Series 9: X-Giants take two of three from Hilldale

X-Giants 12-11, Hilldale 7-15

Pitcher use: Dihigo needs four games; Donaldson and SJ Williams need three games; Redding and R. Foster need two games; Hensley and Byrd need one game.

Game One: Hilldale 9, X-Giants 1
WP: Byrd (2-3)
LP: R. Foster (1-2)
HR: Dihigo (2)

Game Two: X-Giants 6, Hilldale 1
WP: Donaldson (2-2)
LP: Redding (1-3)
HR: Dihigo (3), Stearnes (2)

Game Three: X-Giants 8, Hilldale 0
WP: Dihigo (2-4)
LP: SJ Williams (2-4)
HR: Mackey 2 (2), Dixon (3)

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Three one-side games featured three complete game victories and three contenders for pitcher of the series honors.

Bill Byrd tossed a six-hitter for Hilldale in the opener, allowing one earned run (on a Martin Dihigo homer). Rube Foster was torched for seven runs in the fourth inning and nine all told. The biggest blows were a pair of two-run doubles from Turkey Stearnes and Judy Johnson.

Cannonball Redding wasn't awful in the second game, but he was not match for John Donaldson. Redding. Two of the six runs Redding allowed were unearned. But Donaldson was brilliant, allowing just three hits (one a Stearnes homer), walking one and fanning five. Dihigo had three RBIs for the X-Giants, two on his second homer of the series.

Dihigo didn't go deep in the finale at the plate, but he pitched a nine-hit shutout -- and went 2-for-3 at the plate with a run scored and a walk. Biz Mackey hit a pair of homers, a triple and a single in five at-bats, driving in four runs.

Smokey Joe Williams matched Dihigo shutout frame for shutout frame through five innings, but Mackey homered in the sixth, Rap Dixon hit a three-run shot in the four-run seventh and Mackey abused reliever Eggie Hensley with a three-run bomb in the ninth to turn it into a rout.

Mackey was 6-for-12 in the series with two homers, a triple, three runs and five RBIs.