INSIDE LOOKING OUT
| | Magic Number | Remaining Games | |---|---|---| | Dingers | 5 | Chicken'n'Wiffles (2), West Coast Washout, 100% Real Juice | | Cannonball Coming | 6 | 100% Real Juice (2), Wiffle Junction (2), Bungalow Boys, RBI Steaks | | RBI Steaks | 7 | West Coast Washout (2), Wiffle Junction (2), Wiffle Junction, Cannonball Coming | | 100% Real Juice | 8 | Wiffle Junction (2), Cannonball Coming (2), Bungalow Boys (2), Chicken'n'Wiffles, West Coast Washout |
OUTSIDE LOOKING IN
| | Tragic Number | Remaining Games | |---|---|---| | Wiffle Junction | 8 | 100% Real Juice (2), RBI Steaks (2), Cannonball Coming (2), Get A Wiff, RBI Steaks | | Get A Wiff | 4 | Bungalow Boys (2), Wiffle Junction, West Coast Washout | | West Coast Washout | 5 | RBI Steaks (2), Bungalow Boys (2), Dingers, 100% Real Juice | | Chicken'n'Wiffles | 1 | Dingers (2), 100% Real Juice, Bungalow Boys | | Bungalow Boys | 2 | Get A Wiff (2), West Coast Washout (2), 100% Real Juice (2), Cannonball Coming, Chicken'n'Wiffles |
Juice, Steaks Inch Towards Playoff Berths
Juice Takes Care of Business at the Junction's Expense
100% Real Juice 6, Wiffle Junction 1
Aaron Hunter used a corkscrewing knuckleball to befuddle Wiffle Junction as 100% Real Juice plated six runs on 11 hits to start the series. Sam Lacroix, Gabe Showalter and Epo Olivarez each knocked in a pair as the Juice slowly built a five-run lead, then tacked on a run in the sixth to maintain the gap. Brad Thon pitched well in defeat, recording 5 inning-ending strikeouts to strand 13 runners. BJ Lemon went 3-5 for Wiffle Junction.
100% Real Juice 7, Wiffle Junction 0
Epo Olivarez did it all in the win for the Juice, smashing two homeruns and allowing no hits. Adam Brickett and Duncan Robinson also notched multi-hit games, as the Juice cruised after a 5-run second inning. Despite a lack of hits, Wiffle Junction stuck around in the game, reaching base nine times on walks -- Danny Sizemore reached base four times. A stout Juice defense recorded an out on every ball put in play. With the win, 100% Real Juice improved to 9-3, knotting them into a three-way tie for first place with just three weeks left in the regular season.
World Series Rematch Yields Split
RBI Steaks 8, West Coast Washout 5
The RBI Steaks never trailed, but seemed to be unable to put the Washout away -- until Riley Brindle mowed down the final seven batters of the game in a row to seal the deal. The game started to look like a runaway, as the Steaks went up 7-2 in a 5-run third, started by a Matt Leonard walk followed by 6 walks. But the Washout scored three of their own in the top of the fourth, with consecutive singles by Brian Pendergast, Conor Roberson, and Jason Matt. The last time these teams met, it was the Washout taking home the championship. This result gave the Steaks a measure of revenge, as they essentially eliminated the Washout from playoff contention while taking themselves one game closer.
West Coast Washout 10, RBI Steaks 0
The radar gun got a workout in the battle between Nick Winn and Dan Rish, and was a major factor into turning several Winn strikeouts into walks. The Washout used that to their advantage, jumping ahead 4-0 after one inning. In the second, Andrew Winter delivered the emotional dagger -- an inside-the-park single allowed by a usually solid Steaks defense. Rish struck out ten to reclaim the league lead in K's, while walking one and allowing singles to Leonard and Brindle.
Circle of Death Seals Playoff Fate for 5 Teams
West Coast Washout 18, Get A Wiff 10
The Washout have been relegated to the role of spoiler this year, and played that role by dealing Get A Wiff their ninth loss of the season, eliminating previously slim playoff hopes. Wiff grabbed a 9-6 lead in the bottom of the first inning, using an Andrew Ybarra single surrounded by eleven walks. The teams scored 23 total runs through two slow innings, and the Washout were able to use reliever Daniel Rish to get into the final inning of the time-limited game. GAW's Sam Brown made the first robbery of the day, scoring a one-handed snatch of a would-be Kevin Tsuchida home run. The 2015 Sportsman of the Year Felix Reyes homered in the second in his 2016 debut, and the Washout's Conor Roberson hit his fourth of the season.
