Mills Tavern also dominated the offensive leaderboards.  Alex Bially tied for 1st place in hits and homeruns, placed 1st in total bases, tied for 4th in RBI’s, finished 10th in batting average, and ended in 5th place for slugging percentage.  Rob Lennon tied for 8th in hits, tied for 5th in homeruns, finished 6th in total bases, placed 7th in RBI’s, and tied for 6th in walks.  Dan Lyons also tied for 8th in hits.  Jimbo Mills tied for 5th in homeruns along with teammate Rob Lennon, finished 7th in total bases, and tied for 10th in RBI’s.  Caity Young led the league in walks.  10th & Willow boasts players with some impressive numbers as well.  Chris Dunne finished 3rd in hits and Tim Knapp finished 8th in batting average.  Don’t expect to see any of the always aggressive 10th & Willow batters in the walks leaders though.  It was fun to see the clash between two opposite plate approaches: patience versus aggressive.  (Note: These standings are league-wide and based on a 10 at bat minimum.)

            Both teams impressed from the mound as well.  Jim Pilla of Mills Tavern finished 4th in WHIP, 5th in walks allowed, tied for 5th in strikeouts, tied for 5th in homeruns allowed, and 9th in ERA.  10th & Willow had two pitchers represented in the leaderboards.  Keith Taylor tied for 9th in strikeouts, placed 9th in WHIP, tied for 8th in homeruns allowed, finished 10th in ERA, and ended in 5th place for hits allowed.  Ryan Reder finished 5th in ERA, tied for 9th in walks allowed, placed 7th in WHIP, and finished 1st in hits allowed.  (Note: These standings are league-wide and based on a 25 innings pitched minimum.)

            As expected, the game was a tight, hard fought battle between two great teams.  10th & Willow put the pressure on early and pulled out to an early 2-0 lead.  Mills Tavern really struggled at the plate for the first half of the game.  However, they would break out of their slide in a big way.  After giving up 2 runs in the 1st, Mills Tavern shut down the 10th & Willow offense for 5 straight innings.  They cut the lead in half in the 3rd inning and the bats would start to come alive in the 5th.  Mills Tavern took a 4-2 lead into the 6th.  10th & Willow tried to scratch their way back with a run in the top of the 7th, but Mills Tavern answered quickly with 2 more runs in the bottom of the frame.  10th & Willow came back to tie the game at 6 in the top of the 8th, but this would be short-lived.  Mills Tavern fired right back with 4 runs in the bottom of the 8th, their highest scoring inning of the game, and shut the door on their opponent in the 9th.

            After scoring just 1 run in the first 4 innings, Mills Tavern broke out for 9 runs over their final 4 offensive innings.  The pitching and defense kept them in the game long enough for the bats to wake up, including 2 double plays.  Brandon Marucci of 10th & Willow went a game best 4 for 4 at the plate including a team high 2 RBI’s and 2 runs scored, helped by his 2-run homerun in the 1st.  Chris Dunne finished 3 for 4 on the night and Nicole Falgiano would go 2 for 3.  For Mills Tavern, Jimbo Mills posted game highs in runs and RBI’s at 3 apiece, aided by his 2 homeruns.  Jim Pilla led the team with his 3 for 4 effort at the plate and his performance on the mound.

            Both teams fought hard and showed the heart and desire required to win a championship.  The defensive battle turned into a late offensive thriller, and 10th & Willow would come up just short.  They couldn’t scrap out one more win, and Mills Tavern, the most dominant team in the league, would seal the deal and come away victorious.  Congratulations to both teams for their great seasons and an extra congratulations to new champions Mills Tavern.