Series 11: Crawfords take two of three from Homestead

Homestead 16-10, Crawfords 16-11

Pitcher use: Rogan and D. Brown need three games, Paige and Trent need two games, Manning, Matlock and B. Foster need one. Salmon pitched 1.1 innings combined in the last two games. Bell pitched one inning in finale, Day 1.6. (Paige and Manning were inadvertently flip-flopped, will revert to their usual rotation slots.)

Game One: Crawfords 7, Homestead 4
WP: B. Foster (4-2)
LP: Paige (3-2)
HR: Beckwith (4), J. Gibson (11), Charleston (6), Moore (2)

Game Two: Crawfords 7, Homestead 6
WP: Streeter (1-2)
LP: Salmon (1-1)
HR: Wilson (4), Scales (9)

Game Three: Homestead 9, Crawfords 5
WP: Bell (2-0)
LP: Rogan (3-3)

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Homestead needed a furious rally late in the third game of this showdown to avoid a sweep and to stay -- by the slimmest of margins -- atop Division B.

Oscar Charleston's three-run bomb -- back by John Beckwith's two-run shot -- powered the Crawfords in the opener. Bill Foster allowed just four hits in his complete game win.

The Crawfords score five runs in the last three innings of the second game to turn a 4-2 deficit into a 7-6 win. Ted Trent allowed four runs in the second but followed that with five shutout frames.

Homestead trailed 5-1 in the eighth inning of the finale to Bullet Joe Rogan, but banged out six hits and two walks against Rogan and Leon Day to take a 7-5 lead, then added two more in the ninth off Day. The relief corps of William Bell, Leroy Matlock and Henry Salmon bent -- each allowed two baserunners in their inning of work -- but didn't break -- none allowed a run. Charleston was not only 0-for-5, he struck out all five times.

Alejandro Oms of the Crawfords was 9-for-15 for the series with six runs, three RBIs, two doubles, a triple and a homer. Teammate Ray Dandridge opened the series 0-for-7 but finished with a 5-for-7 spurt that included the game winning single of Game Two.