NALB 2021 Playoffs - League 1 Series

K. Fields
2021-09-11T14:24:53-04:00
Baseball

2021 League 1 Series - Dayton Grizzlies (90-72) vs. Luisville Beasts (97-65)

Game 1: Dayton 5, Luisville 2
Game 2: Dayton 8, Luisville 7
Game 3: Luisville 3, Dayton 2
Game 4: Dayton 4, Luisville 2
Game 5: Luisville 6, Dayton 2
Game 6: Dayton 5, Luisville 4

Series MVP: Li-ben Chai (Dayton Grizzlies)

In their first playoff appearance last year, the Dayton Grizzlies went all the way and became NALB champions. In 2021, they looked to defend their title against the Luisville Beasts. The Luisville Beasts won their fifth straight division title and hoped to avenge last season's loss to the Grizzlies.

Grizzlies lefty Jake Pradia (16-11, 3.09 ERA) had the task of facing the Beasts and their top scoring offense. The Beasts game one starter was Whitney Sanders (19-9, 2.92 ERA), NALB's winningest pitcher. Sanders pitched well but the Grizzlies chipped away by scoring a run in three of the first five innings. Pradia looked unaffected by the pressure and cruised through six innings, allowing only three hits. Dayton opened the series with a 5-2 win.

Dayton's talented Cuban pitcher Rey Alvarado (12-7, 3.57 ERA) got the game two start. Noel Trevenot (13-6, 3.59 ERA) took the mound for Luisville. After three scoreless innings, the floodgates opened. It was a slugfest the rest of the way. Despite a total of seven runs and sixteen hits, the Beasts were unable to prevail. The Grizzlies committed two errors and had only eight hits but maximized their opportunities. They edged the Beasts 8-7.

As the series moved to Dayton for game three, Luisville started veteran Charles Revels (11-7, 3.27 ERA) against Saúl Ramírez (10-5, 4.07 ERA). The game was a low scoring affair and this time the Beasts came out of top. Luisville topped Dayton 3-2 for its first win of the series.

In game four, Paco Rivera (15-10, 4.24 ERA) was the Beasts starting pitcher. The Grizzlies countered with Hai Lovatt (3-3, 5.67 ERA), a pitcher with relatively little major league experience. The spotlight didn't bother Lovatt a bit. He pitched into the seventh inning and only gave up one run. The Grizzlies won 4-2.

Pradia and Sanders were back on the mound to start game five. Pradia out-pitched Sanders in game one but that wasn't the case this time. Pradia went six innings but gave up five runs. Sanders showed why he led all pitchers in regular season wins. He gave up only two runs (one unearned) in seven innings. Home runs by Chouinard and Chavez helped pace the Beasts to a 6-2 victory.

Game six was an elimination game for the Beasts at home. Down three games to two, they had to win both remaining games in Luisville to stay alive. The starting pitchers were the same as game two, Alvarado vs. Trevenot. The Beasts scored quickly with three runs in the first, including a homer by Hsiao-lou Yeh. Yeh doubled in the bottom of the sixth and scored to make it 4-0. The Grizzlies remained calm and kept fighting. In the seventh inning, a Li-ben Chai homer capped a three run inning. In the top of the ninth, the Grizzlies struck again with three straight hits and two runs. Luisville failed to score in the bottom of the ninth. Dayton has done it again. The Grizzlies won the League 1 series for the second straight year, four games to two.

Grizzlies right fielder Li-ben Chai earned series MVP honors. He posted a .333 average with 8 hits, 2 home runs, and 3 RBI.