It was just a few days ago that Laulu hit a game winning home run to dispatch J&B Painting to the loser’s bracket in a Winner’s Bracket quarterfinal.
As big a home run as that proved to be, the one against Hill United might be Laulu’s biggest ever. Certainly it was for the Toronto Gators, who last year came within 5 outs of dethroning Hill United, only to have the Chiefs rally and win their third consecutive ISC World Championship.
Hill United entered the 2016 World Tournament vying to tie the Long Beach Nitehawks as the only team to win four consecutive ISC World titles. After the tough loss, the Chiefs will now have to get past their other arch rival, the New York Gremlins, who just two weeks ago, won the 2016 ASA Men’s Major Championship, but fell to the Gators in their Winner’s Bracket semi-final Thursday night, 2-0.
With the win over Hill United, the Gators have proven — to themselves — that they have what it takes to beat two of the best teams in the tournament and the world.
The Game (Winner’s Bracket Final)
Friday night’s Winner’s Bracket final, the “unbeatens game” of the only two teams with a loss proved to be one of the most exciting, and not just because of Laulu’s dramatic home run. Hill United’s Chiefs had surrendered only one in two years, going into their Winner’s Semi against the Scarborough Force. The Force scored two runs in an 8-2 loss, but still a remarkable feat.
The Gators/Chiefs battle Friday night see-sawed all night long, with the Gators overcoming an early Chiefs lead to tie the game in the 4th, lose the lead in the 5th and retake it in the 6th, only to have the Chiefs rally in the 7th to tie the game and send it into extra innings.
1st inning – Chiefs 2, Gators 1
The Chiefs were once again the visitors, as it seems that they have been for all of the 2016 tournament, and as they’ve done so often, struck for first blood, scoring two on the first. Nick Shailes hit a 2 run homer, driving in Bradley Ezekiel. The Gators answered with one run, Ryan Boland scoring.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hill United Chiefs | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 10 | 0 | |
| Toronto Gators | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 11 | 0 |
2nd inning – Chiefs 4, Gators 2
The Gators extended their lead to 4-1, scoring two more in the second, Joel Southam hitting a 2 run homer with James Toddhunter aboard. The Gators again scored one run, Ben Enoka driving in brother Thomas.
3rd inning – Chiefs 4, Gators 3
With the Chiefs scoreless in the third, the Gators trimmed the lead to 4-3 on a Brad Rona solo home run.
4th inning – Tied at 4, Chiefs 4, Gators 4
The Chiefs failed to scored in the top of the 4th, while the Gators’ Ty Sebastian drove in the tying run, Dustin Houtz scoring.
5th inning – Chiefs 5, Gators 4
The see-saw tipped in the other direction in the 5th, with the Chiefs retaking the lead, on a Bradley Ezekiel solo home run.
6th inning – Gators 6, Chiefs 5
Again, the see-saw flipped, with the Gators taking their first lead of the game, 6-5, Ben Enoka scored on a wild pitch followed by another earned run by Aaron Trude.
7th inning – Gators 6, Chiefs 6
Bradley Ezekiel hit his second home run of the night, a solo shot to tie the game, with the game heading into extra innings when the Gators did not score
8th inning – Gators 6, Chiefs 6
The 8th inning was the only inning that neither team scored.
9th inning – FINAL – Gators 7, Chiefs 6
Reliever Migliavacca retired the first batter on a 1-3 putout. With one out, Wayne Lalu stepped to the plate. With a proven ability to rise to the occasion, Lalu hit the dramatic, walk off home run, propelling the Toronto Gators into the championship game, slated for 7PM CDT. The Shot Heard ‘Round the World.
One thing known to the Gators: whoever they face in the finals – will be a team that they have already beaten once. Will the NY Gremlins end the string of three consecutive world titles by the Chiefs to play the Gators for the 2016 title? Will the Chiefs rebound by beating the NY Gremlins for a chance at redemption against the Gators.
4PM CDT – Loser’s Bracket final: New York Gremlins vs. Hill United Chiefs
7PM CDT – Championship game: Toronto Gators vs. the winner of the game between the New York Gremlins and Hill United Chiefs.
History to be made by one of these three teams.
Click here to listen to the audio feed of the final two games. (Video down)
