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GAME 1 vs IDAHO - A COME FROM BEHIND WIN IN EXTRA INNINGS: Trailing 4-3 with two outs in the top
of the seventh inning, Scott Havard hit a solo home run to tie the score at 4 and send the game into extra innings.
MSJLL rallied for the go ahead run in the top of the eighth when Patrick Andresen's second hit of the game drove in
Devon Jones (pinch running for James Gaffey after he had been hit by a pitch) for what proved to be the winning
run. Havard and Brandon Facha combined to shut down the Idaho bats in the bottom of the eighth inning to
preserve the victory.
Kevin Finch started the game on the mound for MSJLL and held Idaho without a run for the first three innings. His
teammates built up an early 3-0 lead, as Jeff Chu led off the game with a single and came around to score on
Kenny Jacoby's single. Jacoby scored on Finch's single to give MSJLL a 2-0 lead after one inning. Three straight
singles by Facha, Finch and Havard plated MSJLL's third run in the third inning. Idaho rallied for four runs in the
fourth inning to take a 4-3 lead which they held until Havard's heroics in the top of the seventh.
GAME 2 vs NEVADA - A DEFENSIVE GEM: The second straight win of the tournament was highlighted by
flawless defensive and offensive contributions up and down the lineup. Brandon Facha and Jeff Chu combined to
limit Nevada to four hits while the team rapped out nine hits and played errorless defense. Facha hurled the first
six innings and was in control the entire distance. He was supported by a consistent offense that scored at least
one run in five of the six innings they came to the plate.
After a scoreless first inning, the MSJLL offense began to roll as they scored three runs in the second inning on
RBIs by Jeff Chu, Brandon Fuhs, and Kenny Jacoby. They added their fourth run in the third inning as Fuhs
collected his second RBI. With Facha cruising along on the hill, MSJLL added two more runs in the fourth inning
(with Kevin Finch’s opposite field double being the big blow of the inning) and three more in the fifth inning with
James Gaffey, Devon Jones and Ryan Mark driving in the three runs. For the game, Reid Marion and James
Gaffey both had two hits that included a booming opposite field double by Marion.
GAME 3 vs OREGON - FIRING ON ALL CYLINDERS: The team came out swinging as they defeated Oregon,
11-3, behind a 17-hit attack. The offensive assault began with two out and no one on base in the first inning when
Brandon Facha blasted a long home run over the left field fence. Kevin Finch followed with a line drive single which
brought Scott Havard to the plate. Havard drove the second pitch he saw over the left field fence for a quick 3-0
MSJLL lead. MSJLL added two more runs in the third inning as Havard led off the inning with a double and was
followed by singles from Reid Marion and James Gaffey.
Kenny Jacoby was the beneficiary of the early MSJLL offensive outburst as he cruised through the first three
innings facing only 10 batters. The Oregon bats came alive in the top of the fourth inning as they used three hits to
score three runs cutting the MSJLL lead to 5-3. With a runner at third and one out, Jacoby toughened up and got
the final two outs of the inning on a strike out and a pop out to shortstop.
The score remained 5-3 until MSJLL came to bat in the bottom of the sixth inning. Devon Jones led off the inning
with a solid single and moved to second base on a text book sacrifice bunt by Jeff Chu. Jacoby was then hit by a
pitch and Facha followed with a base hit of his own to load the bases. Kevin Finch then worked a full count before
lining an opposite field single to drive in two runs. Scott Havard followed with his second two-run homer of the
game to put MSJLL ahead 10-3. Marion and Gaffey followed with their second hits of the game that resulted in the
final run of the game.
Brandon Fuhs took the mound for MSJLL in the seventh inning and closed out the game with two strikeouts. The
MSJLL pitchers combined to allow only four Oregon hits and the defense played another errorless game.
GAME 4 vs HAWAII - THE DEFENDING WESTERN REGIONAL CHAMPS FALL: Kevin Finch twirled a
complete game, five-hitter as MSJLL recorded a 7-2 victory over Hawaii, the defending Western Regional
Champions. Finch was in control the entire game as he mixed his pitches well and needed only 73 pitches to
pace MSJLL to its victory.
Finch received all of the offensive support he would need in the second inning as MSJLL broke open a scoreless
tie with three runs. Scott Havard and Reid Marion led off the inning with consecutive singles. James Gaffey
followed with a single of his own to drive in the game’s initial run. After Brandon Fuhs walked to load the bases,
Patrick Andresen cracked a solid single to left field to drive in the second and third run of the inning.
Hawaii mounted their only rally of the game in the top of the fourth inning. Two singles sandwiched between a hit
batter to lead off the inning drove in Hawaii’s first run and a rare MSJLL error allowed Hawaii to plate their second
run of the inning. Finch settled down and retired the next three batters of the inning allowing MSJLL to hold on by a
slim 3-2 margin.
MSJLL was able to mount scoring opportunities in every inning but the first but was unable to come up with the big
clutch hit until the sixth inning. Brandon Facha and Kevin Finch reached base on consecutive errors by Hawaii to
lead off the sixth. Scott Havard then sliced an opposite field drive that the right fielder dove for but could not come
up with. Once the ball found its way back to the infield, Havard was standing at third base with a triple and Facha
and Finch had scored two important insurance runs. But the MSJLL offense was not finished as Havard scored on
a Hawaii error and then MSJLL loaded the bases setting up Jeff Chu’s single to drive in the final run of the game.
GAME 5 vs SO CAL - A TOUGH OPPONENT: Mission's only loss of the tournament came from a hard-hitting
attack, good pitching and flawless defense from the Southern California squad - turning into an 11-0 final score.
SoCal came out fast as they scored four runs in the top of the first inning on four straight line drive hits followed by
an MSJLL miscue.
SoCal broke the game open with three runs in the fifth inning and four runs in the sixth. Mission was only able to
muster four hits in the game, being frustrated all game by SoCal pitching.
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