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chat_bubble 2024 WMSPL Playoff Tournament Recap
Friday, 7:30 pm: Expos at Falcons
The 2024 WMSPL Playoff Tournament began for the Falcons against a determined Expos squad. Surely looking to avenge giving up 39 runs to the Falcons the month before, their group chat must have been full of expletives. Unfortunately for them, they couldn't get their bats going until the fourth inning with a string of singles and doubles put up four. But by then that only closed to score to 13-4, and the Falcons cruised the rest of the way. The Expos weren't done, though.
Falcons 17, Expos 4.
Saturday, 12:00 pm: Falcons at Triple Play
Hey, remember the Hanet vs Broadway game on September 10th, the one where Hanet needed to score 11 runs to ensure Broadway wouldn't sneak into the #3 seed in the playoffs? As it turns out, if I hadn't mentioned before, Triple Play also wanted to keep their three-seed, so they would get the Falcons in their playoff bracket, and this game showed why: After four innings, the Falcons led 5-4. In the top of the fifth, the visiting Falcons scored two more to increase the lead to 3, and they felt good. Triple Play, however, felt better. Eighteen players came to the plate before the Falcons could record the first out of the inning, and after it was all said and done, Triple Play sent 23 men up, scoring 19 of them, and it was crossover city for the Falcons.
Triple Play 28, Falcons 12.
Crossover Elimination: Saturday, 3:00 pm: Hanet at Falcons
The thing with Hanet is, especially in the playoffs, they're like a box of chocolates: You never know what you're gonna get. Much has been written in this space about how Hanet has a disappointing regular season, mostly due to absenteeism because half their team coaches minor baseball and can't be at WMSPL games in the evenings. Then out of nowhere, everyone's available for the weekend in September when it all counts and they steamroll anyone unfortunate to get in their way. So hey, great news for the Falcons, that didn't happen. Hanet couldn't really get anything going with the bats, and scoring five runs isn't a winning formula. The Falcons' MAX6 in the fourth was enough. The Falcons haven't missed playing on Sunday since 2010.
Falcons 11, Hanet 5.
Quarterfinal: Sunday, 11:30 am: Falcons at Broadway
After going 0-4 against Broadway in the 2024 regular season, the home side were heavy favourites to meet Storm in the semis at 1:00. It should be noted here, that Storm BARELY squeaked in to that game. They were down seven in the seventh to the plucky Expos, and thanks to some free outs (not from the umps), they managed to walk it off on a Sam Pilkey two-run shot to move on. In the best game played by the Falcons over the weekend, and arguably one of the best played all season, the Falcon bats kept them in this game, and the defence was just good enough to eliminate Broadway from the tournament. The Falcons were up 8-3 after two, but down 9-8 after three. It was tied after four. In the fifth, bats found balls, and balls found holes and after the Falcons were done they were up by eight. Broadway wasn't going to go quietly, and roared back with five of their own. The Falcons manged to tack on two in the sixth, and three much needed insurance runs in the top of the seventh before a nail-biting bottom of the seventh inning where Broadway loaded the bases with the top of their order and cleared them with one swing. They then doubled to keep it going and scored that runner two batters later. They couldn't complete the comeback, however as the next batter flied out to end their season.
Falcons 22, Broadway 19.
Semifinal: Sunday, 1:00 am: Falcons at Storm
Seems like every damn year the Falcons face Storm at some point in the playoffs, and it's always an elimination game. It's usually a great game, and it's always a shame that someone's season has to end when it's over. And so it was. Storm came in having been able to rest and lick wounds after their squeaker over the Expos, and the Falcons had only the time it took for the town to drag the diamond before having to get back at it. Credit to Shohei and the Falcons D, they held Storm to their lowest offensive output of the season. Storm only scored seven runs, and never more than two in any inning. That's about as ideal an outcome as the Falcons could have wanted. Unfortunately fatigue caught up to the Falcons. Runners who typically are courtesy runners all of a sudden needed courtesy runners. The visitors scored three in the fourth, but that was it. A great, great game, and losing to the eventual champs isn't the worst, right?