Dingers 5, West Coast Washout 1
Andrew Winter's heads-up play in the first prevented a larger Dingers rally to start the game. With the bases loaded, the ball hit the knob of the bat with Cody Thomson at the plate. The ball trickled fair, despite no swing being attempted. Winter recorded the out at home on the play, but Cale Spence and Colin Fallon drove in runs with first-innings singles to take an insurmountable lead. In the bottom of the first, Daniel Rish had the only hit of the game for the Washout, a half-swing single. Three separate times the Washout would load the bases, but each time they were rebuffed. Thomson recorded a three-inning save, finally shutting the door with the tying run at the plate.
100% Real Juice 6, Dingers 0
Over the course of two batsmen in the third inning, 100% Real Juice managed to triple Dingers ace Aidan Welch's season ERA. That was the real story of this playoff preview. Gabe Showalter was twice robbed by Cale Spence, who was playing very shallow to cover for the Dingers only having four players. In the second, he robbed a homerun, toppling over the fence as he caught it. In the fourth, he made an over-the-shoulder catch on a ball that would surely have scored two runs. Aaron Hunter and Epo Olivarez shared shutout duties for the victors, and Matt Guindon went 4-5.
100% Real Juice 19, Chicken'n'Wiffles 0
Matt Pearson did not have command of his oft-frustrating eephus, allowing nine walks to the ten batters he faced, leaving Chicken'n'Wiffles with a hole they could not climb out of. The win for 100% Real Juice keeps them in contention for the #1 seed, for which they are tied for first. C'n'W threatened to get on the board in the third vs. Matt Rosenfeld, but were undone by a line-out double play after having the bases loaded with one down. Aaron Hunter hit a grand slam and came quite close to two more homers, but had to settle both times for sac flies.
Cannonball Coming 5, RBI Steaks 2
Matching up ace vs. ace, a combined seven-run first inning was quite surprising in this playoff preview. The RBI Steaks jumped out 2-0, as base hits by Steven McGinley and a Riley Brindle RBI double were aided by 3 walks. In the bottom of the inning, Cannonball Coming grabbed the lead back, with Mike Tarantino scoring from second to give Scott Lewis a two-base sac fly. Dallas Cooper and Lewis capped the rally with run-scoring doubles. After that, the zeros kept going down in the scorebook, and until the innings had run out. Nick Winn and Scott Lewis battled until the third, with Riley Brindle and Patrick Meagher keeping the duel up from there on. The Steaks stranded 9 during their scoreless streak; Cannonball stranded 6.
RBI Steaks 6, Wiffle Junction 1
Jeremy Martin, who had not seen action on the mound for several weeks, kept the RBI Steaks at bay while Wiffle Junction gained a 1-0 lead in the top of the third. Danny Sizemore made an aggressive baserunning move to score the run after an errant throw on the attempt to put out Brad Thon. Led by a Max Crawley double, the Steaks struck back to build a 3-1 lead. That lead would hold, with Nick Winn allowing only one runner to reach second base the rest of the way, while driving in three on the game. Wiffle Junction fell to 6-7 with the result. Despite being under .500, they control their own destiny for the playoffs, and can eliminate the Steaks. To do so would take some doing -- they face the Steaks next week, and wrap up with a single game vs. Get A Wiff as well as a series against playoff-bound Cannonball Coming. Should they sweep the Steaks and go no worse than 2-1 the following week, they would be the fourth team in.
Juicers Save League from Embarrassment by Dingers' Welch
Prior to making his second appearance of the day (vs. 100% Real Juice), Aidan Welch had given up a lone run on the season -- a solo homerun to Andrew Winter. He was a perfect 6-0, flirting with a WHIP of 1.00, with opponents batting under .100. Juice worked Welch for 6 walks, but more impressively pounded out 5 hits, including a Matt Rosenfeld homerun. Their 3 innings saved the league from a sub-one ERA -- with one probable start remaining, Welch does not have enough innings remaining to bleed it down into that rarefied territory.
| | Stats Before 7/24 | Stats vs. Juice | Current Season Stats | |---|---|---|---| | RUNS | 1 | 6 | 7 | | ERA | 0.21 | 12.00 | 1.28 | | WHIP | 1.03 | 3.67 | 1.28 | | OPP AVG | .094 | .357 | .127 |
Bungalow Boys: Remember Us as We Were, Not as the Monster We Have Become
You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain. Too tru -- and unfortunately the Bungalow Boys are becoming a lesson in this truth. The Bungalow Boys (see 2015 Articles), an original franchise in Seattle Wiffleball, made a surprising comeback in 2016. They had been a group of Boeing interns in town for the summer of '15, but several returned this year and wanted to recapture the magic. They started out rough, with an 0-6 start, but more importantly the spark never caught. The Boys would forfeit the following weekend, then lose two more games before starting a streak of four forfeits -- the cardinal sin of the league. 2015 team captain Matt Soucy is assumed at press-time to be rolling over in his Chicagoland grave (okay, maybe his desk -- but the rolling is the important part).
