Game 1: RBI Steaks 10, Wiff Waff 0
Reilly Brindle threw a three-hit complete game, using the stout RBI Steaks defense to his advantage to record 11 outs in the field, the most in any semifinal playoff victory. Jimmy Froio and Steven McGinley both scored on a Matt Leonard sacrifice in the first inning, after which Wiff Waff starter Craig McGrath settled into a bend, don't break groove. The floodgates began to creak in the third, as Wiff Waff fell behind 6-0 courtesy of consecutive doubles by McGinley and Brindle to plate Mitch Barham and Jack Sandstorm. Kevin Saul advanced to third base in the third on an Andrew Ybarra single, but that's the closest Wiff Waff would come to scoring, as Brindle set the final 7 Wiff Waff batters he faced down in order. The game ended in walk-off fashion by a mercifying Matt Leonard single.
Game 2: RBI Steaks 5, Wiff Waff 2
Things started poorly for Wiff Waff in Game 2, which saw them throw ace Kevin Saul. Brindle knocked in Froio and McGinley with a double before an out was recorded, and then scored himself. Nick Winn helped his own cause by driving in a second inning run, all while striking out 12 of the first 14 batters to go along with a pair of walks. Wiff Waff fought back from a 5-0 deficit with singles by McGrath, Ybarra and Saul to cut the lead to 5-2. In the bottom of the sixth, Winn finally had some trouble with the law, as several key pitches were over the speed limit, leading to the bases being loaded via walks with one out. Winn dialed it back in, striking out Ybarra and Gavin Tiemeyer to secure the Steaks berth in the World Series. Notable in this series was Wiff Waff's short-handedness; they were missing Felix Reyes to travel, and a top hitter in Brett Renschler, out with a hamstring injury.
Series MVP: Steven McGinley
The RBI Steaks allowed only two runs in their two games, but the offense set the tone. McGinley led the way on that front, going 5-5 off Game 1 starter Craig McGrath, and 3-5 against Wiff Waff ace Kevin Saul. His first inning contributions were key in each game, but especially the closer Game 2. The RBI Steaks did not net any runs on Kevin Saul after the first inning, and the fast start made the difference.
Dinger Squad Fall to West Coast Washout in Game 3 Heartbreaker
Game 1: West Coast Washout 2, Dinger Squad 0
This first matchup pitting Aidan Welch on the mound vs. Daniel Rish was a pitcher's duel extraordinaire. Welch allowed two infield hits, while Rish allowed three in a game which featured 29 strikeouts. The Washout had one baserunner in each of the first three innings, but failed to threaten, while the first 9 Dinger Squad batters were strikeout victims. Colin Fallon broke up the perfect game with 2 outs in the 4th, beating out a dribbler to the mound by half a step. Another dribbler to the mound proved the difference, as Conor Roberson trickled a ball just past the arc to plate Rish and Kevin Tsuchida, both who reached by walk. Max Berner-Hays singled in the sixth to bring the tying run to the plate, but the next three batted went down hacking to seal Game 1.
Game 2: Dinger Squad 7, West Coast Washout 2
The West Coast Washout manufactured a run in the first, as Austin Cudworth singled Andrew Winter to third, allowing him to score on a Conor Roberson sacrifice fly. From there, Cody Thomson shut them down, keeping the score at 1-0 headed into the third. The Dinger Squad converted walks to Ezra Beimborn and Max into runs by a Colin Fallon double. He was knocked in one batter later on a Payton Lawson single. The Dinger Squad capitalized on Washout miscues with aggressive baserunning - Max's aggressive running forced an errant peg attempt by Daniel Rish, and Fallon scored on the live ball after a close play at first. A walk forced another run in to make the score 4-1 in the fourth. The Washout failed to convert in the third and fourth, scoring only one run in consecutive innings loading the bases. The Dinger Squad sealed the deal with a 3-run 5th thanks to a Colin Fallon double. He finished the game with 5 RBI.
Game 3: West Coast Washout 4, Dinger Squad 3
Game 3 pitching regulations led to a starting matchup of Cody Thomson vs. Daniel Rish, the two winners earlier in the series. The pair kept things scoreless headed into the fourth. In the top of the fourth, Andrew Winter entered the game, allowing back-to-back singles, one of them run-scoring, to Fallon and Berner-Hays before striking out the side. The Washout regained a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the inning thanks to two Winter singles and a Tsuchida single. The Dinger Squad didn't miss a beat, claiming a 3-2 lead on a Cody Thomson homerun. Ezra Beimborn had put on the pressure to attack Cody by leading off with a single, and Winter paid for the decision to attack with the ball sailing over the left-field fence. In the bottom of the fifth, now battling Aidan Welch, Winter got revenge by smashing a double to knot up the score and cap a 3-6 performance at the plate. The game came to a climax with a one-out, bases loaded at-bat for Daniel Rish. The count went full, and Rish took a close, close ball four. Welch recovered to get the final two batters, but the damage was done, as the Washout had regained a 4-3 lead. Rish re-entered in the sixth, allowing a leadoff single to Payton Lawson before clamping down with three strikeouts to save the game.
Series MVP: Daniel Rish
Rish's right arm gives him the nod in this series, as he struck out 29 batters in 10 scoreless innings en route to a Game 1 win and a Game 3 save. Rish scattered four hits along the way, and the only walk issued was an intentional one to Cody Thomson. Rish's bat was relatively quiet, as his shining offensive moment came when he took a 3-2, 2-out riser from Aidan Welch which missed by mere inches, forcing in the go-ahead run in the bottom of the 5th inning in Game 3.
