FIGHT TO THE FINISH

“Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face.”
- Mike Tyson

Those were the words that Coach Solomon offered up to his team just minutes before the third and deciding game of the SLAM semifinals against a spirited and confident KPF team on Thursday. What else could he say to his team following the stunning results (to him at least) of Game 2? The HMBA/RAMSA team had never experienced a beat down like that before - and truly no one could say for certain how the team would react--not even their supremely confident pitcher.

Despite a hostile crowd, complete with posters, cow bells and Principals of the firm to cheer on the visiting team, Game 1 of the semifinals doubleheader against KPF began rather favorably for the two-time champions. HMBA/RAMSA jumped out to an early 4-0 lead thanks to the help of 4 straight in the first inning. The lead would be extended to 5 in the very next inning thanks to 3 more hits, and the game would end in only an hour by the score of 5-1. Lost in the shuffle of the victory was the fact that KPF's pitcher, Michael Linx, was settling in after a rough start. In the final 4 innings of the game, he allowed only 2 hits, and retired the final 10 batters he faced. But there was not a single player who was prepared for what happened in Game 2.

Unphased by the Game 1 results, KPF jumped out to a quick lead 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning; but the real damage came in the second inning. It would fair to call it the ugliest inning of softball the HMBA/RAMSA team had played in a decade - and it was only magnified by the fact that it happened in the playoffs. 8-9 hits, a pair of walks, and 4-5 errors later, KPF had put up an 8-spot in the inning to take a 9-0 lead. To put this in perspective, HMBA/RAMSA only allowed 27 runs in 11 games this season, and never allowed 8 in any game all season long (let alone an inning). The next five innings were spent avoiding the mercy - which we barely did - in losing 10-0 to a very worthy opponent. As impressive as the offense was, it was the pitching performance by Linx that left a mark on the reeling champions (and this blogger): 7 innings pitched, two hits allowed, no walks and he faced one over the minimum number of batters. No runner ever reached third base. And when you couple that performance with the final 4 innings of the first game, it was nothing short of a brilliant 11 inning stretch.

The humbling results of Game 2 made the aforementioned Tyson quote seem only appropriate as both teams took the field at Hecksher for a deciding Game 3.  As they did in Game 1, HMBA/RAMSA got on the board first in the second inning thanks to a clutch 2-out hit by Holly Kunz with runners on first and third. (she would later get the game ball for finally breaking the Linx Jinx). HMBA/RAMSA was able to extend to a 2-0 lead thanks to a defensive lapse in the 3rd. But the cow bells, the posters and the Principals would not quit as KPF responded in the top of the 4th with a pair of bombs by Michael Bentley and Michael Linx that gave KPF a 3-2 lead and renewed energy

But the offense of the Orange Crush would not be silienced on this day as they responded with 3 runs of their own in the bottom of the 4th, and another pair in the bottom of the 5th to extend the lead to 7-3. KPF refused to go away quietly though as they took their final at bats in top of 7th. Feeling the effects of the previous 20 innings pitched in the week, the usually reliable and admitted exhausted HMBA/RAMSA pitcher struggled to find the strike zone in the 6th and 7th inning. And when he did managed to throw a strike, KPF smacked the ball all over the field. After leadoff hitter Bryan Frank's deep sac fly, KPF had cut the lead to 7-6 with runners on first and second base and two outs in the inning. The final out did not come easy as defending defensive player of the year Dan Sykes had to work his magic to end the game.

It was a series that truly neither team deserved to lose. And if you ask anyone in orange they will likely confess that we did not win the series, we survived it.  I tip my cap to everyone on the KPF side--players, principals and cow bell ringers--for a brilliant semifinals series.

And so, for the fourth straight season HMBA/RAMSA heads to the SLAM Finals looking to become the first three-peating champion since 2000 (when FXF won their fourth in a row).  The opponent (either GA/TPG) will be determined on Monday evening - weather permitting - with the Finals to begin shortly there after.  One thing is clear, however, after last week's festivities:  the defending champions can take a punch - and still have plenty of fight left in the tank.

Leave No Doubt.