The sad fate of the Boys has turned original Capt. Soucy's smile upside down
Steaks Grab Final Spot; Regular Season at an End
July 31st -- Steaks Return to the Playoffs
100% Real Juice 4, Cannonball Coming 3
100% Real Juice took advantage of a pair of walks to score three runs in the third, taking the lead for good over Cannonball Coming.
Both pitchers were suberb, as both Aaron Hunter and Scott Lewis allowed only four hits. Duncan Robinson went 3-4 for Juice, while Dallas Cooper went 2-6 to lead the counter-attack.
Hunter struck out the final batter of the game with the tying run at third.
100% Real Juice 7, Cannonball Coming 5
It looked like a runaway, but Patrick Meagher shut the door after allowing 7 runs to cross home in the first, and Cannonball Coming mounted a steady comeback vs. 100% Real Juice. Again, the game ended with the tying
run on base for the Cannonball brigade. Tim Haggerty provided the key hit in Juice's first inning rally, a two-run single. Peter Wilson recorded the most memorable plate appearance of the game, recording a five-strike walk to lead off the second. Three of those strikes by Epo Olivarez were called off for violating the speed limit.
RBI Steaks 10, Wiffle Junction 1
With control of the final playoff spot at stake, the Steaks responded, putting away Wiffle Junction late. Nick Winn returned to form for the Steaks, walking 4 while fanning 13. Brad Thon did very well stranding runners for the first three innings, but it all blew up in the fourth, as Steven McGinley had a homer and a double which each plated two.
RBI Steaks 12, Wiffle Junction 5
Jack Sandstorm hit a 3-run dinger to give the Steaks an uncomfortable lead they would maintain throughout. Uncomfortable because Wiffle Junction proved to be pesky and stay in the game, thanks largely to the one-two punch of Jeremy Martin and Joel Koncinsky. Koncinsky pitched well in relief in his second career game. Though he prevented the Steaks from accelerating, they could not be caught. Steven McGinley went 4-5 with a homer, and Steaks captain Jimmy Froio went 5-5 with a 4-bagger.
August 7th -- Wiffle Junction Splits pair of Heartbreakers
Cannonball Coming 6, Wiffle Junction 0
Scott Lewis struck out the first 8 batters he faced as Cannonball Coming ran out to a 5-0 lead. The defensive play of the game came in the fifth, when Danny Sizemore tipped a ball hit by Mike Tarantino up in the air, just inside the range of a diving Jeremy Martin. It was the second snakebit at-bat for Tarantino, as a well-hit liner in the third allowed Martin to record a double play.
Cannonball Coming 7, Wiffle Junction 6
In one of the most exciting games of the year, Cannonball Coming scored two runs in the sixth to rally and beat Wiffle Junction. Peter Wilson and Mike Tarantino recorded back to back sac fly to score Scott Lewis and Karl Koch. Joel Koncinsky had been holding the fort to that point, allowing no runs since the second until the sac flies began. Wiffle Junction had grabbed the lead in the third on back to back homers from BJ Lemon and Koncinsky. Danny Sizemore went 4-6 for the Junction.
Wiffle Junction 11, Get A Wiff 10 -- F8
The final Circle of Death game was a classic -- one neither team wanted to lose. Wiffle Junction scored 5 in the bottom of the fifth to tie it, and their it remained knotted into extras. The Junction pen recorded 6 2/3 scoreless innings in relief of starter Jeremy Martin. Middle reliever BJ Lemon was prevented from recording what would have been the league's first "hold" by the fact that his team trailed. He still wins the Rolaid's Relief Man Award. Jeremy Martin and Danny Sizemore both recorded 4+ hits and a homer in a ludicrous number of at-bats. Francis Nyssen, Greg Nyssen, Otto Par, and Alex Arkfeld all had at least four hits for the losers.
Dingers 12, Chicken'n'Wiffles 11
Dingers co-captain Max Berner-Hays pitched 3 1/3 scoreless innings in relief as the Dingers completed a methodical comeback versus Chicken'n'Wiffles. Cody Thomson smacked two homers on their way back, and Cale Spence was 3-3 with 3 walks. Chicken'n'Wiffles pushed the playoff-bound Dingers to respond after an eight-run second, with hits by Andy Seigel and Zac Harris bringing home others allowed on by walk.
