Series 16: Crawfords take two of three from X-Giants

Crawfords 23-15, X-Giants 17-22

Pitcher use: Jones needs four games, Trent and Dihigo three, B. Foster and Donaldson two, Day and Brewer one.

Game One: Crawfords 7, X-Giants 4
WP: Brewer (3-5)
LP: Donaldson (3-3)
HR: B. Taylor 2 (2), Beckwith (7)

Game Two: Crawfords 3, X-Giants 1
WP: B. Foster (7-2)
LP: Dihigo (2-6)
HR: Santop (1), Monroe (3), Wright (7), Beckwith (8)

Game Three: X-Giants 16, Crawfords 0
WP: Jones (6-1)
LP: Trent (3-3)
HR: B Taylor (3), Jones (1), Bell (2)

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The Crawfords reduced their magic number in the Division B race to four by taking two close games from the X-Giants. The X-Giants, for their part, may well have both the player and the pitcher of Series 16.

The X-Giants kick-started the opener with a three-run homer from Ben Taylor, and John Donaldson held the Crawfords hitless through four innings. But Chet Brewer retired 16 straight X-Giants (second through seventh innings) and the Crawfords picked up one run in the fifth and two more to tie it in the sixth, before getting a back-breaking grand slam from John Beckwith in the eighth. Taylor's second homer of the game did little for the X-Giants.

Beckwith had five RBIs, Taylor four. Both Brewer and Donaldson went the distance, Brewer allowing just five hits without a strikeout..

The offenses in the middle game were nothing but solo home runs -- three of them for the Crawfords, two of them (Bill Wright and Louis Santop) back-to-back shots in the second inning.

Bill Foster held the X-Giants without a baserunner until Bill Monroe homered with one out in the sixth. Foster finished with a four-hitter, striking out eight with one walk. Martin Dihigo allowed 10 hits ins seven innings for the loss. Beckwith was 3-for-4 with a homer; Ray Dandridge was 3-for-3

The X-Giants took out a lot of frustration against Ted Trent in the finale. They pummeled the righty for four runs in the first inning, six runs in the fifth (including a three-run homer from pitcher Slim Jones) and three more in the sixth. Then they roughed up reliever Leon Day for three runs in three mop-up frames.

Jones was superb for the X-Giants, a four-hit shutout with seven Ks. He retired the first 10 Crawfords.

Ben Taylor was 5-for-5 with three triples and a homer. He drove in eight runs and scored three. For the series, the X-Giants first baseman was 7-for-13 with three homers (his first three of the season), three triples, five runs scored and 12 RBIs.