Slingers saw their opponent jump to a 5-2 lead by the 4th inning and that deficit was extended to 10-6 by the middle of the 9th.  Backs against the wall, their odds of winning looked bleak.  However, there was absolutely no quit in this team.  Slingers battled at the plate and stormed back in the bottom of the ninth, plating 5 in the half inning and stealing victory at the hands of defeat.  The walk-off win capped off one of the greatest comebacks in league championship history.  It was fueled by the bats of Steve Chrysanthis, Jason Orr, and James Amadeo who combined for 9 of 12 at the plate and 5 of the teams 9 RBI’s.  Ryan Hall added a home run and Slingers also saw RBI contributions from Danny Miller, Jesse Daunno, and Alicia Mattiello.  The win came at the expense of an all-star effort from Keith Shaffer of Pier 13 Pirates, who went 4 for 5 at the plate including 2 homeruns.  He was a one man wrecking crew, but his team would come up just short.

            Louise & Jerry’s jumped on Mills Tavern early, scoring all 9 of their runs in the first 4 innings of play and taking a 9-2 lead over that period.  Like Slingers, Mills Tavern would not go down without a fight.  After all, there was a reason that they made it to this championship game.  They would scratch and claw their way back into it, scoring 3 runs in each of the bottom of the 5th and 7th innings.  Mills Tavern cut the lead to 9-8 after 7 innings, but just could not get over that hump.  Louise & Jerry’s would shut the door on their opponent, ending the comeback bid and winning the championship by that final score.  Louise & Jerry’s saw contributions up and down the lineup, but Jude Bracken stole the show with his 4 for 4 effort at the plate that included a homerun and 2 RBI’s.  Homeruns also came off the bats of Rob Delfino, Chris “Cutty” Lyons, and Tony Muccioli.  The trio combined for 7 of 10 at the plate with 6 RBI’s.  John Scafidi and Monique Berisher also went 3 for 4 and 2 for 4 batting respectively.  Mills Tavern saw homeruns from sluggers Dan Lyons, Alex Bially, and Dave Wasserman.  Wasserman went 4 for 5 at the plate, including his solo shot, and Bially added 3 for 5 hitting with 5 RBI’s.

            The summer season came down to two nail-biters, but it was the league mainstays in Louise & Jerry’s and Slingers that would come away victorious.  Spectators sure got a show for these championship matchups, with a pair of 1-run thrillers.  Congratulations for the hard fought battles put forth by each of these four teams.  Talent and heart certainly was not lacking on the field in these games.  Unfortunately, only two could be crowned this time around.  Congratulations to Louise & Jerry’s and Slingers for adding to their league titles!