Dingers 13, Chicken'n'Wiffles 0
Griffin Davis had a 2-run double for the lone hit for the Dingers, who scored the remainder of their runs by way of 19 walks. The one positive of the game for the 2017 Chicken'n'Wiffles was that Zac Harris struck out 7. Should he gain control, mark these words, he will become a formidable pitcher.
Playoff Preview:
Juice/Steaks, Cannonball/Dingers
#1 100% Real Juice vs. #4 RBI Steaks
Best-of-Three Series : Sunday, August 14th, 12:15 PM
| 100% Real Juice | | RBI Steaks | |---|---|---| | Record | | Record | | 15-3 | | 12-6 | | Runs/Game | | Runs/Game | | 9.44 | | 7.89 | | Runs Allowed/Game | | Runs Allowed/Game | | 3.63 | | 5.39 | | Probable Pitchers | | Probable Pitchers | | Epo Olivarez (4-1, 33.0 IP, 3.00 ERA, 75 K) | | Nick Winn (7-3, 41.0 IP, 4.54 ERA, 101 K) | | Reilly Brindle (6-1, 28.0 IP, 3.27 ERA, 56 K) | | Riley Brindle (6-2, 41.0 IP, 6.44 ERA, 53 K) | | Top Hitters | | Top Hitters | | Epo Olivarez (.449 AVG, 6 2B, 6 HR, 23 RBI) | | Steven McGinley (.612 AVG, 4 2B, 3 HR, 25 RBI) | | Matt Rosenfeld (.429 AVG, 2 2B, 4 HR, 27 RBI) | | Riley Brindle (.500 AVG, 3 2B, 2 HR, 24 RBI) | | Sam Lacroix (.407 AVG, 3 2B, 4 HR, 22 RBI) | | Jimmy Froio (.474 AVG, 4 2B, 3 HR, 18 RBI) |
Best Win (100% Real Juice): A 6-0 win over the Dingers on 7/24 saw Juice score all runs against Aidan Welch, who gave up only one run outside this game on the season. Hunter and Olivarez combined for the shutout.
Best Win (RBI Steaks): On 6/26, the Steaks beat Chicken'n'Wiffles 5-4. While CNW was a cellar dweller, Zac Harris pitched the game of his life to this point -- and the Steaks had the tenacity to claw out of a 4-0 hole in the latter innings to win.
Worst Loss (100% Real Juice): Not a lot to choose from, but the 4-3 loss to Get A Wiff on 6/26 stung. Get A Wiff drew timely walks to score 2 in the bottom of the sixth, with the tying run barely sneaking past Sam Lacroix at catcher.
Worst Loss (RBI Steaks): 19-2 vs. Cannonball Coming on 6/12. The Steaks were a skeleton squad of four when Mitch Barham pulled his groin, leading to a Matt Leonard start with only two healthy fielders behind him. It was ugly.
100% Real Juice Will Win If: They can hit an elite pitcher who is not walking them. They did it against the Dingers, but tied for the league lead in walks. 18 came in their 13-3 drubbing of the Steaks in the regular season.
RBI Steaks Will Win If: Their pitchers are in their purest forms. Winn and Brindle both have higher ERAs than the Juice pitchers, but with lower floors and higher ceilings. The team can hit and run the bases with the best of them.
#2 Cannonball Coming vs. #3 Dinger Squad
Best-of-Three Series : Sunday, August 14th, 3:45 PM
| Cannonball Coming | | The Dingers | |---|---|---| | Record | | Record | | 13-5 | | 13-5 | | Runs/Game | | Runs/Game | | 11.44 | | 7.56 | | Runs Allowed/Game | | Runs Allowed/Game | | 5.81 | | 4.50 | | Probable Pitchers | | Probable Pitchers | | Scott Lewis (7-2, 42.0 IP, 3.29 ERA, 75 K) | | Aidan Welch (6-1, 32.0 IP, 1.31 ERA, 87 K) | | Patrick Meagher (5-2, 37.2 IP, 6.37 ERA, 73 K) | | Cody Thomson (4-1, 20.0 IP, 2.10 ERA, 45 K) | | Top Hitters | | Top Hitters | | Karl Koch (.684 AVG, 5 2B, 7 HR, 33 RBI) | | Aidan Welch (.500 AVG, 5 2B, 3 HR, 19 RBI) | | Scott Lewis (.644 AVG, 14 2B, 5 HR, 37 RBI) | | Cale Spence (.357 AVG, 1 2B, 14 R, 9 RBI) | | Mike Tarantino (.450 AVG, 6 2B, 6 HR, 43 RBI) | | Max Berner-Hays (.351 AVG, 2 2B, 15 R, 8 RBI) |
Best Win (Cannonball Coming): 5-2 vs. RBI Steaks on 7/24. No team scored after the first inning, and shutting down the Steaks for 5 innings is a feat, one the Lewis and Meagher managed together.