#1 RBI Steaks vs. #4 Wiff Waff
Game 1: Wednesday, August 13th, 5:45 PM
Game 2: Wednesday, August 13th, 7:00 PM
Game 3: Sunday, August 16th, 1:30 PM
RBI Steaks
Wiff Waff
Record
15-5
1st in Anthracite
10-10
2nd in Anthracite
Record
Runs/Game 10.40 8.88 Runs/Game
Runs Allowed/Game 4.60 9.41 Runs Allowed/Game
Probable Pitchers Probable Pitchers
Nick Winn
(6-2, 44.2 IP, 2.28 ERA, 109 K)
Kevin Saul
(2-2, 22.0 IP, 2.18 ERA, 48 K)
Reilly Brindle
(5-2, 28.1 IP, 4.87 ERA, 33 K)
Craig McGrath
(3-3, 31.0 IP, 11.61 ERA, 17 K)
Top Hitters Top Hitters
Matt Leonard
(.556 AVG, 2 2B, 3 HR, 30 RBI)
Brett Renschler
(.595 AVG, 3 2B, 1 HR, 22 RBI)
Reilly Brindle
(.547 AVG, 3 2B, 3 HR, 24 RBI)
Craig McGrath
(.500 AVG, 7 2B, 2 HR, 18 RBI)
Steven McGinley
(.532 AVG, 5 2B, 3 HR, 19 RBI)
Felix Reyes
(.400 AVG, 4 2B, 3 HR, 22 RBI)
Best Win: 2-1 vs. Wiff Waff on 7/19. The Steaks gutted out a 6th inning run against Kevin Saul in his finest form, giving Nick Winn a win for his one-hit performance. The RBI Steaks showed their ability to hit good pitching. Best Win: 14-9 vs. West Coast Washout on 6/7. Tied 8-8 in entering the 6th, the Wiff Waff offense broke through versus Jason Matt, who had pitched well in relief. The split turned the team around after a 1-4 start.
Worst Loss: 7-6 vs. Smurfs on 6/7. Their only in-division loss was not a particularly bad one, but the Steaks have few to chose from. Randall Pope had one of his best performances of the season, stalling the Steaks offense.
Worst Loss: 35-2 vs. Bungalow Boys on 5/31. The beatdown was merciless, as Wiff Waff made it only two innings with two pitchers making their only mound appearances of the season.
RBI Steaks Will Win If: They continue to hit the ball and play defense. No team has knocked out more teams than the RBI Steaks, who have won 8 games by double digits. Their defense has been key when Winn is not on the mound and the ball is actually in play. Wiff Waff Will Win If: Kevin Saul pitches the game of his life vs. Nick Winn, and Craig McGrath keeps the hounds at bay in Game 3. McGrath has shown flashes of brilliance on the mound. He'll need to when Saul is ineligible to pitch.
#2 West Coast Washout vs. #3 Dinger Squad
Game 1: Sunday, August 16th, 10:00 AM
Game 2: Sunday, August 16th, 11:15 AM
Game 3: Sunday, August 16th, 12:30 PM
West Coast Washout
Dinger Squad
Record
14-6
1st in
Seeyas
14-6
2nd in
Seeyas
Record
Runs/Game 8.84 9.90 Runs/Game
Runs Allowed/Game 7.89 7.95 Runs Allowed/Game
Probable Pitchers Probable Pitchers
Daniel Rish
(6-0, 40.0 IP, 1.80 ERA, 97 K)
Aidan Welch
(5-1, 44.0 IP, 6.32 ERA, 73 K)
Andrew Winter
(4-3, 40.1 IP, 9.52 ERA, 88 K)
Cody Thomson
(5-4, 43.2 IP, 7.50 ERA, 59 K)
Top Hitters Top Hitters
Daniel Rish
(.593 AVG, 12 2B, 3 HR, 43 RBI)
Cody Thomson
(.518 AVG, 3 2B, 6 HR, 34 RBI)
Austin Cudworth
(.551 AVG, 6 2B, 0 HR, 17 RBI)
Max Berner-Hays
(.500 AVG, 6 2B, 2 HR, 24 RBI)
Andrew Winter
(.520 AVG, 7 2B, 1 HR, 25 RBI)
Aidan Welch
(.500 AVG, 3 2B, 7 HR, 32 RBI)
Best Win: 3-2 vs. Dinger Squad on 5/31. The Washout scratched out three runs vs. Aidan Welch, and a shaky one out Daniel Rish save prevented Andrew Winter's first dominant pitching performance from being wiped off the books. Best Win: 2-1 vs. Bungalow Boys on 7/26. Aidan Welch went head-to-head with Bungalow Boys ace Matt Soucy, and came through with a 2-run dinger to prevail.
Worst Loss: 12-7 vs. Blue Sox on 5/24. Prior to finding his pitching groove, Andrew Winter walked all six batters he faced. Relievers continued the trend, spotting the Blue Sox an insurmountable 10-run first inning lead.
Worst Loss: 15-12 vs. Smurfs on 5/17. Despite outplaying the Smurfs in their season openers, the Dinger Squad blew a 3-run lead in the final two innings, sending them on their way to start the season 1-5.
West Coast Washout Will Win If: Winter and Rish don't walk batters. The pair has struck out 185 batters, but also walked 125. That won't cut it versus the Dinger Squad, who turned walks into runs the last time these teams faced off. Dinger Squad Will Win If: They continue to score. The team lead the league in dingers with 19, and were second only to the RBI Steaks in runs scored, despite facing the arguably tougher Seeyas Division pitching twice.
