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Game 5 – April 11

It’s do-or-die time for the Athletics as they face elimination. Over the first four games of the Series, they have been outscored by the Trolleys 26-11. Still, they have one more game at home with a packed house looking to cheer them on. It’s warm with nary a cloud in the sky.

20-year old LHP Bart Ohara (2-0, 24.0 IP, 0.38 ERA), who has pitched brilliantly thus far in the playoffs, looks to wrap things up for Pulberry. On the other hand, Wellington has put the weight of the world upon the shoulders of 31-year old RHP Troy Conlin (0-2, 11.0 IP, 6.55 ERA). Conlin gave up 7 runs over 5 innings of work in Pulberry’s 12-0 win in Game 1.

Top of the 6th:
The game remains scoreless until the 6th. Bart Ohara drives one toward right centerfield. RF Jim Mars can’t get to it in time as it falls in for a 1-out base hit. With 2 out, Gerard Koerner jumps on a 0-2 pitch, launching it into short centerfield. Greg Yates races in but cannot make the catch. Ohara wheels around second and heads for third. Yates whips it to 3B, but Ohara slides in safely. Like Pulberry’s CF Cooper Tyson the day before, Yates reacts in pain after the throw and is forced to leave the game. Jack Jefferson comes in to replace him.
Aidan Thirkettle then drives a 2-2 pitch to centerfield. Jefferson can only it play it on the hop as Ohara crosses the plate.
Pulberry 1 – Wellington 0

Bottom of the 8th:
PH Doug Bowman walks on 5 pitches with one out. Matthew Floyd bashes one to short rightfield for a base hit. Bowman moves up to second, then is replaced by PR Jordan Backhouse. Jack Jefferson then drives one down the line into deep leftfield. Thirkettle sprints after it but it sails over his head and rolls into the corner. Backhouse tears around third and easily crosses the plate. Floyd hustles into third then breaks for home. Floyd scores without a throw as Wellington takes the lead.

In the top of the 9th, PH Gustavo Hernández leads off with a full count walk. That ends Conlin’s afternoon as RHP Finley Capstick comes on in relief.
Aidan Thirkettle grounds out to SS Vance Fendley as Hernández takes second. Paul England then flares one out to RF Harvey Thornber for the second out. Hernández tags up and slides safely into third. But Ellis Dibble lifts one out to centerfield right where Jack Jefferson is standing. Jefferson hauls it in for the final out. Wellington hangs on to keep the Series alive and send it back to Pulberry for Game 6.
FINAL: Pulberry 1 – Wellington 2

CF Greg Yates suffered some back stiffness, but it is not considered too serious (Day to day, 5 days).









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Game 6 – April 13

The Series returns to Trolleys Stadium with Pulberry looking for one more victory and Wellington looking to tie things up. Neither team will get much relief from the elements today: the temperature has shot way up with no clouds in sight.

34-year old RHP Robin Medellin (1-1, 17.0 IP, 1.06 ERA) is tasked with getting the Trolleys over the hump while Wellington’s ace, 28-year old RHP Vinnie Snell (2-1, 22.0 IP, 2.16 ERA), looks to keep the Trolley’s bats quiet as Troy Conlin did in Game 5.

Bottom of the 5th:
Pulberry gets something going when Paul Heisler lines one into left center. LF Matthew Floyd cuts it off to hold Heisler to a single. Robin Medellin squares up and bunts the ball back to the pitcher. Vinnie Snell fields it but his throw is low and in the dirt as 1B Wayne Emmert is unable to play it on the hop. Medellin takes second while Heisler moves up to third on the error. Jacob Sverdloff then walks on 4 pitches to load the bases.
After Gerard Koerner pops out to 3B Yorikane Takeuchi, Snell loses Aidan Thirkettle and walks him, forcing in a run.
Paul England then battles Snell to a full count before taking a pitch high and away to force in Pulberry’s second run.
On the next pitch, Ellis Dibble drives one to right center. CF Jack Jefferson hustles over to make a nice sliding catch. But Sverdloff tags up and scores without a throw.
Wellington 0 - Pulberry 3

Top of the 6th:
Jim Mars sends a hard shot straight up the middle that sneaks its way into centerfield for a 1-out base hit. Declan Bugbie then lines the next pitch out to right center. RF Ellis Dibble hurries back and lunges but can’t reach it as the ball drops in and rolls to the wall. Mars hustles over to 3B as Bugbie pulls up into second.
Jack Jefferson lines a grounder through the hole into leftfield. Mars comes home for Wellington’s first run on the base hit.
Wellington 1 - Pulberry 3

