Jack Shack celebrate at the plate after Jared’s walk-off solo homer in the bottom of the ninth capped an epic come-from-behind week 1 victory for Jack Shack
Jack Shack trailed 7-1 in the bottom of the sixth but rallied to score six runs, forcing extra innings, and later defeated Cheap Goats when Jared hit a walk-off homer in the bottom of the ninth. Rookies Jared, Jon, and Ryan each homered (Ryan twice), as Jack Shack completed a highly improbable week one victory.
Jon made his first career start on the mound for Jack Shack, and he fell behind early. Joey led off the game with a double, and he scored from second when Miller grounded out for the first out of the inning. John then retired Christian to end the inning, and Cheap Goats led 1-0.
Christian made his first start of the season for Cheap Goats, and he retired Jack Shack in order in the bottom of the first, sending Josh and Jared down consecutively.
Jon retired Dinger and Chris in order in the top of the second, and Jack Shack evened up the score in the bottom half of the inning.
Jon led off the bottom of the second with a solo homer, tying the game at 1-1. Two batters later, Josh hit a one-out triple, but Christian stranded him, retiring Jared to end the inning.
Jon went 4-for-7 with two singles, a triple, a home run, three runs scored, and two RBI in the Jack Shack victory.
Cheap Goats immediately bounced back in the top of the third. After retiring Joey for the first out of the inning, Jon gave up a solo homer to Miller, putting Cheap Goats ahead 2-1. The next batter, Christian, launched a solo shot to right-center, and the back-to-back homers gave Cheap Goats a 3-1 lead. Jon then retired Dinger to end the inning.
Jon singled to start the bottom of the third, but Christian stranded him, retiring Ryan and Josh, and the score remained 3-1.
Jon got back on track in the top of the fourth, sending Chris and Joey down in order. Christian matched him in the bottom of the inning, retiring Jared and Jon consecutively.
Cheap Goats threatened in the top of the fifth, but Jon escaped unscathed. Christian doubled with one out, and Dinger followed with a double, putting runners on second and third. Jon got Chris to ground out to left, however, stranding both runners, and the Cheap Goats lead remained 3-1.
Christian continued to pitch effectively in the bottom of the fifth, sending Ryan and Josh down in order.
Cheap Goats opened up a big lead in the top of the sixth. Joey led off with a solo homer, and Miller followed with a solo shot of his own. The second back-to-back homers of the game for Cheap Goats created a 5-1 lead. Christian then doubled, and two batters later, Chris hit a one-out RBI triple, scoring Christian to extend the lead to 6-1. Joey then doubled, scoring Chris, and Cheap Goats led 7-1. Jon finally escaped the inning by retiring Miller to strand Joey at second, and Jack Shack trailed by six runs heading into the bottom of the sixth.
Joey and Cheap Goats celebrate after his solo homer, one of five extra-base hits he collected in the heartbreaking loss to Jack Shack
Cheap Goats had developed a reputation for blowing leads late in games, and the bad luck reared its head again in week 1. Down six runs, Jack Shack’s lineup, which included three rookies, went on an improbable run to tie the game and force extra innings. Jared led off the bottom of the sixth with a double and was caught out when the next batter, Jon, hit a triple. Jared was caught in between bases, and Jack Shack were down to their final out. Ryan hit a one-out double, scoring Jon, and the deficit was 7-2. Josh then singled, scoring Ryan from second, and the Cheap Goats lead was 7-3. Jared followed with a double, putting runners on second and third with one out. Jon singled, scoring Josh from third, and Jack Shack had narrowed the score to 7-4. Down three with two men on and one out, Ryan cleared the bases with a three-run shot to right-center, which tied the game at 7-7. Christian retired the next batter, Josh, to end the inning, but Jack Shack had scored six runs with one out to extend the game.
Ryan’s three-run homer in the bottom of the sixth tied the game at 7-7, completing Jack Shack’s improbable comeback to tie the game and force extra innings.
Christian led off the top of the seventh with a double, putting the go-ahead run in scoring position, but Jon buckled down. He retired Dinger and Chris in order, stranding the runner at second, and the score remained 7-7.
Jared started the bottom of the seventh with a single, putting the winning run on base with no outs. Christian got the next two batters to ground out, however, stranding the runner and sending the game to an eighth inning.
Joey doubled to start the top of the eighth, and Cheap Goats once again had the go-ahead run in scoring position with no outs. Once again Jon cracked down, retiring Miller and Christian to strand Joey at second with the score 7-7.
Josh tripled to lead off the bottom of the eighth, and Jack Shack had the winning run on third with no outs. Christian once again escaped the jam, retiring Jared and Jon without allowing the runner to advance, and the game would go to the ninth inning.
Jon had reached his innings limit for the week, and Jack Shack turned to Josh from the bullpen. Dinger led off the top of the ninth with a single, and Cheap Goats had the go-ahead run on base with no outs for the third consecutive extra inning. Josh got Chris to ground out for the first out of the inning, but Joey followed with an RBI double, scoring Dinger, and Cheap Goats had reclaimed the lead. Jack Shack intentionally walked Miller to put runners on first and second, and the strategic move paid off. Josh got Christian to ground out, stranding two runners, and Cheap Goats led by a run heading into the bottom of the ninth.
Christian had also reached his weekly innings limit after pitching the first eight innings of the game, and Cheap Goats brought Dinger back to the mound. The first batter he faced, Ryan, launched a solo shot to right, his second homer of the game, tying the score at 8-8. Cheap Goats immediately made a pitching change, bringing Miller to the mound. He retired Josh, the first batter he faced. The next batter, Jared, crushed a solo homer to center, a walk-off bomb that gave Jack Shack one of the most memorable and unexpected week 1 victories in EWL history. Jack Shack had come from six runs behind in the bottom of the sixth and one run behind in the bottom of the ninth to defeat Cheap Goats 9-8.
The win moved Jack Shack to 1-1 on the season, and the loss dropped Cheap Goats to 0-2.
W: Josh (1-1)
L: Miller (0-1)
Game Notes:
– Josh earned the win for Jack Shack, allowing one run on two hits in one inning.
– Jon picked up a no-decision for Jack Shack, giving up seven runs on twelve hits in eight innings.
– Miller took the loss for Cheap Goats, allowing one run on one hit in half an inning.
– Dinger faced one batter in relief, allowing a solo homer.
– Christian got a no-decision for Cheap Goats, giving up seven runs on twelve hits in eight innings.
– Jared and Jon led Jack Shack on offense, each contributing four hits. Jared went 4-for-8 with a single, a double, the walk-off game-winning homer, two runs scored, and one RBI. The walk-off was the first of Jared’s wiffle career. Jon went 4-for-7 with two singles, a triple, a homer, three runs scored, and two RBI.
– Ryan also went 3-for-7 for Jack Shack with a double, two home runs, three runs scored, and five RBI.
– Joey led Cheap Goats at the plate in the loss, going 5-for-7 with four doubles, a home run, two runs scored, and three RBI.
– Christian went 4-for-7 with three doubles, a homer, two runs scored, and an RBI in the Cheap Goats loss.
Leave a Reply