The Shedden Mission traveled to Alvinston on Wednesday night to play the first game in their best 3 out of five final series, in front of what was a great crowd, who enjoyed a great ball game.  The game pitted Shedden ace Nic Goetz against Indians ace Kyle Crawford, and neither pitcher disappointed. 
 
In the opening inning, Alvinston stuck first in the bottom of the first, when Jamie Shields clubbed a solo homerun, putting Alvinston in a 1-0 lead.  The game remained scoreless until the top of the fourth inning, when Gary Cooke walked for Shedden, and then pinch runner Jay Halliburton scored all the way from first base, on an Alvinston errant throw to first base, knotting the game at 1's. 
 
The Indians had multiple opportunities to score the go ahead run in four consecutive innings, but Goetz did his job on the mound for Shedden, keeping the Alvinston offence at bay, as the Indians left runners in scoring position without scoring in four consecutive innings. 
 
In the top of the eighth in extra innings, Alvinston recorded the first two Shedden outs, before Tyler Lynch singled up the middle.  Mike Unwin followed suit with a single of his own.  A single by Gary Cooke up the middle plated Lynch for the go-ahead run, and a throwing error by the Alvinston outfielder, allowed another Shedden run to score, as Unwin crossed homeplate, for a 3-1 Shedden lead.
 
Alvinston came to bat needing two runs to tie the game in the bottom of the eighth inning.  Shields singled to lead things off, and Ty Sebastian did the same, putting runners on first and second.  A groundout by shortstop Aaron Stocking, advanced the runners to both second and third with one out.  Brad Cooper then hit a sacrifice fly, allowing Mike Debruyn, who was pinch running for Jamie Shields to score.  Now with two out, the Indians needed that elusive two out hit, and as was the story all evening, they didn't get the big hit with two out, as the game ended in a 3-2 win for Shedden. 
 
Crawford was the hard luck losing pitcher for Alvinston, allowing three runs with only one being earned.  He gave up four hits and two walks, and struck out 11 Shedden batters.  Goetz was the winning pitcher for Shedden, scattering 9 hits over 8 innings of work, and allowing 2 earned runs, with 12 strikeouts.  Brad Cooper, Andy Triest, and Ty Sebastian all had multihit games for Alvinston in a losing effort, while the three consecutive hits by Lynch, Unwin, and Cooke for Shedden, were the difference in the game, as well as the Alvinston defence, which needs to be better if they want to square the series tomorrow evening.  (Thursday September 19 at 8:00 pm in Fingal)