2019 MCBL Tournament Concludes

 

For the fifth year in a row, the #1 seeded team faced the #2 seeded team in the MCBL Postseason Tournament finals.  And just like in 2018, the #1 Maryland Monarchs faced the #2 Putty Hill Panthers.

 

The Maryland Monarchs had just concluded one of the very best regular seasons in MCBL history.  Using Sabermetrics, they ranked as the third best team out of 117 previous teams.  

 

Just as they had done in 2018, the first seeded Monarchs advanced  to the finals by eliminating their semi-final opponent, the Rockville Express, in two games by scores of 7-1 and 12-2. 

 

The second seeded Putty Hill Panthers had also concluded a very solid regular season and made it to the finals also with a sweep by beating the Baltimore Chop by scores of 8-4 and 12-8.

 

The Monarchs were looking to become only the second team ever to win back-to-back MCBL Tournament Championships.   The Panthers, however, made sure they had something to say about that.

 

In the first game of the best-of-three finals, the Monarchs jumped out to an early 2-0 lead on the first inning RBIs by Kavi  Caster and Mack McKisson.   Led by Brady Helinski, the Panthers pitching then held them scoreless the rest of the way.  Putty Hill scored 5 runs on 5 consecutive hits in the third inning and then cruised to a 5-2 victory. 

 

In the second game, it was the Panther who stole a page out of the Monarchs playbook and took the early lead.  Jared Mouton scores 3 times for Putty Hill, while Aronne Dutton and Trent Culver each had 2 RBI.   For the second game in a row, Travis Weaver and Cory Poulsen came in at the end of the games to throw a scoreless inning each to close out the championship game with the Panthers winning 6-4.

 

The tournament victory was the 3rd in the career of Putty Hill manager Pete Karsos, who is a charter member of MCBL .

 

Congratulations go out to Putty Hill, the Maryland Monarchs and to all the 2019 MCBL playoff teams!!  

 

See ya in 2020 !!