SEASON 4 WORLD SERIES

Game 1
In the 6th Childs for PFL gets on board on an error, then comes home on a wild-pitch with 2 outs to score the game's only run. (Script available)

HBB: 0r 7h 2e
PFL: 1r 3h 0e
W- Tanana
L- Radbourn
S- Koch

Game 2
In a see-saw game HBB ties it in the 8th and it goes into extra frames. Bonds for PFL unties it with a 2-run blast in the bottom of the 13th. (Script available)

HBB: 4r 13h 3e
PFL: 6r 10h 1e
W- Vaughn
L- Grove
HR- Gehrig; Baker; Bonds

(no write-up)

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Game 3
Down 2-0 in the series, Huntington returns to the beach for the middle set. In the bottom of the 3rd, Joe Jackson triples and Eddie Collins hits a sacrifice fly to plate him to put HBB up 1-0. In the 6th, with 2 outs HBB begins a rally as Vaughan WALKS, and Brouthers triples him in. Billy Wagner relieves starter Millwood for PFL, and Baker greets him with a 2-run shot off the right foul pole to put HBB up 4-0. After a Kelly pinch-hit single, on a hit-n-run single by Simmons sends Kelly plateward, but the Pinson-Childs-Freehan relay pegs him at home.

In the bottom of the 8th with 1 out Vaughan WALKS again, then after 2 outs Koch comes in to relieve Wagner. Baker greets him with a single to plate Vaughan, and then steals second. Donlin strikes out to seemingly end the inning, but Fisk lets the ball get away and Donlin is safe at 1st. Given new life he promptly steals second, and then pinch-hitter Connor doubles to complete the scoring at 7-0. Mordecai Brown tosses 3-hit ball over 8 innings, and 4 relievers mop up in the 9th to give the Blue Wave their first victory in this series.

PFL: 0r 3h 1e
HBB: 7r 10h 0e
W- Brown
L- Millwood
HR- Baker

Game 4
Radbourn comes into this game seeking some redemption after his tough loss in game 1, facing Grimes. Vaughan leads off the bottom of the 2nd with a WALK, and Medwick triples to plate him. Joe Jackson follows with a SF to put HBB on top 2-0. In the bottom of the 3rd, Collins leads off with a WALK, steals second, and then with 2 outs scores on a single by Wagner.

Phoenix gets on the board via air-mail as Schmidt launches one to left to close it to 3-1. HBB gets the run back in the 5th, as Collins singles, steals second, and comes home on a single by Keeler. They add another in the 6th, as with 2 outs Baker WALKS, and Medwick doubles him in. Radbourn tosses another 3-hitter, but this time he strikes out 7 and comes away with the victory.

PFL: 1r 3h 0e
HBB: 5r 6h 0e
W- Radbourn
L- Grimes
HR- Schmidt

Game 5
With the series now tied 2-2, game 5 would be a nail-biter as Lefty Grove took the mound against Garcia. Phoenix strikes first in the 2nd as Reggie Smith singles, Bonds doubles and Dunlap hits a SF to score a run. Garcia had HBB baffled and blanked until the 7th, when with 1 out Brouthers doubles. Sheckard comes in to pinch-hit for Medwick, and hits a grounder that SS McKean boots to put runners on 1st and 2nd. HBB has Magee pinch-run for Brouthers at 2nd, but Baker lines out. With 2 outs Connor is sent in to pinch-hit for Schreckengost, and as he did in game 3, he rips a double down the right field line to score 2 and put HBB up 2-1.

Committing the cardinal sin, Grove WALKS Dunlap to lead off the 8th. Pinson comes in to pinch-run, but Grove beans McKean to put 2 on with no outs. Grove bears down and induces Gehrig to ground into a double-play. With Pinson now on 3rd and Schmidt at the plate, HBB counters with righty Vance. Schmidt wins the battle by sending a bloop single to left, and Pinson comes into tie it 2-2.

