
Christian had the best game of his EWL playoff career, going 5-for-7 with a single, three doubles, and a triple, leading Cheap Goats to a series-clinching game 4 win over Shady Characters
After exiting in the first round at the hands of Shady Characters for the past two seasons, Cheap Goats finally got over the hump, beating Shady Characters 13-6 in game 4, winning the best-of-five first round series 3-1 and advancing to the Wiffle Series for the first time in franchise history. The win didn’t come without damage, however, as Cheap Goats lost their veteran outfielder Jordan to an achilles injury which will likely end his 2020 season. All four Cheap Goats players had three or more hits, including Christian who went 5-for-7 with a single, three doubles, a triple, and four runs scored, and Dinger, who went 6-for-7 with two singles, three doubles, a triple, and five RBI. Dinger also earned the win on the mound, landing Cheap Goats in the 2020 Wiffle Series where Jack Shack await them.
Sam, who was dominant on the mound for Shady Characters in game 3, started game 4 as well. He retired the first batter he faced, Brett, but then got into trouble. Joey doubled, and he scored from second when Jordan followed with an RBI single, putting Cheap Goats ahead 1-0. Christian doubled, putting runners on second and third with one out. Dinger emptied the bases with an RBI triple, scoring Jordan and Christian to put Cheap Goats in front 3-0. Sam then retired Brett to strand Dinger at third, ending the inning.

Jordan is examined by Dustin after injuring his lower left leg in the bottom of the first inning
Dinger took the mound for Cheap Goats, and he was effective early. The first batter he faced, Dylan, grounded out to the mound for the first out of the inning. Jordan, playing left field, took only a few steps on the play, but came up lame with a lower left leg injury. Upon evaluation, Cheap Goats feared that he had ruptured his achilles, and he was sent to the emergency room for further inspection. Dinger allowed a one-out single to Mike, but he retired Sam to strand the runner at first, ending the inning.

Cheap Goats celebrate at the plate after Joey’s solo homer in the top of the second made the score 4-0
Cheap Goats extended their lead in the top of the second. Joey led off the inning with a solo shot to left, and Cheap Goats led 4-0. Christian followed with a single, and he moved from first to third when Dinger followed with a single. Brett flew out to left for the first out of the inning, but Christian tagged and scored on the play, pushing the Cheap Goats lead to 5-0. Sam then retired Joey to strand Dinger at third, ending the inning.

Christian tags and scores on Brett’s sacrifice fly in the second inning
Shady Characters got on the board in the bottom of the second. Dylan singled with one out, and Mike hit an RBI double to score him, cutting the deficit to 5-1. Shady Characters couldn’t extend the rally, however, as Dinger retired Sam to strand Mike at second, ending the inning with Cheap Goats leading by four runs.

Mike went 4-for-6 with two singles, a double, a triple, and two RBI in the loss.
Shady Characters turned to their bullpen, bringing Dylan to the mound, and Cheap Goats took a significant lead in the top of the third. Christian led off with a double, and he moved to third when Dinger singled. With no outs and runners on first and third, Brett crushed a three-run bomb to right, putting Cheap Goats ahead 8-1. Sam retired Joey for the first out of the inning, but Christian followed with a triple. Dinger then doubled, scoring Christian, and Cheap Goats led 9-1. Sam retired Brett to strand Dinger at second, ending the inning, but Shady Characters now trailed by eight runs.

Dinger went 6-for-7 to help carry Cheap Goats, collecting two singles, three doubles, a triple, and five RBI
Dylan hit a one-out double in the bottom of the third, and Mike drove him in with an RBI single, making the score 9-2. Dinger once again avoided further damage, retiring Sam to strand Mike at first, ending the inning.
Christian doubled with one out in the top of the fourth, but Dylan escaped the inning, retiring Dinger to strand the runner at second, and the score remained 9-2.

Christian connects on one of his five hits in the game
Dylan singled with one out in the bottom of the fourth, but Dinger continued to strand Shady Characters runners, getting Mike to ground out to left, ending the inning.
Joey doubled with one out in the top of the fifth, but Dylan also stranded more runners, retiring Christian to end the inning, and Shady Characters continued to trail by seven.
Lucas doubled with one out in the bottom of the fifth, but Shady Characters couldn’t plate the run. Dinger retired Dylan for the second out of the inning, stranding Lucas at second.
Up seven, Cheap Goats added some insurance runs in the top of the sixth. Dinger started the inning with a double, and Brett followed with a double, scoring Dinger to extend the Cheap Goats lead to 10-2. Joey then singled, putting runners on first and third with no outs. Dylan retired Christian for the first out of the inning, but Dinger emptied the bases, hitting an RBI double to push the score to 12-2. Brett then tripled, scoring Dinger to put Cheap Goats in front 13-2, but he was caught out trying to extend the hit into an inside-the-park home run, ending the inning.

Dinger was strong on the mound, allowing only two runs in the first five innings before getting into trouble in the sixth
Shady Characters trailed by eleven runs heading into the bottom of the sixth. They would need a miracle to extend their season, which they didn’t get, but they showed heart in their final at-bat of 2020. Mike led off the inning with a triple, and Sam followed with an RBI single, scoring Mike to cut the deficit to ten runs. Lucas then singled, putting runners on first and second with no outs. Dylan came to the plate and launched a three-run blast to right-center, and Shady Characters had cut the score to 13-6. Cheap Goats made a call to the bullpen, bringing Christian to the mound to close things out. Christian retired the next two batters, Mike and Sam, ending the inning, game, and series. Cheap Goats had won game 4 by the score of 13-6, winning the best-of-five series three games to one.

Shady Characters and Cheap Goats shake hands after Cheap Goats win the best-of-five series three games to one, advancing to the 2020 Wiffle Series
The win advanced Cheap Goats to the Wiffle Series, where they will face Jack Shack for the 2020 EWL Wiffle Series Championship.
W: Dinger (2-0)
L: Sam (1-2)
Box Score
Game Notes:
– Dinger earned the win for Cheap Goats, allowing six runs on eleven hits in five innings.
– Christian pitched one inning of relief for Cheap Goats, retiring both batters he faced.
– Sam took the loss for Shady Characters, giving up five runs on seven hits in two innings.
– Dylan pitched four innings of relief for Shady Characters, allowing eight runs on twelve hits.
– Christian and Dinger led Cheap Goats on offense. Christian went 5-for-7 with a single, three doubles, a triple, and four runs scored. Dinger went 6-for-7 with two singles, three doubles, a triple, three runs scored, and five RBI.
– Joey also went 4-for-7 in the Cheap Goats win, with a single, two doubles, a home run, three runs scored, and an RBI.
– Mike and Dylan led Shady Characters in the loss. Mike went 4-for-6 with two singles, a double, a triple, a run scored, and two RBI. Dylan went 4-for-6 with two singles, a double, a home run, three runs scored, and three RBI.
Tags: 2020, Cheap Goats, First Round, Playoffs, September, Shady Characters