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ALLEGHANY WINS INLAND PLAYOFF IN A WALKOFF
.224 HITTER BROWN HITS GAME-WINNING SINGLE TO SEND TEAM TO 3RD STRAIGHT CUP APPEARANCE

PITTSBURGH (Aug. 6, 1867) – The three-way playoff to decide the Inland Championship is over, and Alleghany BC is going to the Tucker-Wheaton Cup for the third year in a row. Not that it was easy – it took until the very last batter to decide who would take the pennant.

The first playoff game took place in Wilkes-Barre (Penn.) the day before. Hosts Susquehanna started the game off well, enjoying a 6-3 lead after three innings. However, pitching & defense let them down in the middle of the contest, Pioneer took the lead, and the visitors were able to keep Susquehanna at arm’s length to win and advance:

Pioneer’s player of the game was corner outfielder Reardon Armstrong, who hit 3/5 with a double, two runs scored, and two batted in. However, their hero of the day was James Mullin, who relieved #1 pitcher Thomas Paddock to start the 4th inning after he picked up an injury and finished the game, allowing seven hits and two runs over six innings of relief duty.

Susquehanna #1 Elmer Seabold (23-18, 3.43, 113 K, 6.4 WAR) had a disappointing outing at the worst time, allowing eight runs (4 ER) on ten hits before exiting the contest after five innings.

The loss means Susquehanna has now finished in the top three of Inland five times in eleven seasons without winning it.

Pioneer then played at Alleghany to decide the Inland Champion, and the game went down to the very last batter:

This was a close contest the entire way. It was 5-5 after three innings, 6-6 after the top of the 7th, and 7-7 after the bottom of the 8th.

The last three innings were full of drama. With the score 6-5 to Alleghany, Pioneer came to bat in the top of the 7th and tied the game via a sacrifice fly by 3B John Edmonson. After Alleghany was sent down in order, Pioneer took the lead in the top of the 8th on a single by 1B William Farrell. The hosts were able to better their 7th inning performance, evening the score at 7-7 with a single by PH Wilbert Schrader in the bottom of the 8th to set up a very tense final inning.

Thanks to a Reardon Armstrong double and an error by the Alleghany 2B, Pioneer had runners on second & third base with two out in the top of the 9th. 2B Michael Joyce could only ground out to leave Pioneer scoreless, the game still level at 7-7.

In the bottom of the 9th inning Alleghany’s first two batsmen – OF Royal Altman & PH Robert Kubel – were retired via fly ball outs. 1B Walter Anderson then doubled and OF Harmon Melville was hit by a pitch to put runners on first & second base with two out. Extra innings still looked likely as the man who came up to bat was SS Ed Brown, a defensive specialist who started the afternoon batting .224 (.586 OPS) for the season after having started all 70 games. On the first pitch, Brown hit a single between SS & 3B and Anderson beat the LF’s throw home to win the game and make Alleghany the Inland champions for the third year running.

It was a tragic end for Pioneer, who were an inning and a half from taking their first Inland pennant after having finished in last place with a 25-45 record the previous season.