Top of the 9th:
Yorikane Takeuchi belts the first pitch down the line toward left. Aidan Thirkettle tracks it down in the corner but can only throw it back to the cut-off man as Takeuchi reaches second with a lead-off double. PH Brayden Docking also belts the first pitch he sees towards the bag at third. But it eludes 3B Francis Jones and rolls all the way to the wall. Takeuchie scores easily as Docking wheels into second.
Doug Bowman then sends a hard shot toward second base. Paul Heisler gets in front of it and throws out Bowman as Docking takes third.
But the struggling Vaiga Bultarro booms one into deep centerfield. Jacob Sverdloff races back but he can’t quite reach it as it bounces off the wall. Docking races home to tie up the game as Baltarro motors into second.
LHP Dermott Rathbone then comes on in relief as Robin Medellin’s day is done.
One pitch later, Baltarro breaks for third. C Paul England whips a rocket and nails him for the second out.
Wayne Emmert then laces one into rightfield for a base hit, but Matthew Floyd strikes out swinging to end the rally.
Wellington 3 - Pulberry 3

Bottom of the 9th:
RHP Finley Capstick takes over and gives up a lead off base hit to Jacob Sverdloff. But PH Gustavo Herndández strikes out swinging and Aidan Thirkettle hits a high fly ball to deep centerfield that Jack Jefferson tracks down for the second out. During Paul England’s subsequent at-bat, Sverdloff takes off for second and is thrown out by C Declan Bugbie to end the inning, sending the game into extras.
Wellington 3 - Pulberry 3

Top of the 10th:
PH Keon-Chae Cho skies the first pitch out toward the gap in deep left center. CF Jacob Sverdloff reaches for it but misses as it bounces off the wall. Cho rounds first and slides in safely at second for a lead-off double. Declan Bugbie drills one out to the very same neighborhood two pitches later. Sverdloff lunges but can’t quite get to it. Cho comes home as the ball rolls to the base of the wall. Bugbie beats out the throw to second for a go-ahead RBI double.

In the bottom of the 10th, Paul England and Ellis Dibble lead off with back-to-back singles off Finley Capstick.
But a Francis Jones’ liner to left is caught by a diving Matthew Floyd for the first out. Sean Abercrombie then raps one out to the right side. 2B Vaiga Bultarro scoops it up and feeds it to SS Yorikane Takeuchi covering second, who in turns rifles it to 1B Wayne Emmert for the twin killing. Wellington wins a thriller to tie up the Series and force a deciding Game 7.
FINAL: Wellington 4 - Pulberry 3









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Game 7 – April 14

For the 7th time in United Leagues’ history, the United Cup has come down to a winner-take-all game 7. The Wellington Athletics, badly outmatched in the early going, have crawled their way back to tie the Series. Now it all comes down this: Game 7 about to be played at a packed Trolleys Stadium with the country at a practical standstill, as the eyes and ears of the nation hang on to every word of the radio broadcast or flickering image of a black-and-white television. Weather will not spoil the proceedings. It’s once again sunny and hot along the south-east coast.

28-year old RHP Taylor Folkard (1-1, 21.0 IP, 3.00 ERA) is given the assignment of his life – starting a Game 7. He is looking to redeem himself after a so-so start in Game 3. But Wellington is forced to go with their No. 5 starter, 31-year old RHP Zak Annett (9-13, 4.16 ERA, 1.30 WHIP), as Mike Murray is still nursing strained muscles in his throwing arm. This will be the 10-year veteran’s first playoff start after pitching in relief for just 0.1 innings back in Game 2. No pressure.

Bottom of the 2nd:
Annett walks Sean Abercrombie with one out. With two out, Paul Heisler hits a sharp grounder back up the middle. 2B Vaiga Bultarro lunges for it but can’t get a grip on it and doesn’t risk the throw. Abercrombie moves up to second on the infield hit. Taylor Folkard then hits a hard grounder past 1B and into rightfield. Abercrombie hustles into third then breaks for home. RF Jim Mars throws it in but Abercrombie slides in safely for the game’s first run.
Wellington 0 - Pulberry 1

