NALB 2016 World Championship Series - Game 1

K. Fields
2017-09-22T14:23:47-04:00
Baseball

For the second consecutive year, the Key West Corals (89-73) face the Brooklyn Knights (105-57) in the NALB World Championship Series. In 2015, the Corals defeated the Knights in an exciting hard-fought seven game series. Key West is attempting to win its third NALB championship in four years. Brooklyn hopes to add to its league leading eleven titles.

The Corals’ starter for Game 1 was Whitney Sanders (16-10, 3.35 ERA). The Knights started hard throwing Aaron Patterson (13-15, 4.41 ERA). Key West was not intimated playing the opener in Brooklyn. They won the road by a score of 7-3 to take an early 1-0 lead in the best-of-7 series. Corals center fielder Tad Burridge was named player of the game after he went 3 for 5 with 2 home runs, while scoring 3 times and driving in 3.

In the bottom of the eighth, Hsiao-lou Yeh stood in the box, looking for a pitch to hammer. The Knights were trailing 5-2, but had runners on 1st and 2nd. That's when Tim Sanders made a terrific pitch and Yeh struck out. In the ninth inning, the Corals solidified their lead thanks to back to back homers from Adelmo Porcayo and Tad Burridge. Gone was the dream of a Brooklyn comeback. Ángel Santago hit a solo home run in the bottom of the ninth but that was all the Knights could manage.

Final score: Key West 7, Brooklyn 3

             1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9   R  H  E
Key West     1 1 0 0 3 0 0 0 2   7 13  1
Brooklyn     0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 1   3  5  1

W: W. Sanders
L: A. Patterson
S: T. Sanders