Coming into Sunday’s ABL West championship matchup, McSwiggans Pub only had one loss on the entire season.  They finished with the best overall record and the juggernaut was the heavy favorite heading into the playoffs.  Their one loss, however, came against their divisional championship opponent, FS Hitmen. FS Hitmen earned the number two seed in the West, behind McSwiggans Pub, but lost 3 of their 4 regular season matchups.  Everything pointed to a McSwiggans Pub divisional title, but they would still have to execute to earn it.

            As the favorites and with the lofty expectations, it seemed as though all of the pressure in this matchup shifted to McSwiggans Pub.  FS Hitmen came out loose and with the plan to just have fun and fight until the end.  After taking a 6-0 lead after 2 innings of play, they realized that they had a shot to steal game one.  As expected, however, McSwiggans Pub would not go down without a fight.  Over the next 3 innings, they would cut the lead down to just 2 runs.  FS Hitmen would tack on an insurance run to go up by a score of 11 to 8 in the next inning.  McSwiggans mounted another comeback, battling back with 3 runs in the top of the 7th to tie the game.  After relinquishing their lead, FS Hitmen did not want to give McSwiggans Pub’s potent offense another chance.  They would load the bases with one out, and win the game on a walk-off sacrifice fly.

            The game one victory boosted FS hitmen’s confidence, but they knew that the day was not over.  The extreme heat and humidity was taking its toll on both teams, and this series would prove to be a true test of will.  After having their comeback staved off, McSwiggans Pub was officially in must-win mode with their incredible season on the line.  FS Hitmen, however, would do the unthinkable.  They came out swinging again, knocking in 4 runs in the very first inning.    McSwiggans Pub would scrap 2 runs together to cut the lead in half, but FS Hitmen answered back with an offensive explosion.  They knocked in 11 runs over the next two innings, while shutting out McSwiggans Pub.  Their strong defensive play continued behind equally as strong pitching performances.  FS Hitmen put themselves in position to end the day early with a 15-2 lead after three innings.  In a last-ditch effort, McSwiggans Pub would plate their third.  Needing one more run to extend the game, FS Hitmen would not concede this opportunity.  They shut the door and took the ABL West Division Championship in impressive fashion after a 15-3 mercy ruling in 4 innings.

            FS Hitmen would prove to be McSwiggans Pub’s kryptonite this year, handing them their only regular season loss and ending their season in a disappointing sweep. They took down the heavy favorite with a dominant performance on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.  FS Hitmen were the underdogs on this day, but did not play like it.  They were loose, having fun, and executing at a higher level.  The hustle was there from start to finish, and they just wanted it more.  Congratulations to McSwiggans Pub on a great season and battling hard in the playoffs, and congratulations to the ABL West Division Champions FS Hitmen.