Thursday Scores
August 11, 2011 - Thursday's morning games saw two blow-outs and one walk-off as two more teams were eliminated and Baltimore left as the lone undefeated team once again. Tonight's Johnstown vs Johnstown showdown will eliminate another team, leaving five remaining on Friday.
Livonia 8 - New York City 6
It was a back-and-forth affair between two good ball clubs. Livonia held the lead 3-2 after the first inning, but the Astros took over 4-3 in the second. The game stayed tight into the ninth with New York leading 6-5, but Livonia's Victor Barron from Madonna University won the game with a 3-run walk-off home run. This was the Michigan Cobras' third consecutive elimination win after falling to Rail City on Monday. This is the 7th time Livonia has won at least 3 games in the national tournament and first since 2005. It improves their record to 45-51 overall. They will advance to play one of the two Johnstown teams on Friday night at the Point Stadium. Only 3 franchises have ever won the championship after losing on opening day: Pittsfield (1949 & 1952), New Orleans (1988 & 2009) and Baltimore (1959, 2003 & 2005).
New Orleans 15 - Altoona 4 (7i)
After falling in extra innings to rival Cleveland on Wednesday, Altoona's Red Bull fell in only 7 innings to New Orleans at the Point Stadium today. NORD put up 6 runs in the first and Altoona could never catch up. The Red Bulls used four pitchers in the first two innings alone. The loss eliminates Altoona and moves New Orleans on to meet Cleveland tomorrow afternoon.
Baltimore 16 - Cleveland 2 (7i)
Baltimore also put up 6 runs in the first, and added 4 in the second and 6 in the fourth, to win the game in typical Orioles fashion. It is Baltimore's third consecutive mercy-rule victory this year and leaves them as the lone undefeated team in the tournament. In 66 years, the team that started 4-0 has won the tournament 41 times. Baltimore has been that team 20 times, the last time being in 2010. However, 4-0 teams are only 34-32 in their fifth game and 42-23 in their sixth. 24 teams have won the championship undefeated.
Unofficially, Baltimore will most likely have a day off on Friday, with New Orleans/Cleveland playing in the afternoon and Johnstown/Livonia playing at night. The Johnstown/Livonia winner then faces Baltimore on Saturday. Baltimore will then rematch against the winner of the New Orleans/Cleveland game.