Fantastic Finish to a Fantastic Regular Season

The long season ended with a long game, and as the headline reads the fantastic finish did indeed end a fantastic regular season. MBC came back twice to beat the Pine Lake Pilots 6-4 to finish the season 12-10 and keep their playoff hopes alive. At the time of this story league officials must be pouring over a myriad of tie breaker rules to determine the final seat to the eight team league playoffs.

Both teams were evenly matched. The Pilots came into the game holding on to the final playoff spot with a 12-9 record; MBC came into the game at 11-10. The Pilots had to win to get in, and MBC had to win to create league management chaos.

Tino Peleti threw seven wonderful innings but left with the game tied 4-4 after seven. Stuart Fairchild contributed two scoreless innings and was followed by Nick Reeves throwing two scoreless innings as well.

MBC fell behind 1-0 in the fifth in what was a defensive struggle up to that point. MBC roared back in the sixth inning.

Ben Thomson (2-5) got the ball rolling with a lead off single. Nick Reeves (2-5) then doubled down the line, but the Pilot left fielder made a super play to just nip Ben at third. The Pilots then gave strong hitting Tino Peleti (2-4) an intentional walk hoping to take their chances with Mitchell Smith (3-5 2RBI). WRONG MOVE! Mitchell laced a line drive over the shortstop’s head to tie the game. Campbell Queen (2-5 2RBI) followed with a single to put MBC ahead and Stuart Fairchild (2-5 2RBI) then singled to keep the ball rolling. With runners on first and third, Stuart and Campy pulled off a double steal to make it a 4-1 game.

Tino mowed the Pilots down in the sixth to maintain the lead, and then MBC went into a brief intermission in the bottom of the seventh to allow the Pilots to tie the game.

Oh it is just horrible when this game of baseball goes against you! It started with a strange hop that eluded our shortstop. Then either a sniper from the rooftop or a prairie dog hole in a rough outfield made a reliable left fielder disappear from under a routine fly ball. After a ground out it looked like MBC jut might pull it off until the next two Pilot hitters sent singles down the right field line where MBC players aint’ at. I mean you just cannot play people there.

Both teams traded threats and great plays for the next four innings, and I was beginning to wonder if the field had lights (and it started at 9:00 AM!) when MBC put it together.

Nick Reeves lead off the eleventh with a deep fly out to center field, a sign that the bats were coming alive. Tino Peleti then belted a deep one, but he hit is so far it went out of play and he was held to a ground rule double. The MAN of the day then came up big, Mitchell Smith (who by the way had the nerve to DENY that he relied on Coach Cougan’s most recent batting tip given to him prior to game time, imagine that; that is the thanks I get) sent yet another screamer past the Pilot shortstop (who was VERY GOOD by the way) to give MBC the go ahead run. After Campbell Queen’s hard hit grounder tied up the Pilot first baseman, Stuart Fairchild added an insurance run with another RBI single.

Braced with a two run lead, Nick Reeves went out to close the game. After a quick ground out a runner reached on an error, but this team DID NOT even think THERE WE GO AGAIN, no sir, they got the next batter on a slick game ending 4-6-3 double play.

Let the tie breaker logic begin!!!!!