Shady Characters moved to the brink of another EWL championship with a 7-5 victory over Cheap Goats in Game 3 of the 2026 Wiffle Series, taking a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven championship series as their shocking postseason run continued. Thomas and Nate each went deep twice, and Lucas held the Cheap Goats’ offense in check, keeping the formerly scorching hot bats from generating rallies or momentum. After entering the championship series with a historic stretch of run production, Cheap Goats have now dropped the first three games of the Wiffle Series and must win four straight to prevent Shady Characters from claiming their fifth EWL championship.
Lucas took the mound for Shady Characters, and he retired Joey and Kevin in order in the top of the first.
Dinger got the start for Cheap Goats, and he matched Lucas, retiring Zach and Tom in order in the bottom half of the inning.
Courtlen led off the top of the second with a double, but Lucas stranded him, retiring Christian and Dinger to end the inning.
Thomas put Shady Characters on the board when he led off the bottom of the second with a solo home run, giving Shady Characters a 1-0 lead. Lucas followed with a single before Dinger retired Nate for the first out. Zach then launched a two-run homer, extending the lead to 3-0. Dinger retired Tom to finally end the inning, but Shady Characters had struck first for the third consecutive game of the Wiffle Series.
Cheap Goats answered in the third. After Lucas retired Conor, Joey launched a solo home run to cut the deficit to 3-1. Lucas then retired Kevin to end the inning and keep Shady Characters in front by two runs.
Dinger retired Thomas and Lucas in order in the bottom of the third to keep Cheap Goats within striking distance.
Courtlen led off the top of the fourth with a triple, his second extra-base hit of the game, and Christian brought him home with an RBI groundout to make the score 3-2. Dinger followed with a double, putting the potential tying run in scoring position, but Lucas got Conor to ground out and strand him, preserving a one-run Shady Characters lead.
Nate led off the bottom of the fourth with a solo home run to extend the Shady Characters’ advantage to 4-2. Zach singled, and after Dinger retired Tom for the first out, Thomas launched his second homer of the game, a two-run shot that pushed the Shady Characters lead to 6-2. Cheap Goats made a call to the bullpen, removing Dinger and bringing Conor to the mound. Conor retired Lucas to end the inning, but Cheap Goats now faced a four-run deficit with only two innings remaining and were in danger of falling into a 3-0 hole in the championship series.
Joey led off the top of the fifth with a drive off the fence, but he was thrown out attempting to stretch the hit into an inside-the-park home run. Kevin followed with a solo homer to cut the deficit to 6-3. Courtlen then ripped his second triple of the game and third extra-base hit, and Christian singled him home to make it 6-4. Dinger followed with an RBI double to score Christian, his second two-bagger of the game, and suddenly Cheap Goats had pulled within a run at 6-5. Shady Characters went to the bullpen, replacing Lucas with Tom. With Cheap Goats threatening a comeback, Tom retired Conor on a fly ball to end the inning and preserve a one-run lead.
Once again, Shady Characters immediately answered a Cheap Goats rally. Nate led off the bottom of the fifth with his second solo shot of the game, restoring a two-run lead at 7-5. Conor retired Zach and Tom to end the inning, but Cheap Goats entered the final frame needing two runs to extend the game.
Shady Characters returned the ball to Lucas for the sixth. He retired Joey on a groundout, putting Shady Characters one out away from victory. Kevin stepped to the plate representing Cheap Goats’ final chance to keep the game alive, but Lucas got him to fly out, closing the door on a 7-5 victory.
Shady Characters have now won six consecutive postseason games, and the four-time champions hold a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven championship series, one victory away from another EWL title.
W: Lucas (3-1)
L: Dinger (1-3)
Game Notes:
Lucas earned the victory for Shady Characters, allowing five runs on nine hits over 5.5 innings.
Tom recorded the final out of the fifth in relief before Lucas returned to the mound for the sixth.
Dinger started for Cheap Goats and took the loss, allowing six runs on six hits over 3.5 innings.
Conor pitched 1.5 innings of relief for Cheap Goats, allowing one run on one hit.
Thomas and Nate led Shady Characters on offense, both going 2-for-3. Nate had two solo home runs, and Thomas had a solo shot and a two-run homer.
Zach also had multiple hits for Shady Characters, going 2-for-4 with a single, a homer, two runs scored, and two RBI.
Courtlen led Cheap Goats in the loss, going 3-for-3 with a double, two triples, and two runs scored.
Joey and Dinger also had multiple hits for Cheap Goats. Joey went 2-for-4 with a triple, a homer, a run scored, and an RBI. Dinger went 2-for-3 with two doubles and an RBI.
Leave a Reply