Final: Hill United Chiefs 8, Scarborough Force 2
Thursday’s nightcap will pit the # 1 ranked team in the world, the 3-time defending champions, the Hill United Chiefs against the # 4 ranked Scarborough Force.
Hill United smoked Circle Tap in their quarterfinal match-up Wednesday night, handing them a 10-0, 5 inning drubbing. Circle Tap had played well to get to this game, but was never in this one.
Bradley Ezekiel hit the Joe Goodall’s first pitch of the game over the left centerfield fence for a home run and the Chiefs offense kept the pedal down the rest of the night. Circle Tap didn’t have much in the way of options, with their other ace, Sebastian Gervasutti out after taking a hard line drive off the shin in an earlier game. Goodall had to grin and bear it, surrendering 10 runs on 8 hits. Nick Shailes, Jason Hill, and Jason Sanford also homered for the Chiefs and Mark Johnson kept up his torrid hitting, with a single, double and 3 RBI. Hill’s Adam Folkard took a 5 spot to the circle his first inning and was not pressed, tossing an 11 strikeout one hitter for the win.
The Scarborough Force had a much more difficult path to the Winner’s Bracket Semi-final, edging the A-1 Bombers, 4-3 in their quarterfinal win. The Force jumped out to a 3-0 lead, only to have the Bombers come back to tie the game at 3.
The Scarborough Force had a much more difficult path to the Winner’s Bracket Semi-final, edging the A-1 Bombers, 4-3 in their quarterfinal win. The Force jumped out to a 3-0 lead, only to have the Bombers come back to tie the game at 3. Gilbert Saenz of the Bombers homered in the bottom of the third to trim the lead to 3-1. In the 4th, a homer by the Bombers’ Tyler Dudley cut the lead to 3-2, then Scott Nehaj doubled home Marshal Kronk to tie the game.
Scarborough let a golden opportunity get away as A-1’s Devon McCullough gave way to Jorge Segura in the 5th with the bases loaded. Segura got out of the jam through, as Bombers’ third baseman, Derrick Kennedy teamed up with catcher Freddy Carmona for a nifty 5-2-5 double play, Carmona catching Andy Skelton off the third base bag.
The Force managed to regroup though, and scratch for one more run in the 6th. Bryan Johnson singled, stole second, advanced on a wild pitch and came around to score the game winner.
Scarborough’s Juan Potolicchio pitched only three innings, as Donnie Scott, showing the poise of his prime scattered four hits over four shutout innings for the win.
The Force did not commit any errors in the field Wednesday night, but mental mistakes like the baserunning error must be eliminated if they are to be able to beat a team like the Hill United Chiefs, who make opponents pay for every mistake.
The winner of tonight’s contest will face the winner of the other Winner’s Bracket between the Toronto Gators and New York Gremlins.
Both Winner’s Bracket Semi-Finals will be carried LIVE on the ISC Network with full commentary by the broadcast crew. Click the logo below to watch.