Best Win (The Dingers): 2-1 duel West Coast Washout on 6/12. The Dingers gave Washout ace Dan Rish his first loss in league history on an Aidan Welch bomb. Two of the three hits in the game were homers.
Worst Loss (Cannonball Coming): The Dingers beat CC 17-16 on 7/10 on only four hits. Randall Pope shut CC down after the starter spotted them a 10-0 lead, and the Dingers waited for walks from Mike Tarantino, pitching due to Patrick Meagher's absence.
Worst Loss (The Dingers): 12-1 vs. Cannonball Coming on 7/10. The Dingers were without Welch, and captain Max stepped to the stage and was trounced, never putting up much of a fight.
Cannonball Coming Will Win If: They continue to hit. This team has the two hardest swingers in the league in Tarantino and Koch, Lewis is a reliable doubles machine, and Dallas Cooper is a threat even against top pitching.
Dingers Will Win If: They can nearly shutout CC. All hinges on the performance of Welch and Thomson on the hill. The Dingers are in the playoffs despite being 8th in team hitting at .325.
All-Stars, World Series Schedule Announced
11:00 AM: Championship Begins: Dingers vs. RBI Steaks
1:00 PM: Grilling Begins
1:30 PM: Homerun Derby (follows World Series)
2:30 PM: Season Awards Presented
3:00 PM: All-Star Game
We're having a cookout! NEEDED:
Two (2) portable grills
Two (2) people to serve as grillmasters
Teams to sign up to bring food:
Meat/Buns (3 teams)
Water/Soda (2 teams)
Chips/Sides (2 teams)
Dessert (1 team)
League to provide condiments, plates, cups, napkins, silverware.
Additional Details:
Open invitation to families and friends -- RSVP to Dan at 570-592-3115 by 8/25 with number of people expected to attend the cookout. Please sign up for roles on the league message board (access on the left panel of the website).
The no-frills all-star list:
Meagher, Patrick - CC (Manager)
Martin, Jeremy - WJ (Manager)
Arkfeld, Alex - GAW
Brindle, Riley - RBI
Cooper, Dallas - CC
Froio, Jimmy - RBI
Haggerty, Tim - 100
Harris, Zac - CNW
Hunter, Aaron - 100
Koch, Karl - CC
Lacroix, Sam - 100
Lemon, BJ - WJ
Lewis, Scott - CC
McGinley, Steven - RBI
Munro, Liam - CNW
Nyssen, Greg - GAW
Olivarez, Epo - 100
Rish, Daniel - WCW
Rosenfeld, Matt - 100
Sizemore, Danny - WJ
Tarantino, Mike - CC
Thomson, Cody - DS
Thon, Brad - WJ
Welch, Aidan - DS
Winn, Nick - RBI
Winter, Andrew - WCW
#3 Dingers, #4 Steaks Advance to Series
The Dingers lit up the new scoreboard in Game 2.
Dingers 2, Cannonball Coming 1
Payton Lawson made what turned out to be a series-defining play in the first, robbing what would have been a Scott Lewis home run and preventing a 1-0 Cannonball lead. That was the last threat Cannonball would mount until they loaded the bases in the fourth. Scott Lewis and Cody Thomson traded scoreless innings in the second. In the third, Randall Pope started the scoring by knocking in Cody Thomson on a fielder's choice down the first base line. In the fourth, the Dingers added another. Jacob Pope singled using his trusty yellow bat, and Aidan Welch knocked him in with a double. The Dingers looked ready to pile on with the bases loaded and two out as Sam Coburn hit a ball towards shortstop, with no defenders in the immediate vicinity. His ball managed to find Welch, hitting him on the leg to end the inning. From then on, Lewis held the Dingers scoreless, but Thomson managed to frustrate Cannonball until the sixth. With none on, Scott Lewis launched a ball over the right field fence, cutting the deficit to 2-1. Karl Koch hit an infield single to bring the winning run to the plate, but Thomson responded with back-to-back strikeouts to give the Dingers a 1-0 series lead. The Dingers outhit Cannonball 10-5 in the contest.
Aidan Welch deals to Scott Lewis as Game 2 wanes.
