Vassallo drove in the first of 18 Cookies & Cream runs and led them on offense, going 5-for-6 with 2 singles, a triple, 2 home runs, 4 runs scored, and 3 RBI.
Cookies & Cream clinched a third consecutive Wiffle Series appearance and sealed their comeback in the best-of-five first round series with Eastbound & Dahn by winning game 5 in blowout fashion 18-1. Guthrie was unhittable, allowing only one base runner, and the Cookies bats were on fire as they stormed past Eastbound & Dahn. After losing game 1 and game 2 to walk-off home runs in the bottom of the sixth, Cookies scraped past Eastbound in game 3 to extend the series. They rolled in game 4, and they won even more decisively in game 5, winning three straight games to take the series.
Despite being unable to put Cookies away in games 3 or 4, Eastbound & Dahn remained one win away from winning the series and having a shot at the championship. They returned to Christian as their starting pitcher. He had won game 1 in relief and narrowly lost game 3. He got off to a good start in game 5, retiring Joey and Blose in order for a scoreless inning.
Cookies & Cream started Guthrie on the mound. He was hit hard in game 1 and earned a no decision and was the winning pitcher in game 3 despite a below average performance. He also started well, retiring Nate and Dustin consecutively in the bottom of the first, and the game was tied after an inning.
Cookies would get on the board in the top of the second and break the scoreless tie. Guthrie started the inning with a double, and he scored from second when Dinger grounded out for the first out of the inning. Vassallo followed with a one-out triple, and he scored on a Joey RBI single to make the score 2-0. Blose then singled, and Joey scored from first to put Cookies ahead 3-0. Guthrie followed with his second double of the inning, scoring Blose, and the score was 4-0. Christian then retired Dinger to end the inning, and Eastbound trailed by four.
Joey went 5-for-7 with 3 singles, a double, a homer, 4 runs scored, and 3 RBI
Guthrie rolled through the bottom of the second, retiring the side in order.
Up four runs, Cookies extended their lead in the top of the third. Vassallo led off the inning with a solo homer, and the score was 5-0. Joey followed with a double, and Blose drove him in with an RBI triple that made the score 6-0. Guthrie grounded out for the first out of the inning, but Blose scored on the play, pushing the lead to 7-0. Christian then retired Dinger to end the inning.
Blose tied the single-game playoff record with 2 triples,
Down seven, Eastbound got their first hit in the bottom of the third when Nate led off the inning with a solo homer to left-center. The bomb cut the score to 7-1, but it was the last and only hit Guthrie would surrender in the game. Dustin and Christian were retired to end the inning.
Vassallo led off the to of the fourth with a single and moved from first to third when Joey followed with a single. The next batter, Blose, hit a shallow fly to left field. Dustin caught the ball and fired it to the mound, doubling up Joey, who had wandered off of first, for the second out of the inning.
Guthrie continued to cruise in the bottom of the fourth, sending Ryan and Nate down in order.
Up 7-0, Cookies & Cream put the game and the series to rest in the top of the fifth. They unleashed a seven-run inning fueled by home runs and Eastbound fielding errors, and it left little doubt that Cookies would be advancing to the next round. Guthrie led off the inning with a single, and he scored from first when Dinger followed with an RBI double, making the score 8-1. Vassallo followed with a single to put runners on the corners, and Joey singled in Dinger to make the score 9-1. Blose came to the plate with runners on first and second, and he hit an RBI triple, clearing the bases and extending the Cookies lead to 11-1. Guthrie followed with a two-run blast, and Cookies were up 13-1. Dinger then went deep with a solo homer, and the back-to-back jacks gave Cookies & Cream a 14-1 lead. Cookies had started the inning with 7 consecutive hits with all 7 runners scoring. Christian then retired Vassallo and Joey to end the inning, but Cookies & Cream led by 13 runs with only two innings left to play.
Dinger had a single, a double, a homer, and 4 RBI in game 5
Eastbound couldn’t get their bats going in the bottom of the fifth, as Guthrie continued to roll, retiring the side in order.
Cookies would add to their lead in the top of the sixth. Christian retired Blose to start the inning, but Guthrie followed with a double and scored on a Dinger RBI single which made the score 15-1. Vassallo then cleared the bases with a two-run homer, and the score was 17-1. Joey followed with a solo homer, and the back-to-back homers put Cookies & Cream ahead 18-1. Christian then retired Blose to end the inning.
Down seventeen runs, Eastbound had seen the series and their season slip away over the course of games 3, 4, and 5. Guthrie was too much for them in game 5, as he retired Ryan and Nate to end the inning, the game, and the series. Cookies & Cream had won game 5 by the score of 18-1, completing a dramatic comeback in which they won the final three games of the series after losing the first two. Eastbound’s roster, momentum, and spirit had been depleted over the course of the series as Cookies & Cream clawed their way out of the 0-2 hole. Eastbound will look to build on their successful 2015 regular season when they return in 2016 with a new lineup.
With the win, Cookies & Cream advance to the Wiffle Series for the third consecutive season where they will face Questionable Outfit, who beat them in the championship series last season.
W: Guthrie (2-0)
L: Christian (1-2)
Game Notes:
– Guthrie earned the win for Cookies & Cream, pitching the complete game while allowing only one hit in 6 innings.
– Christian took the loss for Eastbound & Dahn, giving up 18 runs on 21 hits in 6 innings pitched.
– Vassallo led Cookies & Cream on offense, going 5-for-6 with 2 singles, a triple, 2 home runs, 4 runs scored, and 3 RBI.
– Guthrie went 5-for-6 for Cookies with a single, 3 doubles, a home run, 4 runs scored, and 4 RBI. Guthrie’s 3 doubles broke the single-game playoff record of 2, previously set by many other players.
– Blose had 2 triples in the game, tying the single-game playoff record previously set by Brad (Downtown Bobby Brown) in 2012 and Tom (Questionable Outfit) in 2014.
– Joey went 5-for-7 with 3 singles, a double, a home run, 4 runs scored, and 3 RBI.
– Cookies & Cream tied the team single-game record for triples with 3, previously set by Eastbound & Dahn in this series.
– Nate had the only hit of the game for Eastbound & Dahn, a solo homer.
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