Tournament Update # 4
Champion Crowned
The first game of the 2018 MCBL Tournament finals was completed on Thursday evening at Blandair Park in Columbia, MD.
The Maryland Monarchs jumped out to a quick 3 run lead.....building it to 7-1..... when the game was interrupted on Wednesday by rain.
The defending champion Putty Hill Panthers didn't fold and mounted a late charge. In the eighth, the Panthers Jordan Moore doubled in 2 runs to bring the game closer at 7-3. In the ninth, the Panthers kept up the pressure as Syeed Mahti blasted a 3 run homer. However, the Monarchs were able to preserve a victory in game one......winning 10-6. Collen McCuliffe, Mack McKisson and Ed Nottingham all had 3 hits for the Monarchs with Ed driving in 3 runs on 2 doubles.
The second game of the finals commenced on Thursday night.......and the Panthers picked a bad time to go into a brief hitting slump. The Monarchs Cameron Clark pitched 7 innings and held all but two of the Panthers hitless. Jordan Moore and Syeed Mahti each had 2 hits for the Panthers. Syeed's leadoff triple in the seventh was the offensive highlight for the Panthers.
The game was scoreless until the Monarchs scored 3 runs in the fourth to take the lead. They then kept adding........2 runs in the fifth and 3 more in the sixth to pull away. Nick Torroella had 2 hits while Kevin Murray had 3 hits and scored 2 runs. Scott Huntley had 2 RBIs and scored 3 times. Mack McKisson had another multi-hit game. The offensive star for the Monarchs was Ed Nottingham who had yet another 3 hit game and had two more extra base hits with a double and a triple.
The Monarchs Phil Wugalter and Tayvon Smith combined to finish out the game and preserve the Monarch's 10-1 victory.
Except for the inaugural year of the tournament, no MCBL team has ever reached the finals in their first postseason experience.....until this year. The Monarchs were dominant in the tournament scoring 40 runs in 4 games and giving up only 11 runs.
Congratulations to the Monarchs, the Panthers and all the MCBL teams for another successful season. It was exciting and entertaining......and we're already thinking/planning for next year.
See ya at the ballfield !