Bottom of the 3rd:
Aidan Thirkettle leads off and taps one out to the right side. Annett dives for it and makes a quick throw to first. But Emmert can’t reach it as it sails high over his head. Thirkettle takes second on the error. With one out, Ellis Dibble punches a 2-2 pitch through the left side hole past a diving SS Vance Fendley. Dibble rounds the bag but reverses course and returns to first. Thirkettle reaches third and dashes for home. LF Matthew Floyd fires it back in but it’s wide of the mark and C Decaln Bugbie has to chase it down. Thirkettle scores as Dibble moves up to second on the second error of the inning.
Wellington 0 - Pulberry 2

Bottom of the 4th:
Paul Heisler drives one into right center. CF Jack Jefferson races back for it but it eludes him and caroms off the wall. Heisler tears around first and slides in safely for a lead-off double. With the corners drawn in, Taylor Folkard lays down a bunt to the left side of the mound. Annett gets it off fast to throw Folkard out at first as Heisler takes third. After Francis Jones walks on a full count, Gerard Koerner hits a sharp grounder out to SS Vance Fendley. Fendley flips it to 2B Vaiga Bultarro for one, but Jones breaks up the double play attempt with a hard slide as Heisler scores.
That ends Zak Annett’s afternoon as LHP Jeff Routh comes on in relief to get Wellington out of the jam.
Wellington 0 - Pulberry 3

Bottom of the 7th:
Gerard Koerner belts one to left center. CF Jack Jefferson goes back but it’s over his head and bounces off the wall. Jefferson retrieves it and whips it to third as Koerner bears down on the base. Koerner slides in safely for a one-out triple.
Aidan Thirkettle battles back from a 0-2 count to make it full. Thirkettle then crushes Routh’s changeup and sends it out toward rightfield. Jim Mars runs back to the wall, but it sails 410 ft. into the boisterous crowds for a 2-run home run.
Paul England immediately follows and jumps on a 2-2 slider, sending it soaring down the leftfield line. Matthew Floyd races back but it lands just fair 364 ft. into the delirious stands for a solo home run.
Wellington 0 - Pulberry 6

Top of the 8th:
Wellington finally gets something going, thanks to some Trolleys’ miscues.
Doug Bowman grounds one past a diving SS Sean Abercrombie for a lead-off single. Vaiga Bultarro hits a tapper back to the mound. Folkard fields it but it pops out of his glove. Bultarro reaches safely as Bowman takes second on the error.
Wayne Emmert hits a vicious grounder down to first. Gerard Koerner corrals it and fires it to second for the first out. Abercrombie sends it back to first, but Emmert beats out the throw as Bowman takes third. Folkard then walks Matthew Floyd to load the bases.
Jim Mars battles Folkard to a full count before sending a bouncer toward second. Paul Heisler makes the grab but can’t find the handle. Bowman comes home on the second error of the inning as Emmert advances to third with the bases still loaded.
PH Brayden Docking then sends a rocket down the line toward short right for a base hit. Emmert scores easily on the play. Floyd is not far behind him, as he races around third and heads for home. RF Ellis Dibble fires it home, but Floyd slides in safely for Wellington’s third run. That ends Folkard’s day as LHP Dermott Rathbone comes on in relief.
Although Rathbone surrenders a single to Jack Jefferson to reload the bases, he strikes out both Yorikane Takeuchi and Vance Fendley to end the rally.
Wellington 3 - Pulberry 6

Bottom of the 8th:
RHP Finley Capstick takes over from Jeff Routh in the 8th.
First up is PH Gustavo Hernández who lines a 1-2 pitch out toward shallow right center for a base hit. On the very next pitch, Hernández takes off for second. C Doug Bowman fires it to second but the throw is off course and it sails into the outfield as Hernández moves up to third. Paul Heisler then drives one to deep right center. CF Jack Jefferson races over and makes a nice leaping catch. But Hernández tags up and scores unchallenged.

Dermott Rathbone takes the hill in the top of the 9th needing just three more outs.
Doug Bowman hits a 3-1 grounder out toward second and is thrown out by Paul Heisler. Vaiga Bultarro spanks a sharp grounder to the left side. 3B Makani Kahale scoops it up and fires it to 1B Gerard Koerner for the second out.
But Rathbone’s 1-2 pitch to Wayne Emmert is too far inside and he is awarded first base. Next up is Matthew Floyd. Floyd battles Rathbone to a 2-2 count, fouling off two consecutive pitches, but he strikes out swinging on the next pitch, ending the game, the Series and the season. The Pulberry Trolleys prevail in seven to win their first United Cup!
FINAL: Wellington 3 - Pulberry 7









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