after Figueroa started the inning by getting aboard on an error.
Jennings (1-1) retired the first nine Saints in order, and then gave up exactly one single, all with one out, in each of the next three frames. But in the seventh, Ryan Patterson and Ole Sheldon singled to start the inning, and Jennings walked Ronnie Bourquin to load the bases. The righty buckled down and struck out Jason Cooper, but he then walked Richard Mercado to force in a run, before Aharon Eggleston's single and Jake Krause's sacrifice fly pulled the Saints to within one at 4-3.
With the leadoff man Adam Frost coming up for the fourth time, AirHogs manager Ricky VanAsselberg went to the bullpen, calling in righty Jon Fulton, who got Frost on a called strike three to end the frame.
The AirHogs then restored a multiple-run lead in the bottom of the frame - with Douglas starting things with a one-out single off Game 2 starter Alberto Rolon. Duran followed with a single and David Espinosa walked to load the bases. Lefty Jesse English struck out Greg Porter for the second out, but Cesar Nicolas ripped a two-run single off Kyle Foster to make it 6-3.
After a pair of double-digit-pitch at-bats ended in walks in the bottom of the eighth from Foster to David Thomas and Danny Figueroa, Douglas ripped a two-run double to make it 8-3 and give the AirHogs some more breathing room.
Closer Jon Hunton was asked by VanAsselberg to get a six-out save, and he obliged, getting Sheldon on a 5-4-3 double play to end a three-batter eighth, before striking out Bourquin to strike out to start the ninth. Cooper singled to center and Mercado homered to left to pull St. Paul to within three. But Hunton got Eggleston on a flyout to left and Krause bounced one to Duran, who threw to John Alonso in time, giving the AirHogs their first championship in their four-year history.
