The table was set Monday night, as the two best co-ed teams in ABL faced off for the 2015 Hoboken Spring A Championship.  Louise & Jerry’s and Onieals Tribe had only met one time previously.  The result was a Louise & Jerry’s 9-4 win in the first half of the season.  However, both teams had now hit their stride and faced off with their seasons and the championship on the line.

            Onieals Tribe came out hot, plating 4 runs in the top of the 1st and jumping to a 5-1 lead after two innings of play.  Louise & Jerry’s stiffened up the defense and held their opponent without a run over the next two innings, giving them the opportunity to get back into the game.  The offense would seize that opportunity, scoring 3 runs and cutting the lead to just 1 run.  Onieals Tribe did not come all of this way just to roll over though.  Their defense and pitching would step up to the surge by Louise & Jerry’s, holding them scoreless in the bottom of the 4th and the 5th.  The offense, meanwhile, was able to tack on 2 more much needed insurance runs.  With the 7-4 score more than half way through the game, it was now or never for Louise & Jerry’s.  As was the case all season, this team had no quit.  They were positive, confident, and consistently picking each other up.  With their backs against the wall, Louise & Jerry’s would step up at both ends in the biggest of stages.  The offense came back to life, scoring 5 runs over the next three innings including 3 runs to take the lead in the 7th.  The defense and pitching would not be outdone.  They stymied Onieals Tribe’s potent offense the rest of the way.  They stunned their opponent and would not relinquish another run, taking the championship by a score of 9-7 in 9 innings.

            As expected, both powerhouses fought hard and gave it their all.  Both put forth a great performance in all aspects, which produced a great game.  Each team had to battle some adversity and hold off surges by the other team.  Neither team was going to give this championship away, it needed to be earned.  Louise & Jerry’s did just that.  Both teams played a clean game fielding, combining for only 3 errors.  Both pitchers did an excellent job of forcing their opponent to beat them, surrendering just 2 walks combined.  Both teams batted over .300 as well, with Louise & Jerry’s batting over .400.  Despite this, Onieals Tribe seemed to be in control of the game most of the way.  It was the long ball, though, by Louise & Jerry’s that kept them in the game and ultimately put them over the top.  The 2 homeruns each by Chris Lyons and Anthony Muccioli, with a 5th homerun added by Ted Serro, overpowered the two combined by Eric Sossin and Justin Flayer of Onieals Tribe.

            Louise & Jerry’s exhibited their high powered offense and a stout defense behind excellent pitching on this night.  They put it all together and were able to earn themselves a championship.  They faced a tough task in Onieals Tribe, but proved that they were ready.  When it mattered most, the team came through in the clutch and proved why they had been the best team in the league all season.  Congratulations to Onieals Tribe on a great season and battling hard throughout the playoffs, and congratulations to the 2015 Hoboken Spring A Champions Louise & Jerry’s.