The National Guard Hummers knocked off the former champs, the Seaborne Stealers, in a dominating 14-4 deciding game Thursday at the D.C. Canegata Ball Park to win the 2012-2013 championship of the Bob Owens Slow Pitch Softball League.
The Hummers came into the night as the only undefeated team in the playoffs, which meant they only had to win one game to take the title in the double elimination tournament. The Stealers would have to win two games on Thursday against the regular season champs to realize their dreams of a repeat championship.
At first it looked good for the underdogs, as the Stealers took the first game of the night, a 17-13 nail biter, to force a decisive game two.
But the second game was all Hummers. Behind the pitching of ace Stanley Jones they sent the Stealers packing after only five innings, by way of the 10-run mercy rule, to wrap up their first league championship.
Stealers 17, Hummers 13
The Stealers forced a deciding game on Thursday by pulling out a gritty 17-13 victory over Hummers in the first game.
The Stealers scored their 17 runs on 20 hits and three errors, while the Hummers finished with 13 runs on 16 hits and three errors. The winning pitcher was Sam Ramos; Jones got the loss for the Hummers.
Top batters for the stealers were Brooks who had three hits, a home run and three RBIs in his four at-bats, and Raymond Cintron, 3 of 4 with a home run and three RBIs. For the Hummers, Deshawn Brown was 3 of 4 with a home run and three RBIs, and Mario Christian was 2 for 3 with two RBIs.
Hummers 14, Stealers 4
In game two the Hummers left little doubt as to who would be crowned the 2012-2013 Bob Owens Slow Pitch Softball League champions. The made short work of the Stealers, hammering them 14-4 in five innings by way of the 10-run mercy rule.
The victory set off a wild celebration among the Hummers and their fans in middle of the infield, with champagne and apple cider spurting in the air and on each other.
Jones rebounded from the earlier loss to keep the powerful Stealers lineup in check, allowing just the four runs and earning the championship-clinching victory on the mound. Ramos took the loss. The Hummers finished with 14 runs on 16 hits and four errors while the Hummers had four runs on nine hits and five errors. Top batters for the Hummers were Christian, hottest hitter in the tournament with two hits, both home runs, and six RBIs in just two plate appearances. Mervin Mills also went 2 for 2 with a home run and four RBIs.
The Bob Owens Slow Pitch Softball League will start anew on Tuesday with the experimental one-pitch league.
In this league, the pitcher throws only one pitch to the plate and batter has to decide whether it is a ball or a strike and react accordingly. All of the teams from the regular league – Set It Off, Stealers, Hummers, Benjay Lumberjacks, Collanni & Collanni Enforcers, and the Anchor Dive Pirates will participate.
