Tied 7-apeice entering the bottom of the seventh, and the Rafters put the season away with a seven-run inning in the bottom half. The Javelinas were unable to chip away at that deficit with the 6 outs they had left, so the final score was 14-7 to the Rafters.
How does a seven-run inning happen in a championship game?? Mostly, in this case, a bunch of self inflicted wounds (walks) with the occasional extra-base hit. It went like this: groundout - walk (Joe Sclafani) - double - intentional walk - walk (immediately after a pitching change) - 2 RBI single - RBI single - walk (bases loaded) - 3 RBI double - fly out - walk (Joe Sclafani, again) - line out.
Evan Marzilli - the player immediately ahead of Sclafani in the order, and also the lead-off hitter, made two of the outs on a ground out and a fly out. The big hit was a Taylor Featherston bases-clearing double from the nine-hole. Boom.
Sclafani was batting second and DH-ing. He had a very strong game: 2-3, 2xBB, 2B, 2R, RBI, K. On base four of five plate-appearances. Nice.
On the pitching side of the ledger, only Mitch Lambson made it into the game from the Astros prospects. He threw a scoreless inning, not allowing a baserunner and striking out one. He was relieved with one out to go in the game, with Enrique Burgos recording the final out.
Now there really is no baseball until Spring Training. Unless you count the MLB All-Stars in Japan. Hope they get a hit next game.
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