Dingers 7, Cannonball Coming 0
Cannonball Coming showed quickly that they could hit Aidan Welch, with Patrick Meagher and Karl Koch each recording first-inning singles. They were unable to convert those hits into runs with timely hitting, and stranded 7 on the game. In the bottom of the first, the Dingers drew first blood, with Jacob Pope scoring on an Aidan Welch triple. Welch knocked in another in the second to give himself a 2-0 lead on the mound. Patrick Meagher walked only five over the course of the game, but two of those to lead off the fourth led to runs. In the fifth, the Dingers added 3 for good measure, including a Cody Thomson homerun. Cannonball Coming looked to break the shutout in the sixth, with singles by Karl Koch and Dale Hawkins, but their slim hopes of a comeback were quashed when Mike Tarantino lined into a series-ending double play. Welch finished the game fanning 13, while going 3-3 with two doubles and a triple. The Dingers won a playoff series for the first time in their franchise history, and moved to 3-2 all-time in the playoffs.
MVP: Aidan Welch, Dingers
Welch was unstoppable at the plate, hitting 3 doubles and a triple as he went 5-6 on the day. On the hill, he was equally superb, recording 13 strikeouts to 3 walks. More importantly, he allowed no runs, the one stat that counts.
Gabe Showalter's fielder choice is to divebomb second to eliminate Matt Leonard.
RBI Steaks 2, 100% Real Juice 1
In the matchup of aces, Nick Winn and Epo Olivarez traded scoreless innings through the first three innings. The Steaks had no serious scoring threats during that period, while Jimmy Froio caught a long bomb off the bat of Olivarez to quash the only Juice threat. In the fourth, the Steaks got two runners on with one out. The pressure of this situation led to a bad decision, as a Tim Haggerty peg attempt sailed beyond Max Crawley on his way to third base, and stayed in play. Crawley and Steven McGinley scored on the play. In the bottom half of the inning, Matt Rosenfeld scored to cut the lead down to 2-1. 100% Real Juice threatened again in the fifth, needing a two-out hit. A sinking liner off the bat of Olivarez found Jack Sandstorm before its return to earth, ending the threat. Olivarez edged Winn in strikeouts 14-13, and the pair issued 5 and 4 walks, respectively.
Jack "Spliffey Jr" Sandstorm awaits a pitch.
RBI Steaks 4, 100% Real Juice 3
Missing a usual starter in Aaron Hunter, 100% Real Juice called on several less-experienced pitchers to preserve their season. Matt Rosenfeld started, and allowed three runs in the first two innings, all knocked in on separate hits by Jack Sandstorm. In a Trumpian shake-up, the Juice tapped Adam Brickett to relieve. Brickett had pitched just 4 regular season innings -- in relief, he went three, allowing only one run. Meanwhile, the Juicers were unable to climb out of the hole. A big swing in momentum came in the top of the fourth, when Epo Olivarez singled, and the ball trickled away from Matt Leonard. Leonard was quickly on the ball, and relayed it to Nick Winn for the peg attempt on the diving Olivarez. What happened next? Olivarez was ruled out; but it was a situation where eyewitnesses honestly believed differing versions of events. In any event, the outcome took some much-needed wind out of the Juice sails, and the hole expanded instead. In the bottom of the inning, the Steaks tacked on a fourth with a Jimmy Froio double to right field. Froio was on his way to a triple, and Crawley was a quarter-step away from making the game 5-0 when he was cut down by arguably the finest defensive throw in league history. Game one starter Epo decided to throw one more strike, and launched the ball from midway between first base and the fence. The ball squarely pegged the board just in time to prevent the run. With the score 4-0, the game looked about in the bag. But the Juice's final shot in the 6th was a good one, with each of the first three batters reaching base -- one on a fielder's choice, leaving two on and one out. Sam Lacroix rose to the occasion, launching a ball over the right-field fence, bringing home three runs and bringing the tying run to the plate. But the Steaks never flinched. Nick Winn recorded the next out, throwing across the diamond to put out Matt Guindon, and then Riley Brindle recorded his 10th strikeout of the game to ice it. The Steaks advance to their second World Series in as many years.
MVP: Nick Winn, RBI Steaks
Nick Winn was a defensive force in both games, a main reason why 100% Real Juice scored only 1 and 3 runs in their two outings. On the mound, he was the Winn version that won the 2015 Cy Young award, while in game two he made several key plays, most notably his throw across the diamond to put the kibosh on a game-changing rally.
All-Star Rosters Announced
The 1st picks of the draft saw Martin poach two of Meagher's teammates, followed by the drafting of the mythical Aaron Winter: has the batting average of a Winter and the knuckleball of a Hunter.
