Shady Characters carried the momentum of their first-round upset of Guac Boys into the 2026 EWL Wiffle Series Championship, defeating Cheap Goats 9-5 in Game 1 of the best-of-seven series. Tom homered twice and drove in three runs, Lucas and Thomas each added two-run homers, and Shady Characters scored in all but one inning to pull ahead and stay ahead of Cheap Goats throughout the series-opening contest. Lucas went the distance on the mound, muzzling a Cheap Goats offense that scored thirty-five combined runs over their previous two games, giving Shady Characters a 1-0 series lead.
Christian got the start for Cheap Goats, and Shady Characters struck first. After Zach grounded out to begin the game, Tom launched a solo home run to give Shady Characters a 1-0 lead. Thomas followed with a single, and Lucas added another base hit, but Thomas was thrown out attempting to score on the play, ending the inning and preventing Shady Characters from adding to their early advantage.
Lucas took the mound for Shady Characters and opened the Wiffle Series by retiring Joey and Kevin in order, preserving the one-run lead.
Shady Characters added to their advantage in the second. Nate led off with a single before Christian retired Zach for the first out. Tom then delivered his second home run in as many at-bats, a two-run shot that extended the Shady Characters lead to 3-0. Thomas followed with his second single of the game, but Christian retired Lucas to end the inning.
Lucas continued to cruise in the bottom of the second, retiring Courtlen and Christian in order. Cheap Goats had been held hitless through two innings, and Shady Characters carried a three-run lead into the third.
Christian retired Nate and Zach in order in the third for his first (and only) scoreless inning of the game.
Cheap Goats finally broke through in the bottom half of the third. Dinger led off with a double, giving Cheap Goats their first baserunner of the game, and Conor followed with an RBI single to cut the deficit to 3-1. Joey added another single, but Conor was caught out on the play. Lucas then retired Kevin on a groundout to end the inning and prevent Cheap Goats from drawing any closer.
Shady Characters answered immediately in the fourth. Tom led off with a single, his third consecutive hit, before Christian retired Thomas for the first out. Lucas then launched a two-run homer, extending the Shady Characters lead to 5-1. Nate followed with a solo shot of his own, giving Shady Characters back-to-back home runs and pushing the advantage to 6-1. Cheap Goats made a call to the bullpen, removing Christian and bringing Conor to the mound. Conor retired Zach to end the inning, but Shady Characters had opened up a five-run lead.
Cheap Goats responded with their biggest inning of the game in the bottom of the fourth. Courtlen led off with a single and Christian followed with a double, putting two runners in scoring position with nobody out. Dinger delivered a sacrifice fly to score Courtlen, cutting the deficit to 6-2. Conor then ripped an RBI triple to bring Christian home, making the score 6-3, and Joey followed with an RBI double to score Conor, pulling Cheap Goats within two runs at 6-4. Lucas finally retired Kevin on a fly ball to end the three-run rally, stranding Joey in scoring position.
After seeing their five-run lead shrink to two, Shady Characters wasted little time reclaiming control in the fifth. Tom led off with his fourth hit of the game, a single, and Thomas followed with a two-run homer to extend the lead to 8-4. Conor recovered to retire Lucas and Nate in order, but Shady Characters had answered Cheap Goats’ fourth-inning rally with two more runs.
Cheap Goats continued to fight back in the bottom of the fifth. Lucas retired Courtlen to begin the inning, but Christian launched a solo home run to cut the deficit to 8-5. Lucas retired Dinger to end the inning, leaving Cheap Goats trailing by three runs heading into the sixth.
Shady Characters added another insurance run in their final turn at the plate. Zach led off the sixth with a solo homer, extending the lead to 9-5. Conor retired Tom on a groundout before striking out Thomas to end the inning, but Cheap Goats now needed four runs in the bottom of the sixth to extend the game.
Lucas returned to the mound looking to finish off the complete-game victory. He retired Conor on a fly ball before getting Joey to ground out, ending the game and securing the 9-5 win for Shady Characters.
After eliminating the defending champion Guac Boys in the first round, Shady Characters opened the Wiffle Series with another victory, taking a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven championship series against Cheap Goats. The four-time former champions moved three wins away from another EWL title.
W: Lucas (2-1)
L: Christian (2-1)
Game Notes:
Lucas earned the complete game victory for Shady Characters, allowing five runs on eight hits.
Christian started for Cheap Goats and took the loss, allowing six runs on nine hits in 3.5 innings.
Conor pitched 2.5 innings of relief for Cheap Goats, giving up three runs on three hits and striking out one.
Tom led Shady Characters at the plate, going 4-for-5 with two singles, two home runs, four runs scored, and three RBI.
Thomas also had a big game for Shady Characters, going 3-for-5 with two singles, a home run, a run scored, and two RBI.
Joey, Christian, and Conor were the only Cheap Goats players with multiple hits. Joey went 2-for-4 with a single, a double, and an RBI. Christian went 2-for-3 with a double, a home run, two runs scored, and an RBI. And Conor went 2-for-3 with a single, a triple, a run scored, and two RBI.
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