AL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

Blue Wave Run Wild In Opening Of Championship Series

Game 1
    The two top pitchers in the AL, Hoss Radbourn and Jack Taylor, squared off in game one of the League Championship series in Huntington Beach. The defense started off strong as Wagner robs Cepeda of a homerun in the top of the second, and EE returns the favor in the bottom of the inning as Frisch throws out Vaughan at the plate. In the 3rd with 2 outs, Collins walks and steals second, then comes home when a Keeler fly is muffed by Goslin. Baker helps pad that lead in the 3rd with a 2 run shot to make it 3-0.
    In the 6th it unravels as Wagner triples, Brouthers singles him home, Baker singles and steals second, Joe Jackson singles in Brouthers and Baker also scores when Goslin notches another miscue in the OF. Walsh relieves Taylor, but Sheckard greets him with another single to make it 7-0. That would be all Radbourn would need as he throws a gem, a 3 hit shutout to continue a stellar season. Blue Wave rabbits rack up 7 stolen to wear out Berra's arm.

EE: 0r 3h 2e
HB: 7r 8h 1e
W- Radbourn; L- Taylor
HR- Baker

Game 2
    Things begin ugly in the first inning as EE hurler Bosman sends a message by plunking Eddie Collins to start off the game, sidelining him for 6 days. Collins was also hit by Taylor in game one. HB sends a message via airmail in the 3rd, as Sheckard launches a dinger to put them on top. Medwick then walks, Keeler executes a perfect hit&run, steals second, and Wagner brings another run home with a sacrifice fly. More wood is on display in the 4th as Baker triples, Stovey doubles him in, and after a Jackson walk and Shreckengost sacrifice, Sheckard gets another ribbie on a groundout. Up 4-0, HB is cruising behind the shutout arm of Waddell.
    In the 6th with 2 outs, EE stirs things up when Cepeda singles and Goslin doubles him in. Aaron then hits one to 2nd that Wagner throws away (he had moved there to replace the injured Collins) and Goslin scores. Aaron is caught in a rundown though to end the threat that goes 2-6-4-5-6-5.
    In the 8th still up 4-2, Alexander relieves Allen and Hamilton greets him with a double. Grove then comes in relief only to uncork a wild pitch. Stovey makes a diving stop on a shot by Waner, but then Vance relieves and Cepeda singles to make it 4-3. HB has a chance to increase the lead again in the 8th when Jackson triples and Connor walks, but with 2 outs Sheckard strokes a sure hit single that hits Connor for the 3rd out.
    In the 9th for EE Aaron leads off with a single to put the tying run on. HB goes to stopper Holland who gets Berra to hit into a fielder's choice and strikes out Stephens. Frisch flies out to deep center to end a tight one. Baker's bat made up for his glove as he had 2 errors.

EE: 3r 7h 1e
HB: 4r 8h 3e
W- Waddell; L- Bosman; S- Holland

(B. Holbrook)

Walsh Keeps The Eclipse From Fading

Game 3
Game 3 had Mordecai "Three-Finger" Brown (HBB) pitted against Joe Boehling for E-town. What a pitching duel! Heading into the top of the 9th E-town lead the game 1-0. With two outs in that inning Joe "Ducky" Medwick slammed a line driver homer over the rightfield foul pole to tie the game at 1-1. The bottom of the 9th with 2 outs, Paul Waner walked followed by a double off the bat of Orlando Cepeda, Waner slipped by the play at the plate and the Eclipse pulled it out 2-1. By the way, Cepeda's hit was only Elizabethtown's second of the game.

HB: 1
EE: 2

Game 4
Game 4 was a little more of a back and forth affair. Jack Taylor pitched for the Eclipse and Ole Hoss Radbourne was up for the Blue Wave. Blue Wave scored two in top of the 3rd, followed by the Eclipse getting three in the bottom half of the same inning (aided by 1 error). Blue wave strike again for two more in the top half of 4th. Eclipse tied it with one in the 5th. The game went into extra innings with the Blue Wave pulling it out by scoring one in the top of the 10th.

HB: 5
EE: 4

Game 5
With their backs two the wall, E-town's Ed Walsh pitches a two-hit shutout and the Eclipse survive 2-0. Heading back to HB with a long road to haul... but still a chance....

HB: 0
EE: 2

Wagner Scores Again In BlueWave Series Win Over The Eclipse

Game 6
    In a tight series dominated by pitching, Phoenix sent Dick Bosman to face Huntington's Mordecai Brown, hard-luck loser of game 3. HBB struck in the first when 1Bman Connor smacks a solo shot to right with one out. Wagner and Vaughan stroke back-to-back doubles to make it 2-0.

    In the 2nd, a one-out walk to Simmons is cashed in for HBB as Keeler laces a triple to score him, though he labored around the bases. Brown is cruising along into the 4th when Hamilton legs out an infield single, the first hit for ELE. Hamilton moves to second on a passed ball, and on to third off a groundout, then scores on a sacrifice fly by Paul Waner.

    Duplicating the feat, in the 4th Keeler for HBB singles, steals second, advances to third on a groundout, then scores on a sacrifice fly by Wagner to put HBB up 4-1. The Eclipse threaten the deep bomb almost every inning, with Aaron, Cepeda & Co. sending Medwick to the warning track nearly every play. In the 7th, Boehling relieves Bosman for ELE, and Connor strokes a 2 out double off the wall in right-center, but is cut down on the relay at third trying to stretch it.

    The Huntington defense gets shaky in the 8th, as a throwing error by Vaughan at SS puts Goslin on at second. After advancing to third on a groundout, Goose scores when Berra doubles him in, only Elizabethtown's second hit. With the lead cut in half, Brown strikes out Stephens before giving way to Lefty Grove who induces Frisch to fly out and end the rally.

    In the BlueWave 8th, a walk and steal put HBB in position again, but Gossage comes out of the pen for the Eclipse to put out that fire. In the 9th with the score 4-2, Hamilton leads off with a deep long ball to the opposite field in left, only to see Joe Jackson make a great catch. Johnny Allen comes in to relieve Grove and gets Davis on a flyout. Down to perhaps their last at-bat of the season, ELE sends Paul Waner to the plate, and HBB counters with Dazzy Vance. Vance throws fireballs to strikeout Big Poison to end the game and move the BlueWave to their third visit to the World Series.

ELE: 2r 2h 0e
HBB: 4r 7h 1e
W- Brown; L- Bosman; S- Vance
HR- Connor

    HBB hit only .219 in the series against the arms of ELE, but HBB hurlers held the opposition to a measly .130 BA, and had a 1.17 ERA with 34 Ks and 6 BBs. Brown had 2 consecutive 2-hit starts, but Radbourn was again dominant going 2-0 with a 0.50 ERA in 18 IP and taking the series MVP. Coincidentally, Radbourn and Waddell's numbers were nearly identical in the series to what they did against ELE in the regular season: Radbourn 2-0, 0.50 ERA (season 2-0, 0.52 ERA) Waddell 1.88 ERA (season 1.88 ERA).

(B. Holbrook)