Consistent Pitching Carries Bananas to 1791 Classic Crown
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Malcolm Leyda delivered two innings of shutout relief Sunday to secure a 5-3 win for the Berkshire Bananas in the 17-year-old Division Championship Game of the inaugural 1791 Classic at Joe Wolfe Field.
Leyda entered with two on and no out in a 5-2 game for winning pitcher Lucas Hamilton (5-plus innings pitched).
“I was a little nervous, but I trust my stuff,” Leyda said. “You’ve just got to let the off-speed work, spot the fastball. That’s all you’ve gotta do.”
He got the first out on a ground ball to third that left runners at first and second. And after Robby Bazinet’s RBI double, Trevor Leonard worked a walk to load the bases with one out in a two-run game.
Hamilton, who moved to first after leaving the mound, chased down a fly ball in foul territory for out No. 2. And Leyda recorded what ended up being his only strikeout on a called third strike to end the inning.
“I actually like [coming in in relief],” Leyda said. “Coming in as a starter, you get all the preparation. Maybe that’s too much time to think about it. But in relief, you just get in and go.”
A huge defensive play ended the game and helped Leyda avoid some trouble.
The Reign got a one out walk from Sawyer Lane, who was replaced on a fielder’s choice. With two out, JJ Schneider ripped a single to left field, where Leif Johnson fielded the ball and fired to third to cut down the runner attempting to reach from first.
The Bananas, who went 1-1-1 in pool play, reached the final with a 9-2 win over Rip City.
After the team allowed 12 runs in a pool play loss to the Reign on Saturday, Hamilton and Leyda combined on a three-run gem less than 24 hours later.
“You couldn’t ask for anything better,” Bananas coach Stephen Rotter said. “We just preach pitching to contact, consistency, and that’s what they did.
“[Leyda] came in, pitched to contact and then our guys made the play, and they trust everybody.”
The Bananas’ offense broke the seal on the game with a run in the top of the first when Ed Ferris led off with a double and ended up scoring on Kingston DeJesus’ infield single.
The Reign answered with one in the third. Danny Hoffmann hit a one-out single and ended up scoring on Cooper Bunce’s sacrifice fly to make it 1-1.
It stayed that way until the fifth, when the Bananas scored one run on a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch and another on an error to go ahead, 3-1.
Joe Hoffmann hit a two-out double and came home on Schneider’s RBI single to get the Reign back within one in the bottom of the fifth.
But the Bananas stretched their lead in the sixth. Hamilton was hit by a pitch and Ferris singled to right ahead of Leif Johnson’s two-out, two-run single to give the Bananas the biggest lead of the game for either team, 5-2.
That set the stage for the dramatic bottom of the inning and Leif Johnson’s game-ending play an inning later.
Stephen Rotter said his team’s play in the round-robin to start the tournament set the stage for Sunday’s nail-biting win.
“Yesterday and Friday night were huge because we actually played both Rip City and the Berkshire Reign earlier in the season and lost heavily both times,” Stephen Rotter said. “So the way we battled against Rip City on Friday night [a rain-shortened tie], and the way we battled against Berkshire Reign yesterday [a 12-11 loss], gave us a ton of confidence for Rip City this morning [in the tournament semi-finals], and then again this afternoon against the Reign.”