Manager: Jeremy Martin, WJ
Brindle, Riley - RBI
Froio, Jimmy - RBI
Koch, Karl - CC
Lacroix, Sam - 100
Lemon, BJ - WJ
Lewis, Scott - CC
Munro, Liam - CNW
Rosenfeld, Matt - 100
Sizemore, Danny - WJ
Thomson, Cody - DS
Welch, Aidan - DS
Winn, Nick - RBI
Manager: Patrick Meagher, CC
Arkfeld, Alex - GAW
Cooper, Dallas - CC
Haggerty, Tim - 100
Harris, Zac - CNW
Hunter, Aaron - 100
McGinley, Steven - RBI
Nyssen, Greg - GAW
Olivarez, Epo - 100
Rish, Daniel - WCW
Tarantino, Mike - CC
Thon, Brad - WJ
Winter, Andrew - WCW
Dingers Claim World Series Title
The World Series and All-Star Sunday brought a very festive atmosphere to Cowen Park, as some sixty persons attended or participated in the action. Cannonball All-Stars Scott Lewis and Karl Koch starred as grill-masters, and dozens of players contributed salads, chips, hundreds of hot dogs, and thousands of buns to the feast. Wiffle Junction also contributed a keg of beer, which I can only assume they had earned the previous day at a wedding by entertaining the guests with their wiffle tomfoolery. Many a people are to be thanked for their role in the great success, but at risk of missing one of them, I will miss all them and just say THANK YOU -- a great end to a great season.
The BBQ: A Slice of Life
Dingers 6, RBI Steaks 3
Game 1 saw the Steaks Riley Brindle matched up with Cody Thomson of the Dingers. It was immediately clear that both teams were playing with an intensity missing in their regular season strolls to the playoffs. That was best embodied by Steven McGinley's 18-foot double, as he took a few extra bases on a nonchalant fielding effort. McGinley wound up on third after a throw into the outfield, but was stranded on third to end the scoring threat. The Dingers were the first to light up the new scoreboard, as Colin Fallon came around to score after a second-inning single. Their lead did not hold up for long, as McGinley picked up Jack Sandstorm and Max Crawley on a two-run single. The Steaks had the normally unflappable Thomson rattled, and he walked four batters in the inning, issuing a walk to Sandstorm with the bases loaded to make the score 3-1. Max Berner-Hays started the counterstrike in the bottom of the inning. In a strange sequence, Max wound up bottled up and unintentionally flopping around on the ground between second and third -- ruled to have narrowly avoided a peg attempt in a disputed call. This led to a momentum swing of sorts, amd a string of hits by Thomson, Jacob Pope, Payton Lawson, and Cale Spence. Aidan Welch's single would be the last hit of the game for the Dingers, but the injuries to the Steaks game one chances proved fatal. The pitchers settled back into their grooves, and the Dingers gained the series lead.
RBI Steaks 10, Dingers 0
Game two was a match-up between Cy Young awardees, with the Steaks pinning their hopes on 2015 winner Nick Winn and the Dingers relying on 2016 winner Aidan Welch. Riley Brindle rebounded well from Game 1's deflating loss, staking the Steaks to a 2-0 lead on a two-run dinger with one out in the bottom of the first. From there, defense and pitching took over. Both pitchers saw the ball put in play more than they are used to, but their defenses did not disappoint. Winn struck out the side in the 2nd, 3rd and 5th, but his team recorded 5 outs in the field. The Dingers defense supplied one out each inning. With the score still 2-0 in the bottom of the fifth, the game still looked up for grabs, though scratching out 2 runs against Winn seemed like a monumental but possible task for the Dingers. Then, things fell apart. Matt Leonard singled to lead off the fifth, and then Max Crawley summoned the walk train, and it was all aboard. Four more walks were issued, and the Steaks pushed Welch out of the game with a 5-0 lead and the bases loaded. A Matt Leonard double and a two-run Froio sac fly sealed the deal, as the Steaks mercied the Dingers in 5 innings to even the series at a game a piece.
The Steaks on the Defensive Merry-Go-Round
Dingers 6, RBI Steaks 1
In the rubbermatch, both teams put their Game 2 starters back on the green, leading to arpet. Again, the Steaks homered off Welch, this time a solo shot by Steven McGinley. Welch allowed no other damage, working out of a bases-loaded jam in the second to allow one run in his four innings. Apparently, the Dingers digested the damage suffered in their one-hit Game 2 performance, and strung together three first-inning hits to plate Cale Spence and Max Berner-Hays. Colin Fallon knocked in both with two down. The game stayed knotted there into the fourth, when Steaks manager Jimmy Froio pulled Winn in favor of Riley Brindle. Brindle responded by striking out the side in the fourth. In the fifth, the Dingers turned the ball over to Game 1 winner Cody Thomson. Thomson faced four batters in the fifth, leaving the Dingers needing to survive three more outs with a one-run lead. But the Dingers wanted some insurance, and their batters obliged. Thomson and Jacob Pope singled before Payton Lawson and Randall Pope walked. All of them would be driven in by the combo of Cale Spence and Aidan Welch, who made the score 6-1. Thomson allowed a single hit in the top of the sixth to record the two-inning save and vault the Dingers to their first championship.
