Playoff Time Round 1!

In the first round of the playoffs, we had to play the Elizabethton Twins (the team that just waxed our ass a couple of series before).  The first game was at Elizabethton while the second and third game (if necessary) were played at Bluefield.  Everybody on the team was amped up for the playoffs.  We were all dragging the previous series, but when the playoffs came around there was a new sort of energy that the team had and everybody was itching to play.

The first game at Elizabethton was intense.  We won, but the whole game was intense.  We got a great pitching effort from Tyler Ybarra and Misual Diaz.  I pitched a clean ninth inning to secure the win and the whole team was excited after the game.  We were going back home for game 2 and the chance to clinch a spot in the championship series.

Game 2 was not like the first.  We lost forcing a final game 3.  The second game was not even close and they jumped out to an early lead and never looked back.  It was one of those game that we just had to forget about and move on.

In game 3, we jumped out to an 8-1 lead after a few innings, but could not hold it.  They came barreling back narrowing the lead to 8-7, but we held on and in the 8th inning, we scored some more runs making it 11-7 and securing the win.  I came in in the 6th inning with a runner on first base and one out.  I struck the first guy out, but the second guy hit a hanging change-up out narrowing the lead to 8-7.  I struck the next guy out as well ending the inning.  I pitched 2 more clean innings before being relieved in the ninth.  Misual Diaz pitched a clean ninth inning.  We won the series and were going to the championship!

Once again, we all celebrated like we did in Danville after clinching the division championship.  There was champagne and a bunch of pictures taken.  Everybody was drenched in champagne and the locker room was soaked (I feel bad for the clubby that had to clean the locker room later that night).  The following day we were traveling to Johnson City to play game one of the championship series (we had home field advantage once again)...