Storm 7, Falcons 3.
The 2024 WMSPL Playoff Tournament began for the Falcons against a determined Expos squad. Surely looking to avenge giving up 39 runs to the Falcons the month before, their group chat must have been full of expletives. Unfortunately for them, they couldn't get their bats going until the fourth inning with a string of singles and doubles put up four. But by then that only closed to score to 13-4, and the Falcons cruised the rest of the way. The Expos weren't done, though.Falcons 17, Expos 4.
Saturday, 12:00 pm: Falcons at Triple Play
Hey, remember the Hanet vs Broadway game on September 10th, the one where Hanet needed to score 11 runs to ensure Broadway wouldn't sneak into the #3 seed in the playoffs? As it turns out, if I hadn't mentioned before, Triple Play also wanted to keep their three-seed, so they would get the Falcons in their playoff bracket, and this game showed why: After four innings, the Falcons led 5-4. In the top of the fifth, the visiting Falcons scored two more to increase the lead to 3, and they felt good. Triple Play, however, felt better. Eighteen players came to the plate before the Falcons could record the first out of the inning, and after it was all said and done, Triple Play sent 23 men up, scoring 19 of them, and it was crossover city for the Falcons.Triple Play 28, Falcons 12.
Crossover Elimination: Saturday, 3:00 pm: Hanet at Falcons
The thing with Hanet is, especially in the playoffs, they're like a box of chocolates: You never know what you're gonna get. Much has been written in this space about how Hanet has a disappointing regular season, mostly due to absenteeism because half their team coaches minor baseball and can't be at WMSPL games in the evenings. Then out of nowhere, everyone's available for the weekend in September when it all counts and they steamroll anyone unfortunate to get in their way. So hey, great news for the Falcons, that didn't happen. Hanet couldn't really get anything going with the bats, and scoring five runs isn't a winning formula. The Falcons' MAX6 in the fourth was enough. The Falcons haven't missed playing on Sunday since 2010.Falcons 11, Hanet 5.
Quarterfinal: Sunday, 11:30 am: Falcons at Broadway
After going 0-4 against Broadway in the 2024 regular season, the home side were heavy favourites to meet Storm in the semis at 1:00. It should be noted here, that Storm BARELY squeaked in to that game. They were down seven in the seventh to the plucky Expos, and thanks to some free outs (not from the umps), they managed to walk it off on a Sam Pilkey two-run shot to move on. In the best game played by the Falcons over the weekend, and arguably one of the best played all season, the Falcon bats kept them in this game, and the defence was just good enough to eliminate Broadway from the tournament. The Falcons were up 8-3 after two, but down 9-8 after three. It was tied after four. In the fifth, bats found balls, and balls found holes and after the Falcons were done they were up by eight. Broadway wasn't going to go quietly, and roared back with five of their own. The Falcons manged to tack on two in the sixth, and three much needed insurance runs in the top of the seventh before a nail-biting bottom of the seventh inning where Broadway loaded the bases with the top of their order and cleared them with one swing. They then doubled to keep it going and scored that runner two batters later. They couldn't complete the comeback, however as the next batter flied out to end their season. Falcons 22, Broadway 19.
Semifinal: Sunday, 1:00 am: Falcons at Storm
Seems like every damn year the Falcons face Storm at some point in the playoffs, and it's always an elimination game. It's usually a great game, and it's always a shame that someone's season has to end when it's over. And so it was. Storm came in having been able to rest and lick wounds after their squeaker over the Expos, and the Falcons had only the time it took for the town to drag the diamond before having to get back at it. Credit to Shohei and the Falcons D, they held Storm to their lowest offensive output of the season. Storm only scored seven runs, and never more than two in any inning. That's about as ideal an outcome as the Falcons could have wanted. Unfortunately fatigue caught up to the Falcons. Runners who typically are courtesy runners all of a sudden needed courtesy runners. The visitors scored three in the fourth, but that was it. A great, great game, and losing to the eventual champs isn't the worst, right? Storm 7, Falcons 3.