The game goes to the bottom of the 9th, where reliever Wagner of PFL WALKS lead-off man Sheckard. After stealing 2nd, Koch comes into squelch the fire. Instead the flames are fanned as a Baker grounder is thrown away by McKean (his 3rd error in 3 games) that allows Sheckard to come around and score the winning run.

PFL: 2r 4h 2e
HBB: 3r 5h 0e
W- Vance; L- Wagner

Game 6
Back in Phoenix down 3 games to 2, the Forever Living sent out Kevin Millwood against HB hurler Mordecai "Three-finger" Brown in a rematch of game 3 starters. Phoenix patience got them going early in the bottom of the 1st as Childs led off with a walk, stole second, and then Gehrig drew another walk. Playing it safe, big man F. Robinson sacrificed them over and Childs came home on a Rosen sacrifice fly to put PFL up 1-0. HBB got even in the 3rd when Sheckard led off with a double, pitcher Brown flashed some speed with a bunt single, and Sheck came home on a double-play grounder by Collins.

In the 4th Huntington mounted a 2 out rally when Brouthers singled, Baker doubled him in, and then Simmons doubled Baker in to put HB on top 3-1. Sheckard followed with a single but lead-foot Simmons was held up at 3rd. In a tense moment Brown was drilled with a pitch to load the bases, but Collins flew out to Veach at the wall to stop the damage.

PFL came right back in the bottom of the frame and took advantage of HB miscues. Robinson walked and stole 2nd, and playing it safe again slugger Rosen sacrificed him to 3rd. Veach then hit a grounder that Vaughan threw away, plating Robinson and Veach winding up on 2nd. McKean then pops it up behind the plate, but Simmons barely misses catching it as it goes into the crowd. They will wish they had gotten that one as McKean smacks the next Brown offering over the fence to put PFL up 4-3.

It stayed that way until the 6th when Brouthers legged out an infield single. After Baker reached on a fielder's choice, Simmons executed the hit & run to put runners on the corners with one out. Sheckard ripped a fastball off of Millwood into center that tied the score 4-4, and runners ended up on 2nd and 3rd when Veach couldn't stick a fork in the ball. Mordecai Brown, obviously feared at the plate as well as on the mound, reached base for the 3rd straight time as he was intentionally walked to load them up. Eddie Collins, having a poor series, came up clutch with a single to bring two runs in and give HB a 6-4 lead. On a Keeler grounder Brown was plucked at home, but with 2 outs Wagner singled to bring Collins in and make it 7-4. Tanana then relieved Millwood to stop the bleeding.

In the 8th, having done his job pitching and at bat, Brown was relieved by Holland for HBB. With one out Gehrig pounced on a change-up and deposited it over the wall. Holland then struck out Robinson but with 2 outs walked Rosen and he came home on a double down the line by Veach to make it 6-7. Spahn in relief blanked the Wave and kept it a one-run game going into the bottom of the 9th. Pinson led off with a single off of Holland to put the tying run on. Fisk came in to pinch-hit for Freehan, and trying to capture some of his earlier play-off magic launched one down the right field line. Looking as if that one stroke would send the series to a game 7, the Phoenix crowd's electricity was zapped by Sheckard as he made a leaping catch in the corner. Still with hope, Reggie Smith batted for Spahn but flew out. Childs hit a come-backer to Holland that ended the game, the series and the season.

HBB: 7r 15h 1e
PFL: 6r 5h 3e
W- Brown; L- Millwood; S- Holland
HR- McKean, Gehrig

Huntington Beach Blue Wave defeat the Phoenix Forever Living 4 games to 2 to win their 2nd RTCBL championship. Jimmie Sheckard was definitely the player of the game, but the series MVP goes to Frank Baker who was strong throughout the play-offs and hit .333 in the series with 2 HR, 6 runs scored, 6 RBI, and 3 stolen bases. Huntington hurlers held the mighty Phoenix bats at bay to the tune of a .144 BA. HBB caps off an incredible season that saw them win a record 129 games and bat an astounding .310 as a team. Their speed was evident as they also led the league with a record 112 triples and 313 stolen bases.

(B. Holbrook)