MABS NATIONAL SOFTBALL LEAGUE 2012/13
Sunday, June 16, 2013 Venue: Gozo Stadium Umpire: Steve Sexton
SCORING |
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
Mustangs |
2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 0 |
Redcoats |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | – | 6 | 14 | 6 |
BOX SCORE |
AB | R | H | HR | RBI | BB | SO | PO | A | E |
| VELLA, Josef CF | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| ATTARD, Charles SS | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 |
| TABONE, Jeff SS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| GALEA, Steven LF | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| CHIRCOP, Shaun CL | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| ELLIS, Steve 1B | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| SCICLUNA, Joseph 3B | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| XUEREB, Mark RF | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| SCICLUNA, Loreto P | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| GRECH, Anthony C | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| XUEREB, Armando CL | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| TOTALS…………………. | 31 | 6 | 14 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 21 | 10 | 6 |
PITCHING |
IP | BF | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
| SCICLUNA, Loreto P | 6 | 33 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
RECAP
This was a must-win game for the Redcoats. They knew that with a loss they would fall behind the Jayhawks in the loss column. Given that the Jayhawks had already wrapped up their schedule this would have meant that the latter would have been mathematically crowned champions. Feeling the pressure the Redcoats nearly let this one slip away. They were two-out with nobody on in the bottom of the 6th inning with the Mustangs clinging to a 3-2 lead, when Steve Ellis ignited a 4-run rally with a base hit.
Once again the Mustangs jumped to an early lead with two unearned runs in the first and one run in the second, following a leadoff walk, the solitary base on balls given up in this doubleheader by Redcoats pitcher Loreto Scicluna. The Redcoats chipped away at this lead with a run in the bottom of the second and another run in the bottom of the third. It was the 4-run 6th inning, however, that made all the difference. Nine-men came to the plate: 6 base hits and a walk gave the Redcoats their first lead.
Crucially the Redcoats kept the Mustangs from scoring beyond 3 runs, to improve their RA rate. With a new pitcher for the Mustangs, the Redcoats started to see hittable pitches. In fact, the Redcoats managed 14 hits including 3 each from Josef Vella and Joseph Scicluna. Armando Xuereb drove in the winning run with a bases loaded walk. The Redcoats knew at this point what they had to do in the following Sunday’s doubleheader against the Mustangs at the Marsa Ground: they had to sweep to win the title.
