Tom’s three homers accounted for all of Questionable Outfit’s runs, and his walk-off sealed game 1
Despite only tallying 4 hits in 7 innings, Questionable Outfit escaped game 1 with a win over the Ham Slams thanks to Kimble’s 3 solo homers which put Questionable on the board in the fourth, tied the game in the sixth, and won the game in the seventh.
Questionable Outfit’s ace Bob started the first playoff game of the 2013 season, and he and the #1 seed got into trouble early. Kyle led off the game for the Ham Slams with a single, and moved to third when Anthony followed with a double. The Ham Slams were threatening early, with two runners in scoring position and no outs. The next batter, Steve, flew out to shallow right, and no runners were able to advance on the play. But the next batter, Josh, hit a hard single to right, scoring Kyle to put the Ham Slams up 1-0. The Slams had runners on the corners with one out, but Bob struck out Charlie for the second out, ending the inning and stranding two.
Bob of Questionable Outfit delivers the first pitch of the 2013 EWL postseason to Kyle of the Ham Slams
The Ham Slams started their ace, Charlie, and he got off to a more favorable start. He retired Tom for the first out, and after Reilly hit a one-out single, Bob flew out to left for the second out of the inning.
Bob had an easier top of the second, starting by retiring Kyle for the first out of the inning. Anthony hit a one-out single, but was stranded when Bob retired Steve to end the inning. Charlie cruised through the bottom of the second, retiring Questionable Outfit in order.
Bob pitched a perfect frame in the top of the third, sending down Josh and Charlie consecutively. Charlie matched Bob in the bottom of the third, retiring the side without a hit.
Charlie held the dominant Questionable Outfit offense in check for most of game 1
Bob continued to roll in the top of the fourth, pitching a scoreless inning. Questionable Outfit, the league’s most prolific offense, would finally get on the board in the bottom of the fourth. Charlie retired Mike for the first out of the inning, but the next batter, Tom, crushed a solo bomb to deep left, tying the game at 1-1. Charlie minimized the damage, retiring Reilly to end the inning.
The Ham Slams took the lead right back in the top of the fifth. Bob retired Steve for the first out, Josh followed with a solo homer to left-center, putting the Ham Slams back ahead 2-1. Bob fanned Charlie for the second out of the inning, but Questionable Outfit would trail again.
Charlie held two of the league’s best hitters, Bob and Mike, in check in the bottom of the fifth, retiring the side in order, preserving the Ham Slams lead.
The Slams were unable to add to their lead in the top of the sixth, as Bob retired the side consecutively.
Questionable Outfit would head into their last at-bat in game 1 trailing the Ham Slams 2-1. They had only managed two hits in the first five innings, and were two outs away from a stunning loss to start their postseason. The first batter of the inning, Tom, who had one of their two hits, launched a deep fly ball to left, clearing the fence and tying the game at 2-2. Despite trailing nearly the entire game, Questionable Outfit was one run away from stealing game 1. But Charlie buckled down and retired Reilly and Bob to end the sixth, sending the game to extra innings.
Bob and Tom of Questionable Outfit celebrate at the plate after his game-tying homer in the bottom of the sixth
Bob remained in the game, and he retired Steve for the first out in the top of the seventh. The next batter, Josh, hit a one-out single, putting the go-ahead runner on base. But Bob retired Charlie for the second out, ending the inning.
With the score tied at 2-2, Charlie retired Mike for the first out in the bottom of the seventh. The next batter, Tom, had homered in his previous two at-bats. Remarkably, with one out, he destroyed a pitch over the left field fence, and his walk-off solo homer gave Questionable Outfit an incredible 3-2 win in game 1.
Tom watches his game-winning walk-off homer sail over the left field fence
The win put Questionable Outfit ahead 1-0 in the best of 5 first round series against the Ham Slams.
W: Bob (1-0)
L: Charlie (0-1)
Game Notes:
– Bob picked up the win for Questionable Outfit, going 7 innings while allowing 2 earned runs on 6 hits and striking out 2.
– Charlie took the loss for the Ham Slams, allowing 3 runs on 4 hits in 7 innings.
– Tom led the way for Questionable Outfit at the plate, going 3-for-5 with 3 homers, 3 runs scored, and 3 RBI. The only other Questionable Outfit player to register a hit was Reilly, who singled.
– Josh led the Ham Slams on offense, going 3-for-4 with 2 singles, a home run, a run scored, and 2 RBI.
Leave a Reply