The pitching for both the Gators and J&B was stellar. Two former teammates, both Canadians, Sean Cleary and Rob Schweyer were nearly perfect. Cleary tossed a one-hitter, striking out 14 without a walk. Schweyer surrendered just two hits while striking out 6.
But it was one swing — one big swing — of Wayne Lalu’s bat that made the difference in the game, a towering 300+ foot drive over both centerfield fences that provided the margin of victory for the Toronto Gators, Tuesday night against a very strong J&B Painting team from California. The final tally was 2-0, the final run scoring after Ben Enoka opened the 7th and scored on a wild pitch by reliever Tony Mancha. Important as it was as insurance for Cleary and the Gators, in the end, it proved to be superflous. The mighty Bambino, Wayne Lalu showed the world the power a single swing of the bat.
The Toronto Gators move on to a winner’s bracket semi-final Thursday night against arch rival the New York Gremlins, who won in similar fashion earlier in the evening, with a 3-0 win over the Vancouver BC (nee California) A’s.