FROM
MYSTERY TO HISTORY Under the most unlikely of circumstances, the
mystery team, 8th seeded Dicks, survived a thriller in the semi-finals with a 17-16 win
over 4th seeded, Chico's Bail Bonds, and used a ten run sixth inning to put away the 6th
seed Smell the Glove in the finals and claim the Tuesday Co-ed Softball championship. December 4 - 7:00PM In the semi-finals, the surprising 8th seed, Dicks, played the fourth seeded Chico's Bail Bonds. The game was a classic, and a finalist for game of the year. The Dicks protected a two run lead in the bottom of the seventh to pull off a heartstopping win 17-16 win. In a tight contest, the Dicks came out strong, with six runs in the top of the first. At the end of two, the Dicks held a 6-2 lead and looked to really take control with three runs in the third. Entering the bottom of the inning, the score was 9-2. Chico's then started a comeback Capped by a three run homer by Todd Walker, CBB put up six runs and made the score 9-8 after three. After a scoreless fourth inning, the Dicks extended the lead to four entering the bottom of the fifth. Their three runs made the score 12-8. In the bottom of the inning, CBB started putting big pressure on the Dicks. Chico's scored seven runs in the bottom of the fifth and ended the inning with a 15-12 lead. With the tide seemingly having turned, the Dicks looked more like a champion than an eighth seed. Mike Francis led off the inning and five batters later, Brad Gifford came to the plate with the bases loaded and his team trailing by two. Gifford cleared the bases and gave the Dicks the lead again. The score was 17-15 in favor of the Dicks entering the bottom of the sixth. Chico's went down one, two, three in the bottom of the inning and the game went to the deciding seventh inning 17-15. In the seventh, both teams faced a moment of truth. In the top of the inning, the Dicks were unable to add to the lead. They left one runner on base and had to hold on against the top of the order for Chico's Bail Bonds. After a leadoff single, CBB scored one run and had runners on 2nd and 3rd with only one out. The tying run was sixty feet away and the game winning run was in scoring position. Dicks pitcher Mike Moriarity struck out the next batter and the game came down to one epic battle. With the winning runs on, Moriarity had to face Todd Walker. The count went full, and with a walk meaning the game would be tied, Moriarity got Walker to chase after a high pitch. Walker hit the ball about 1000 feet in the air. The Dicks must have had the hand of god knock the ball down, because Dicks outfielder Steve Wyatt was able to camp under the ball at the fence and record the final out. The crew that had been a mystery all season and seemingly underachieved had made CSA history by becoming the first play-in team and lowest seed ever to make it to a championship game December 4 - 9:00PM The championship game pitted two Cinderella teams. 6th seed Smell the Glove had advanced to the championship by eliminating the two seed, Widgets, in only three innings, 23-2. In the title game, both teams started slow. After two innings, the visiting Dicks led 4-3. They put up four more runs in the third and held an 8-4 lead entering the fourth inning. In the fourth, Joe Gifford started a rally for the Dicks that saw them bat around and plate six runs. After STG scored two runs in the bottom of the fourth, the game went to the final innings with the Dicks holding what seemed to be a commanding 14-6 lead. In the fifth Smell the Glove started turning the momentum. They got the Dicks out on three batters, including an inning ending 6-3 double play. They then sent nine batters to the plate in the bottom of the inning, scoring five runs and cutting the deficit to 14-11. The game had tightened and the championship would come down to the wire. In the sixth, the Dicks closed the door. Brad Gifford led off the sixth, and when the top of the inning was over, the Dicks had sent 14 batters to the plate and scored 10 runs. This gave them an insurmountable 13 run lead. Needing only to hold Smell the Glove to less than four runs in the bottom of the inning, the Dicks bent, but did not break and when Lori Greene squeezed the final out on a force at second base, the Dicks had made more history. In a historical performance, no one player was exceptionally responsible for the victory so the entire Dicks squad was selected as Championship Game MVP. DICKS
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