WASHINGTON, Pa – When you think of series ending homeruns, you may think of Bill Mazeroski’s homer in ’60 that catapulted the immensely underdog Pirates over the Yankees to win the World Series.  Or, you might remember Joe Carter’s dinger that gave the ’93 Blue Jays their only World title.  Maybe even Bobby Thompson’s “Shot Heard ‘Round the World” in ’51 to beat “Dem Bums” or Roy Hobbs fictional blast into the lights in the classic “The Natural.”  After Game 2 of the NABA Championship Series, you can now add another name to the list.

In the bottom of the 7th with the game knotted at 0-0, Rebels starting pitcher Matt Dalton strode to the plate, not thinking about his seven superb innings of shutout pitching, but of something much more spectacular.

“I was sitting dead-red,” Dalton explained after the game.  “I was looking for my pitch, and he threw it.”

At the crack of his bat, the entire crowd at Consol Energy Park jumped to their feet.  Everyone knew where the ball was headed.

“You could tell just from the sound of the bat,” described Rebels shortstop Jesse Jones.  “There was no doubt about it.”

 "I knew we had won,"  stated right fielder Darren Newberry 

As the Matadors’ leftfielder turned to sprint to the fence, the ball seemed to hang in the stifling August air for hours.  "I kept waving for the ball to get out, ala Carlton Fisk in the '75 series," stated manager Rob Finkel.  When he stopped at the fence and the ball continued to travel, the Rebels stormed the field shouting victoriously, waiting for Dalton to round the bases.

“I seriously had tears in my eyes,” recalled Rebs centerfielder Dan Stell.  “You put your heart and soul, and so much effort and passion into a team and a baseball season, and to see a baseball god like Matt Dalton win us a championship they way he did, it’s exciting and very emotional.  Its something I’ll never forget, and that’s why we play the game.”

When Dalton finally crossed home plate, his teammates mobbed him and hoisted him up on their shoulders, crowning him the NABA Championship Series MVP.  The champagne was popped, the camera bulbs snapped, and just like that this magical season was over.

After the celebration, Rebels manager Rob Finkel looked back on their surprising, yet well planned season.  "Dan Stell and I sat down in January and began to build this team.  The first person we called was our friend and former teammate Matt Dalton.  We had an idea of the people we wanted to bring in who were good character guys.  Acquiring Jesse Jones, Darren Newberry, and Kabby Everly were huge off season additions.  Free Agents Jeff Amick, Chris Thompson, Tyler Lyden and John Pesce helped round out our team."

The Rebels post-season run was nothing short of dramatic.  Playing over a span of 3 days and 10 innings against the Knights in the wild card round, an incredible heart stopping 27 innings series win over the Black Sox, and then the two masterful pitching performance by staff aces Dalton and Jones over the Matadors in the championship series.

Now the Rebels head into the postseason looking to become the first team in NABA history to win back-to-back championships.  With a competitive free agent market and a league that seems to be on the rise, the amazing feat of a repeat may be even tougher than the first.  No matter what happens next year, the Rebels will always have a vivid memory in their minds… a baseball soaring through the summer night sky from the bat of the man, the myth, and the legend, known as Matt Dalton.