I got to this game 30 minutes late. When I arrived, NJ had scored EIGHT in the top of the 1st (I understand a grand slam was involved), and the game was in a delay to attend to 137's Ronnie Shaban, who had injured his ankle sliding into second base in the bottom of the inning. Not an auspicious start, considering Shaban is probably the team's best hitter, and was undoubtedly on tap to pitch the last innings of this game.
But in the bottom, Chris Ayers hit a 2-run HR, Chris Hardee hit a 3-run homer, and suddenly it was 8-5. What followed was a battle to see who had anyone left who could get batters out. Hardee, followed by Nick Abrahamson, got 137 through 6 2/3 in relief of 137's starter. By that time, it was 12-12!
That got the game to Blake Hauser, who probably should not have been pitching after going roughly 110 pitches on Saturday. But he had enough left in the tank to shut 'em down the rest of the way, though he did leave the bases loaded at the end.
But it wasn't a nail biter by then, because 137 put up an 8-spot of its own in the bottom of the 8th to blow them out. Ayers singled in the go-ahead run. Dustin Sollars just missed a grand slam, settling for a sac fly for what appeared to be a key insurance run. After the bases re-loaded, Hauser tripled to the CF wall to make it 17-12, and Ryan Parker finished it off with a 2-run HR to make the final 20-12.
137 advances to the Legion World Series, somewhere in NC starting this weekend.
Not sure what happens next. Shaban was seriously hobbled all game; he finally left for a pinch runner after walking aboard in the big 8th inning. He's supposed to start at Va. Tech Tuesday, and I'm sure he's not the only player whose college (and college team) is expecting him this week. I guess they'll start over the weekend and see how it goes?
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