NALB 2016 World Championship Series - Game 5

Game 5 is usually pivotal in a 7 game series. Key West’s last home game of the season was a pitching rematch of Game 1—Whitney Sanders (16-10, 3.35 ERA) vs. Aaron Patterson (13-15, 4.41 ERA). The Key West Corals needed some last-minute heroics to do it, but ultimately emerged one game away from another World Championship. The Corals got the 8-7 win against the Brooklyn Knights in a walk-off double by Álex Rodríguez. Key West right fielder Darwin Soto was named player of the game after he was 2 for 3 with 2 singles, a walk, and was hit by a pitch, while scoring 2 runs. The win gives the Corals a 3-2 advantage in the best-of-7 World Championship.

The Corals thrilled the hometown fans by scoring quickly. Matthew Loy got the first of four consecutive singles as the Corals posted a 2-0 lead in the first. Brooklyn catcher Alvino Flores hit a solo home run in the third. Key West added another run in the bottom half of the inning, courtesy of a Darwin Soto RBI single. The Knights appeared to take control of the game by scoring five runs in the fifth, putting them ahead 6-3. Soto and Rodríguez scored in the sixth inning and the Brooklyn lead was down to one run. A pinch hit single from Alexis Schmidt extended the Knights’ lead in the eighth. Closer Ken Hannah entered the game in the ninth with a 7-5 lead to try and secure the win for the Knights. The Corals were down to their last out in the bottom of the ninth when shortstop Álex Rodríguez turned a 3-1 fastball from Ken Hannah into a 2-run double. The walk-off double sent a roar through the crowd and gave Key West a thrilling 8-7 win.

Final score: Key West 8, Brooklyn 7

             1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9   R  H  E
Brooklyn     0 0 1 0 5 0 0 1 0   7  8  2
Key West     2 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 3   8 15  0

W: D. Doble
L: K. Hannah