Corals Beat Firecats in World Championship Series

K. Fields
2014-10-12T15:06:42-04:00
Baseball

North American League Baseball has gotten more competitive in recent years. Although the Brooklyn Knights have won a majority of the titles, other teams have entered into the mix. In 2013, the St. Rock Mudcats were the dominant team but they were conquered by the Nashville Firecats in the League 1 Series in six games. The Key West Corals faced the Richmond Slam in the League 2 Series for the second year in a row. This time, the Corals came out on top.

The 2013 NALB World Championship Series between the Nashville Firecats (90-72) and the Key West Corals (92-70) appeared to be a pretty even matchup on paper. The question was whether or not the Firecats’ superior offense would be enough to overcome the Corals’ superior defense. The Corals were the top team in both pitching and fielding, which presented a formidable challenge. When the Firecats went into Key West and took the first two games, it looked like they were well on their way to a second title. After four games, Nashville held a three to one lead and needed just one more win. The Corals showed amazing resilience, however. They won the final three games and took home the trophy. After playing second fiddle to the Stade Maples for many seasons, the Key West Corals can finally call themselves world champions.

The Corals had many standout players in the series, including pitcher William Constable who won two games and the series clincher. It was second baseman Carlos Galicia, however, who was “Mr. Reliable” in the postseason. After going 12 for 25 with 6 runs in the League 2 Series, Galicia went 14 for 29 and 7 runs in the World Championship Series. He was the MVP.

Game 1: Nashville 7, Key West 6
Game 2: Nashville 4, Key West 3
Game 3: Key West 10, Nashville 5
Game 4: Nashville 6, Key West 3
Game 5: Key West 10, Nashville 6
Game 6: Key West 7, Nashville 6
Game 7: Key West 4, Nashville 2

Click the image for the NALB 2013 World Championship roster