Superior League Championship Series: Game 7

Charlotte sends 22 year old rookie Felix Reyes to the mound, and Utah goes with 40 year old Tom Groovine.

Charlotte scores first when Jacen Solo reaches on a Lou Zamuda throwing error, steals second, and scores on a single by his brother Anakin. Jason Blaylock homers in the 2nd to tie the score. Utah takes a 2-1 lead as Ryan Ballard homers in the 6th. In the 7th with one out, Tommy Miller singles and manager Mark Roberts sends in pinch runner Gumby Reese. Reese steals 2nd and 3rd, and clearly getting into Groovine’s head, Tom throws a wild pitch to allow Reese to score. Groovine gets the next two hitters, but in the eight, Charlotte again gets a speedy 1 out baserunner as Jacen Solo singles and steals 2nd and 3rd. Anakin drives him in with a deep drive to center for a sac fly and a 3-2 Charlotte lead.

Reyes pitched a strong 7 innings, allowing 6 hits, one walk, and two runs, and left with a chance at another series ending win as the Hawks went to the bullpen. In the bottom 8th, Frank Lewis singled with one out off Tom Borgula, and Battletrap pinch ran with Romulo Vizcaino. Lou Zamuda lifted a pop fly to center, and Sergio Perez dropped it for an error, Vizcaino going to third. Ryan Ballard singled to tie the game before Charlotte went to Javier Cavazos. Jason Gonzalez struck out and Jason Blaylock flew out to left to end the inning.

All tied up at 3, heading to the 9th inning. Again with one out, Mike Connor tripled to center. Ed Klutts singled through a drawn in infield, but Tom Groovine stayed in the game and had enough to strike out Ruben Carter and Fidel Duenas.

Charlotte closer Rob Porter took the mound in the bottom 9th, 3 outs away from the world series, and tried to silence the deafening Ute crowd. Leading off was 40 year old Kermit Holmes, the great leadoff hitter of the legendary Ute championship teams. Holmes will retire after the season, and could be taking the last at bat of his Hall of Fame career. Holmes could not get things started, and grounded out to Jacen Solo.

Catcher Jim Sanchez was next, and hits a slow roller to shortstop Duenas. Fidel tried to scoop and throw in one motion, but couldn’t get a handle on it and Sanchez was safe, representing the tying run. Jayson Thomas, a speedy backup outfielder, came in to run. Utah tries the hit and run, and Del Holdsworth executes perfectly, chopping the ball to short and through for a single as Duenas broke towards second to cover the bag.

With runners at the corners and one out, Doug Dodson worked the count to 3 and 2 before taking a pitch that looked low, but was called strike 3. Charlotte was now only one out away from the world series, and batting next was not Frank Lewis, but the whiff happy Nick McConroy since Lewis had been removed for a pinch runner earlier. McConroy shocks the crowd by blooping a hit into left field to tie the game and bring up none other than Lou Zamuda.

With the crowd screaming louder than ever, a mix of “Ute” and “Lou”, Porter left a fastball about belt high, and Lou Zamuda send it far, deep, and way out to the second deck in right field, bringing Utah once again to the World Series.

13 fans happily gave their lives cheering for the Utah win, dieing of burst lungs.