Downtown Bobby Brown celebrates at the plate after Brad’s 3-run walk-off homerun in the bottom of the sixth inning
Down 4-1 after trailing the entire game, Downtown Bobby Brown scored four consecutive runs with no outs in the bottom of the sixth to beat the Ham Slams 5-4.
Both teams came into the matchup at 1-1 after splitting their week 1 games. The Ham Slams signed two free agents prior to the game, neither of which had played in the EWL prior to the week 2 games. Gaurav started for Downtown and immediately got into trouble when Adam led off the game with a solo home run. The next batter, free agent acquisition Matt, grounded out to left, but Gaurav dug himself into a deeper hole after recording the out. Evan followed and hit the second home run of the inning, making the score 2-0. The other Slams free agent, Harrison, doubled in his first EWL at-bat, and scored when Adam drove him in with a one-out single. With a runner on first, Matt couldn’t extend the rally, as he grounded out to left to end the inning with the score 3-0.
Adam led off the game with a home run off Gaurav to give the Slams an early lead
Evan, the Ham Slams southpaw, started on the hill. He made quick work of Bobby Brown in the first, as both Mark and Kyle grounded out to center.
It looked as if Gaurav’s struggles would continue in the second, as Evan led off with a double. Harrison followed with a single, and the Slams had runners on the corners with no outs. But Downtown escaped, as Adam grounded out to Brad in left, who then doubled off Harrison by catching him in between bases. The runners were stranded and the score remained 3-0.
Evan homered in the first, doubled in the second, and cruised through the first five innings on the mound
Evan showed his first sign of weakness in the bottom of the second. Brad singled to lead off the inning, and after Holly flew out for the first out of the inning, Gaurav singled to put runners on first and second. Mark followed with another single, and Downtown had loaded the bases with one out. Helal, the PBR Wiffler of the Week for week 1, came to the plate with a chance to pull closer to the Slams. But Evan buckled down and got Helal to ground out to center, stranding all three runners and maintaining the three run lead.
Gaurav had his first routine inning of the game in the top of the third, retiring Matt and Evan in order. Evan did the same to Bobby Brown in the bottom half of the inning, retiring Brad and Holly consecutively.
After struggling early, Gaurav settled in on the mound and held the Slams in check
Harrison and Adam were sent down in the top of the fourth, and Gaurav had retired five straight batters. Down three runs, Bobby Brown finally got on the board in the bottom half of the fourth. Evan fanned Gaurav for the first out of the inning, but Mark followed with a solo home run, cutting the score 3-1. The next batter, Helal, grounded out and the inning was over, but Bobby Brown was on the board.
The Lentz brothers bump fists after Mark’s solo homer in the bottom of the fourth put Downtown on the board
The Slams made up for the run in the top of the fifth. After Matt grounded out to center for the first out of the inning, Evan doubled. The next batter, Harrison, singled, driving in Evan from second and pushing the Slams lead back to three runs. With a runner on first and one out, Adam grounded out to left, ending the inning.
Harrison, who signed with the Slams prior to the gave, put them up 3 runs with his RBI single in the fifth
Downtown couldn’t respond in the bottom of the fifth, as Evan retired Brad and Holly for a scoreless inning.
With the score 4-1, the Slams looked to add some insurance runs in the top of the sixth. Matt flew out to Gaurav at the mound for the first out of the inning, but Evan followed with a one out single. But Gaurav stranded the runner at first, retiring Harrison to end the inning.
Down three runs, Bobby Brown came to the plate having mustered only four hits in the game through the first five innings. Evan had been in control of the game for the Ham Slams, but the wheels fell off in the final frame. Bobby Brown matched their game total of four hits with four more in the sixth inning alone. The rally started with Gaurav, who singled, his second of the game. Mark singled, putting runners on first and second with no outs. Helal followed with his first hit of the game, an RBI single that scored Gaurav. The score was cut to 4-2, and Bobby Brown had runners on the corners and the winning run at the plate. Brad stepped to the plate and crushed a three run bomb, the first walk-off homer of the year, scoring Mark and Helal and giving Bobby Brown the 5-4 win. Downtown moved to 2-1 on the season, with both of their wins coming over the Ham Slams. The Slams fell to 1-2 on the season.
W: Gaurav (2-0)
L: Evan (1-0)
Game Notes:
– Brad’s walk-off homerun was only the third in league history to occur in the regular season; the other two were Guthrie on 5/20/11 for the Caucasians and Dinger on 6/14/11 for the Fish Sticks
– Mark led Bobby Brown offensively, going 3 for 4 with two runs scored, two singles, a home run, and an RBI, along with registering 3 putouts on defense.
– Evan pitched a complete game loss, giving up 8 hits and 5 runs in 5 innings. He also set the pace for the Ham Slams on offense, going 4 for 5 with a single, 2 doubles, a home run, two runs scored and an RBI.
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