Titans Set to Clash for Pennant

The Murrayfield and Grant Red Barons and Auburn Station Railroaders both stand at 6-1, and are set to square off in the final game of the regular season with both the pennant and homefield advantage throughout the playoffs at stake. The winner would await the victor of three way tie breaker between Essex, Greenwood and Concord Park who each stand at 3-5, while the loser would head to Lake Wampaug to face the Marauders, winners of six straight.

But don’t make the mistake of thinking Auburn Station and Murrayfield & Grant are identical squads sitting atop the standings. The Station boys have paved their way to first place with brute force, belting a league high 23 homeruns as a team while outscoring opponents 63 to 35. They’ve reached double digits on the scoreboard three times this year, and average exactly 9 runs per game. What’s more, their average margin of victory is just under 5 runs per game and they have failed to defeat an opponent by three runs or more only twice.

Murrayfield and Grant, on the other hand, have outscored opponents by only a handful of runs, 10 to be exact.They’ve won four games by only one run, and five of six by two runs or less. Some may be quick to judge their status atop the standings as lucky but a more careful observation of their play suggests that this team thrives under pressure and finds ways to win no matter the situation and no matter score. The boys from M&G have overcome deficits of four or more runs three times already this season.

So how will a relatively unchallenged powerhouse used to crushing opponents fare when they stand toe to toe with a team that simply does not give in? Who will win in the fight between overpowering and overcoming? The whole PBC world will be watching as we find out later tonight.

One thing to keep in mind is that with a victory tonight, Murrayfield & Grant will have the distinct achievement of defeating every other opponent in the league. We can be sure that Auburn Station will do everything in its power to avoid joining the list of vanquished foes.

Auburn Station Tops Rival Club with Ease

Auburn Station 13, Greenwood 2

The Greenwood Robins (2-4) entered Friday night’s matchup against 1st place Auburn Station in an unusual position. Losses in their final two games would force a playoff for relegation against the 2-6 Barrington Buzzards. Victories in their final two games would put them at 4-4, with a chance to secure the final playoff berth behind Auburn Station, Murrayfield & Grant, and Lake Wampaug.

The Robins struck first, taking a 1-0 lead on James Boofer’s solo shot in the bottom of the first inning. Luigi Ryle retired the first six batters he face. It looked like the Robins were poised to snap their losing streak.

But with two outs and a man on in the third, Skip Higgins laced an 0-2 pitch just inside the foul line into the deep right field corner. Rosco Dolittle scored easily, and the lightning quick Higgins blazed all the way to third, charged through the stop sign, and avoided the tag at home to score the second inside-the-park homerun recorded in PBC play this season. The rare homerun gave the Railoroaders a 2-1 lead, and they never once looked back.

Auburn Station powered for 10 more runs with big rallies in the 5th, 7th and 8th. In the middle of the scoring was starting pitcher Tommy Garfield, who scored three, drove in three and finished the game a double shy of the cycle. All but one starting player either drove in a run or scored a run. Fieldon Ray Vine put the icing on the cake with a solo shot in the 9th, his sixth of the year, to bring the final tally to 13 to 2.

With the victory, Auburn Station has now outscored opponents 23 to 5 in their last two games and 63 to 35 on the season. They await Murrayfield and Grant in the final game of the season, a much anticipated contest with first place and the regular season pennant at stake. Meanwhile Greenwood falls to 2-5, and must win their final game against Concord Park to avoid a relegation playoff with Barrington, who defeated Dorchester Heights 16-1 in their final game. In either case, Greenwood’s playoff hopes have been snuffed out, making them the second team to be eliminated from contention. Essex (3-5), Dorchester Heights (2-4) and Concord Park (2-3) will battle for the final spot.

Spackles Sparkles in Victory

Buzzards Destroy Athletic Club 16-1 in Dorchester

In late May, Amos Nunez pounded a walk-off triple in the bottom of the ninth to give Dorchester their first win of the season.

It was the first of the many chokes Ambrose Spackles and the Buzzards faced over the season.

A. Spackles (W) 9 IP, 1 ER, 2 H 4 K, 5 BB

But tonight, in front of a capacity Athletic Club crowd, Spackles shined. On a night made for Dorchester, one which followed Essex’ sweep of Concord Park and the fall of Greenwood, the Athletic Club couldn’t get momentum going.

By the third inning, Grizzly Vance and the Club had given up 6 runs; by the fifth, 9. It seems the runs would never stop coming; they didn’t.

Hayes, Drexler, Harris all made the Club pay. Swan, Logan, Taguchi too. By the end of the night, Vance gave up 22 hits, and 16 runs to the rival Buzzards.

Dorchester scored merely one: a blooping solo home-run over the left field wall by Bernie Pollard. A small blemish on Spackle’s otherwise stellar performance, one in which the first five batters on the Club went a combined 0-for-18.

Spackles walked 5 and struck out 4 in the outing, Barrington’s final game of the PBC Summer Classic. The Buzzards finished the regular season 2-6, a far cry from a playoff berth that players and fans alike were hoping for after the move from Branford to Barrington.

But Barrington has added to the drama, making the case for their cause a little more interesting. The Buzzards were doomed for relegation; they now join 3 other teams (DHAC, Concord, and Greenwood) with 2 wins on the year. Though those teams will match up before the year’s end, any slip (or sweep) could find themselves in a playoff game with Barrington for relegation.

Now all that the Buzzards can do, is wait.