The Gentlemen have 82 wins, to Sheffield’s 80, as Sheffield come into the game on a hot streak feeling optimistic about finishing their first season above .500.
Game 1
SP: Yushua bin Saqr
The Sheffield Mountain Hares defeated the London Gentlemen, 6- 3 in game 1. Saetgaliev was the star of the show, going 2-4 with a home run and a double, while adding 4 RBI and scoring once for the Mountain Hares. The win makes it 9 straight wins for the Hares, as they finish the season on superlative form. Bin Saqr helped the cause by going deep, giving up 3 runs in 7.2 innings.
Player of the game: Saetgaliev
Game 2
SP: Mototomo Motoyanagi
There was partying throughout Sheffield as the Hares beat the Gentlemen 8-4, securing their best record in history with 82 wins, and continuing their win streak, the longest live streak in the WBL, to 10. Second baseman and hot prospect Rob Graham played a big role. Graham went 3 for 3 with a home run, 2 singles, and a walk. With Sheffield leading 3-1 in the bottom of the fourth, Graham hit a sinker from Sashenka Babenko for a 3-run home run. It was his 15th home run of the season and put the Mountain Hares ahead, 6-1, a position from where they weren’t to be caught.
Player of the game: Rob Graham
Game 3
SP: Giobbe Marinello
The Hares finished the season a team record setting 83-78, thanks to yet another win against the Gentlemen, making it 11 straight. Fittingly, in what might be his final season for the Hares as he becomes a free agend, Willie Perez was the star. The final score was 10-0. The Sheffield first baseman was a force to be reckoned with as he has been all season. He banged out 3 extra-base hits, including 2 home runs and 1 double as the crowd sang his name over and over again into the Sheffield sky; “Willie please don’t go....”
Last year’s star, Abdul-Karim bin Jameel, had a big 2-run double for the Mountain Hares in the bottom of the fourth inning. With Sheffield leading 3-0 and the bases loaded, he got a slider from Chris Patterson and swatted a double to right-center. It was his 16th double of the season, and more importantly, it put the Mountain Hares ahead, 5-0.
Player of the game: Willie Perez
What a season, finishing 7th, well above the 13th as predicted at the start of the season. I’ll be doing a year in review for the team, but will probably save that for after the playoffs, which kick off immediately.
As the Hares aren’t in the playoffs, we’ll be following another team, but more on that in the next post.