The Steaks Thank Their Fans
Chaos Reigns in All-Star Game
Meagher's Sunday Funday 8, Martin's Team Solo Cup 6
Team Solo Cup got the offense started in a light-hearted affair, scoring two runs and loading the bases with two outs against Zac Harris. Daniel Rish came in out of a very deep bullpen, recording the final out in the top of the first by striking out BJ Lemon. Sunday Funday was unable to answer against starter Scott Lewis, who pitched two scoreless innings against his regular season captain, Patrick Meagher. Epo Olivarez entered to pitch a scoreless third for Sunday Funday, before taking up arms against fellow Juicer Matt Rosenfeld as part of a 5-run third inning rally. Sunday Funday took the lead on double by the dynamic duo Aaron/Andrew Winter-Hunter, as well as singles by Rish, Olivarez, and Greg Nyssen. Stevem McGinley capped it off with a three-run homer to make the score 5-2. Right around that time, my journalistic integrity in recording this game faded. At some point, Brad Thon made a diving outfield snag, causing a uproar amongst the Solo Cup crowd. Rather than playing the game under protest, they showed their discontent by planning a march, and several of the players marched around the bases until the score was tied at 5-5. At that point, Meagher had had enough of the marching, and struck out one batter in a two-batter relief of Andrew Winter. In the bottom of the inning, BJ Lemon shut things down, allowing his team to face the knuckleball of Aaron Hunter in a tied game. Hunter allowed two hits but no runs in his appearance. Fighting to preserve a 5-5 tie, Team Solo Cup called on Riley Brindle to face down his Steaks teammate McGinley -- and McGinley launched his second three-run bomb of the game. Epo re-entered in a save situation, but his opponents would not go down without a fight -- instead they would go down in a cloud of beer. With one down, and Nick Winn on first, Jimmy Froio hit a ball to Rish at first. His peg attempt at Winn sailed into the outfield, but the ball was promptly tracked down to peg Winn on his way to third, beer in hand. The ball hit Winn in an amber spray of haze. The amber spray of haze in turn hit Brad Thon. A pair of Wiffle Junctioneers loaded the bases to bring the winning run to the plate, but by that point Olivarez had enough of the shenanigans, and ended the season with a strikeout. Froio reached base 4 times, and both Winn and Lewis win 2-3 for the losers. McGinley and Winter each went 2-3, and Rish went 3-3 for the winners.
All-Star MVP: Steven McGinley, Sunday Funday
Rosenfeld wins HR Derby
Patrick Meagher, Aidan Welch, Matt Rosenfeld, Cody Thomson, and Karl Koch all advanced out of the first round of a timed homerun derby by hitting multiple homers. Thomson and Koch each hit three, with Koch's easily being the longest of the day, measuring a very lazily approximated 140 feet. Jimmy Froio mashed 5 homers in the first round using his patented "oppo taco" strategy, leading all hitters.
In the second round, the ball continued its Debbie downer kind of day, staying mostly in and around the outfield. Thomson and Rosenfeld again hit multiple homers to square off in the final round. Thomson went first, and hit a single homer in 90 seconds, hit lowest total of any round. That left the door open for Rosenfeld, who waltzed through it in 32 seconds, hitting 7 total homers in 3 minutes and two seconds to claim the homerun crown.
Rosenfeld: Blam
Rish, Harris, Hunter winners in Pitching Competitions
Fastest Average Speed [3 pitches]: Daniel Rish, West Coast Washout -- 83.00 mph
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Andrew Winter, West Coast Washout -- 79.33 mph
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Beau Reznak, Susquehanna River League -- 78.33 mph
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Aaron Hunter, 100% Real Juice - 78.00 mph
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Zac Harris, Chicken'n'Wiffles -- 76.67 mph
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- Matt Pearson had the undisputed slowest pitch of the competition, at 24 mph.
Fastest Pitch: Aaron Hunter, 100% Real Juice -- 85 mph
Fastest Strike: Zac Harris, Chicken'n'Wiffles -- 78 mph
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Harris -- 77 mph
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Harris -- 75 mph
Most Consecutive Strikes: Daniel Rish, West Coast Washout -- 4
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Joel Koncinsky, Wiffle Junction -- 2
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6 tied with :/ -- 1
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4 tied with :( -- 0
Nyssen: Dogs Inbound
