Sunday, October 22, 2084
ROLLING HILLS ROLLICKING, ROAR BACK AND BEAT HARTSDALE IN 7 GAMES FOR TYCOBBIAN TITLE AND TRIP TO PRO CUP SERIES
What a great series between two outstanding ballclubs. They fought long and hard, going the full 7 games. It was finally nabbed by the Rolling Hills Racers, who had to rally from a 3-2 deficit in the best-of-seven series..
The Hartsdale Hellcats started the Tycobbian Union Title Series off in style, downing the visiting Rolling Hills Racers at Pioneer Park by the score of 5-3 to stake an early 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. A pair of pinch hitters were the key factors. Hartsdale's Tumbleweed Threadgill broke up a scoreless tie between starters Dominic Bard and Warren Wolfe with a 2-run base hit. Eli Kulacz made it 3-0 with another single. Rolling Hills roared right back and tied it up 3-all in the 8th, setting the stage for Gallimore's game-winning 2-run two-bagger in the bottom half of the inning.
Game two was played to the hilt by both clubs. Rolling Hills starter Dain Holman and Hartsdale starter Harmon Ford locked up in a 1-1 battle for the first 5 frames. Benny Crystal's double gave the Hellcats a 2-1 edge in the 8th, but the Racers won it dramatically on Coby Clancy's 2-run fourmaster bash in the top of the 9th. Strong bullpen work from winning pitcher Linc Dickens and Steve Farnham helped Rolling Hills tie the series at one game each.
The next four games were chaotic and one-sided. It was baseball bedlam. The series switched to Rolling Hills and the Mid Town Base Ball Grounds for games three, four and five. Skeets Kazlauskas tossed a fine game and the Racers bats were blistering in a 9-1 shellacking. Rolling Hills is up now two games to one. Harv Phelan with 3 ribbies and Jaron Shufford and Emmett Spangler with 2 apiece spearheaded the 12-hit attack.
It was Hartsdale's turn to wreak havoc at the plate and even the series at two victories each. 16 hits and homers by Calvin Mannon, Eli Kulacz and Max Carline routed the Racers 11-5 in game four.
Home-run happy Hartsdale rapped 3 more out of the park in game five for a 10-4 win, putting the Hellcats ahead three games to two and in a good position to win the series and advance to the Pro Cup Series. Jorah Hladki hammered 2 homers and Calvin Mannon cracked one to pace Hartsdale. Warren Wolfe pitched well enough to win it. D. D. Prescott blanked the Racers in the 8th and 9th frames. It was a bad day for loser Dominic Bard, who was shelled for 5 runs in 5 innings.
Hartsdale was riding high and hosting the last two games at home. Nope, the Racers would not leave vengeance to the Lord, they totally demolished the Hellcats in the sixth game 14-1, the third straight high-scoring rout. Now it's all tied up 3 games apiece and anybody's series. Rolling Hills socked 17 hits and 3 roundtrippers. Noah Peavy, Clifford Stratton and Cody Clancy all went deep. Stratton had 5 RBIs. Emmett Spangler, Jarod Shufford and Peavy all drove in a pair of scores. Dain Holman was in great form, stopping the Hellcats on 7 hits.
No, the bats didn't cool off, but this was no rout. Game seven started off as another rout, but it ended up as a good old-fashioned seesaw affair between two teams that were in dire need of victory. By the 7th Rolling Hills rolled up a 7-0 lead and then they saw Hartsdale chip away at it. And the Hellcats came mighty close. But in the end, it was the Racers that held on and won game seven 8-6 and another trip to the Pro Cup Series. It was a whale of a wacky series. It was a shame only one of the teams could advance. Rolling Hills Skeets Kazlauskas was one of the heroes in the game. He hurled a strong game, going 7 innings, giving up just one run and 3 hits with 6 Ks and one walk. His bullpen almost blew it for him. He is 3-0 in 3 postseason starts with a splendid 1.80 ERA. Other standouts for the Racers were Liam Gerraghty and Noah Peavy with 3 RBIs each. Gerraghty homered. Hartdale got 2 hits apiece from Eli Kulacz, Calvin Mannon and Jorah Hladki with Hladki getting the only roundtripper.
