Monday night softball playoffs at Garrett Park, in the winners bracket final Kelly's defeated Memorial while Peach Bottom eliminated the Silver Bullets. The loser bracket final between Memorial and Peach Bottom was scheduled for Tuesday but I was at the ballpark, the Stormers were back home after eleven days on the road. The Southern Maryland Blue Crabs were the opponent for their lone visit, they've been in the league since 2008 and this is the first season since 2013 that the two clubs are not division-mates. There was rain in the forecast but little happened but a brief afternoon shower, the sun was out when I went to the ballpark at 5:45. About ten minutes before game time it got very dark to the west, the wind picked up and the field lights were turned on, the game began and after two batters.....POW!!!, the lights went out and ten minutes later it was POURING. The game was eventually suspended and completed on Wednesday at 3:00 as the front end of a pseudo-doubleheader. The Stormers scored first when Niko Hulsizer singled and came home on Chad Sedio's sac fly, the Blue Crabs tied it and took the lead 2-1 with single runs in the fifth and sixth. Mason Martin's RBI double in the bottom half pulled the Stormers even, a three-run seventh put them ahead for good. Shawon Dunston started it with a double and Chris Proctor walked, both would score on a Trace Loehr double with Loehr scoring himself on Gaige Howard's RBI hit making it 5-2. SM got two back in the eighth but in the ninth Stephen Nogosek set the side down in order saving the 5-4 win for Oscar De La Cruz. The regularly-scheduled game began at 6:30 and took less than two hours, it was scoreless into the bottom of the last inning. Mason Martin started the inning with a triple into the left-field corner, Joe Stewart followed with a fly to right scoring pinch-runner Shawon Dunston with the lone run in a 1-0 win. Phil Diehl was the winner in relief of Noah Bremer who came back after starting the Tuesday game before it was suspended. The series finishes on Thursday weather-permitting, the forecast is not encouraging. Take care, thanks for reading.
