LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – The Calicos and Warbirds played a four game set on Thursday, followed by a three game series between the Snappers and Ones. After Thursday’s games every PLW team has 30 games played on the season, and the Warbirds have played 35, so they only have seven remaining this season. The Tomahawks and Stone Men both appear to be out of it, and the Sandvipers have a firm grip on first place, but 2-6 is still up for grabs. The Calicos and Bombers lead the way at 19-11, but the Snappers, Warbirds and The Ones each have a record above .500. There are only five playoff spots for these six teams, so one of them will be left on the outside looking in.
Chad “Cheppa” Phillips, and James “FJ” Stein had their long awaited pitcher’s duel in the first game of the evening. FJ went 3-3 with a double, remarking, “He’s [Chad] never gonna get that [pitch] past me. Ever.” after each at-bat. Cheppa wasn’t able to get Stein out, but he left him stranded on base all three times. Stein was able to strand Matt “Mattlanta” Petrikas, and Brian “Uncle B” Puter after they each hit a triple, leaving the game scoreless going into the final frame. In the bottom of the fifth Barry Hutter hit an opposite field single that was just out of Mattlanta’s reach, bringing the winning run in from second base.
In game two the Warbirds jumped out to a 2-0 lead thanks to an RBI single from manager Chris “Warchicken” Warfield, and a throwing error by the Calicos defense. In the top of the third Hutter tied the game at 2-2 with an opposite field home run, but the Warbirds responded with three runs in the bottom of the third thanks to RBI singles from Uncle B and Cheppa, followed by an RBI double from Mattlanta. In the top of the fourth, the Calicos tied the game at 5-5 after RBI singles from Nick DiVella and Joe Kuther. The Warbirds would score two more in the bottom of the inning on an RBI single from Mattlanta, and an RBI double from Uncle B. Mattlanta would close it out in the fifth for the 7-5 win in a back and forth game.
The Calicos would give the ball to FJ again in game three, and again he held the Warbirds scoreless. Kuther hit an RBI single in the second inning, and that’s all the Calicos pitching staff would need. Mattlanta was able to walk Stein out of the game in the fifth inning, but Carrasco came in to record the final out, and the Calicos would get the 2-0 victory.
In the final game of the set, the Warbirds walked in a pair of runs in the bottom of the second to take a 2-0 lead. Hutter would hit an RBI double to get one of those runs back, but thats all the Calicos would be able to get against Petrikas, who pitched a complete game. FJ pitched a pair of scoreless innings to keep the Calicos in the game, but the Warbirds would get the 2-1 win, splitting the series 2-2, and the season series 3-3.
Adam “AK” Koutz set the tone for The Ones with a leadoff homer off Taylor Bryner in the first game of their series. Co-manager Jesse Capps would tie the game in the bottom of the inning, and the Snappers would take a 2-1 lead after an error. Both teams would be held scoreless for the next three innings, but The Ones were able to walk Taylor Bryner out of the game in the top of the fifth. Adrian “Gute” Gutierrez hit a two run double to give his team the lead, and he scored on a triple from AK to put The Ones up 4-2 going into the final frame. Cody Schmidt was able to close it out in the bottom of the inning to secure the 4-2 win.
In the second game the Snappers went with Bryner again on the rubber, and The Ones went with Ryan Chen. The game was scoreless until the bottom of the third, when Chen hit an RBI double, and scored on a single from AK to give The Ones a 2-0 lead. Manny Santillanes Jr. hit a home run off Cody Schmidt to lead off the fourth inning, cutting the lead in half, but Chen would come back in to get out of the inning, and The Ones would hold on to win 2-1.
Schmidty took over in the final game of the night. He pitched a complete game shutout while striking out just four batters, and he hit an RBI double to put his team on the board. They would tack on another run in the fifth inning, but Bryner was able to keep his team in the game until the end. Co-manager Peter Mavro was the lone bright spot in his Snappers lineup, going 2-4 with a pair of base hits.
The next Premier League Wiffle® action will be on Thursday, April 15th. The Stone Men play a doubleheader against the Snappers at 5pm PDT, followed by Bombers vs. The Ones at 6:30pm, and Snadvipers vs. Tomahawks at 8pm. Tune in LIVE on Twitch!
