Most teams tend to struggle during their first season in our league before we see some come into their own. More often than not, this lasts their whole first season, maybe more. For Seton Smash, however, they got it out of the way early and went on a late season tear. They struggled mightily out of the gate, starting 0-6 which included a pair of big losses to their championship opponent Outlaws. Another loss in interdivision play followed their first two wins. This one was looking to get away from them after a 3-7 start. Undeterred, Seton Smash fought back with a vengeance. They would finish the season on a 6 game win streak and move all the way into second place of the Eddie Murray Division.
Seton Smash didn’t stop there. They rode their moment into the playoffs and pulled off a series sweep of 3rd place finishers Angels in the Outfield. After being early season laughers, they smashed their way into the championship game. Their opponent? Outlaws, the last team to sweep them. Outlaws had an excellent season in their own right. They were the most dominant team throughout the season, finishing with an impressive 12-4 record and only having been swept once in a double header.
The championship game featured two of the best teams in our league as well as some of the best individual performers.
For Outlaws, this includes Eduardo Jacobo, who was among the league leaders in batting average, hits, RBI’s and homeruns; Ed Stolz, who finished among the league leaders in batting average, homeruns, and hits; Matt Reynolds, who was among the league leaders in hits, homeruns, and RBI’s; and Joe Tansey, who finished among the league leaders in hits and homeruns.
For Seton Smash, this includes James Donnelly and Kyle Baxter, who were both among the league leaders in hits, homeruns, and RBI’s; Saul Rosado, who finished among the league leaders in homeruns and RBI’s; and David Pasquarella, who was among the league leaders in hits.
As for the championship games themselves, we had two very different ball games. Game 1 saw Seton Smash jump out to an early 13-3 lead after just three innings of play. They had their opponent on the ropes with a chance to end this one early. However, you can never count out Outlaws with their potent offense. Outlaws won the next three innings 6-2 to get back in the game. There was no quit in this team, as they mounted their comeback in the seventh. Outlaws led the inning off with 4 straight hits, the big blow coming off the bat of Joe Tansey. Following an out, Ed Stolz cut the lead to just 15-13. Aggressive baserunner ended up hurting Outlaws, and they were only able to plate one more run, falling just short and losing a heartbreaker to Seton Smash by a score of 15-14.
Game 2 was all Seton Smash. They scored in every inning of the game and posted crooked numbers in all but the first inning. The offense led the way and the defense made some excellent defensive plays, which held the Outlaws offense in check in all but two innings. Left fielder David Pasquarella led the defense, which strategized to take away the deep ball, with a number of impressive catches. The offensive onslaught was led by Richard Marrero, who went 5 for 5 with 2 RBI’s, and Mark McConville, who went 4 for 5 with 5 RBI’s. Seton Smash was in total control of this one, as they took a lead in the third inning and never gave it up. They would complete the championship sweep by a score of 25-17.
Congratulations to both teams on a pair of excellent seasons and a hard fought matchup. Will these two teams return next season hungrier for more? May we have a rivalry brewing? Time will tell. We’d also like to extend an extra congratulations to Eddie Murray Division Champions Seton Smash in their first season in the league.
Tag(s): Home 2016 Men's Fall George Brett Division D'Anna Electric Angels in the Outfield Arsenal Bomb Squad FS Hitmen Indians NJ Expos Seton Smash Pocono Pirates Tainos Warriors Eddie Murray Division Adrenaline Rush Outlaws
