The 2008 Wiffleball Season and Stats
Ninjas- 17 vs Pirates -8
The first game to go into the books in about a year was an exciting back and forth game and was worth the wait. The Pirates and Ninjas squared off on a warm Sunday afternoon where weather was not a factor. The Pirates were made up of Amazing fielders Donnie King and Josh Ostrander as well as the Vetran himself Ron West. The Ninjas saw forgotten players from last season show up with Zach Jones and Dale Reed playing alongside all-star Jimmy Cole. The game started off in a way nobody thought possible. A solo sot by Dale Reed just over the left field wall to put the Ninjas up 1-0. But the Pirates answered back in the home half of the innings with singles by Ron West and Josh Ostrander that drove in two runs. The score remained the same until the third inning when Jimmy Cole blasted a solo shot to dead center field that tied the score at two. But in the bottom of the inning the vetran Ron west took a 1-1 pitch and destroyed it halfway across Mackenzie Cove. A three run shot that put the Pirates up 5-2. Despite both teams having runners in scoring position the score stayed the same until the top of the seventh when Jimmy Cole creamed his second homerun of the game to dead center and was followed by a Zach Jones solo shot that barely cleared the fence in right to tie score. In the bottom of the seventh Dale Reed robbed a Ron West homerun and crashed into the centerfield wall and holding on to save the game. After each team scored three runs in the eighth inning the Ninjas took the lead to stay after striking for 9 runs in the top of the ninth. The pirates attempt at a comeback was thwarted after Jimmy Cole Squeezed a foul pop-up from Josh Ostrander to seal the win for the ninjas. Final score 17-11. Dale Reed walked away with MVP honors after two home runs and countless web gems that saved the game for the Ninjas
Pirates- 10 vs Ninjas- 11
Another classic wiffleball match ended in late game heroics. It was the ninjas that came out on top again. But it took a two run bottom of the 7th walk-off home run to win it. The first inning saw a offensive explosion with the two teams combining for 7 runs in the inning. The pirates struck in the top of the inning when Mackenzie Groff and Ron West strung together consecutive base hits and capitalized on Jimmy Cole's slow start to scrape across 3 runs. The ninjas relied on the long ball most of the game when in the first inning Jimmy Cole nailed a 2-2 pitch over the left-center field wall. A two run shot. That coupled with timely base hits by Donnie king allowed the ninjas to take a 4-3 lead. The pirates took the lead into the 5th inning with two one run innings in the 3rd and 4th. Jimmy Cole's big bat struck again in the bottom of the fifth when he nailed a 3-1 pitch to dead center field. The 3 run shot gave the lead back to the ninjas. 2 more runs in the inning gave the ninjas a 9-5 lead that thy took to the seventh. The top of the seventh saw the pirates strike for their only home run of the game when Mackenzie Groff launched a 3 run show to right field that gave the pirates a 10-9 lead with 4 runs in the top of the inning more runs were saved thanks to a great leaping grab by Donnie King that saved an extra base hit. The bottom of the inning didn't last long as a base hit from Jimmy Cole was followed by a deep 2-run blast from Donnie King. This gave him his second walk-off home run of his career and pushed the ninjas winning streak to 2.
Ninjas- 6 vs Pirates- 10
It was a tale of alternate innings in the latest match up between the ninjas and pirates. The first inning saw zeros go on the board for both teams. The same was the case in the secod. at least for the pirates. The second inning saw the ninjas score 6 runs. Most of them came off the bat of Ant Tennant as he sent a Mackenzie Goff pitch over the left field wall for a three run home run. The third inning saw the tables turn as the pirates were the ones who put the runs on the board and he ninjas went cold. The pirates struck for 7 runs to take the lead. Mackenzie Groff blasted a Jimmy Cole changeup over the centerfield wall for a grand slam that highlighted the pirates awakening offense. With the score 7-6 already for the Pirates in the lead Ron West add 3 runs off of back-to-back-to-back home runs for insurance.
Ninjas- 8 vs Pirates- 12
This game started off quickly with the bats of the Ninjas getting 4 in the 1st and the Pirates getting 3 runs. Each member off the Pirates throughout the game had two home runs, which did not settle to nicely with the Ninjas, who were constantly starting fights. While the Ninjas were busy fighting, the pirates brought their A game with an offensive explosion throughout the entire game for a combined 6 home runs. Even though it was a very offensive game there were some web gems including an unassisted triple play by Mac Groff .Star players for the Ninjas were Jimmy Cole with 6 K's and Donnie King with 1 RBI and for the Pirates it was Mac Groff with 2 home runs and 5 RBI, Ken Carmen with 2 home runs and 4 RBI, and Ron West with 2 home runs and 3 RBI.
The Wiffle World Series Game 1
Pirates vs Ninjas
15-20
The Pirates struck first with a long bomb from Mac Groff to put them up 1-0. In the 2nd inning the Pirates continued their offensive attack, adding 3 more runs off a Mike Vannostrand blast. The Ninjas had 3 runs from a 2 run home run by Jimmy Cole and an RBI from Donnie King. With the offenses heating up the Pirates added 6 runs on home runs by Mac Groff and Mike V. The Ninjas struck back with 7 of their own, 6 of which came off the bat of Donnie King who hit 2 three run home runs, to make the score tied 10-10. After the 3rd inning the offense slowed down for the Pirates while the Ninjas stayed red hot adding another 10 in the next two innings while the Pirates only scored 5. Key players for the Pirates were Mac Groff with 4 home runs and 8 RBI and Mike Vannostrand with 3 home runs and 6 RBI. For the Ninjas it was Donnie King with 2 home runs and 11 RBI and Jimmy Cole with a home run and 4 RBI.
The Wiffle World Series Game 2
Ninjas vs. Pirates
8-10
Game 2 of the Wiffle World series was a stark contrast from game 1. A game filled with great defense and pitching was a far cry from the 35 run explosion in game 1. Though the first inning showed otherwise the run count stayed low during the game. The top of the inning saw the Ninjas pick up where they left off in game 1 with a 2-run shot off the bat of Jimmy Cole. However the bottom of the inning saw a determined Pirates team strike for 6 runs aided by a three-run shot from Mackenzie Groff. The Ninjas struck back in the top of the second when newcomer Rob Michelin crushed a grand slam off of Mackenzie Groff to give the Ninjas a 5 run inning and a 7-6 lead. Another run in the third gave the Ninjas a 2 run lead and they looked to be on the way to a 2-0 series lead. However, in the bottom of the fifth timely hitting by the Pirates led to two runs and a 8-8 tie going into the final inning. The Ninjas surprisingly couldn't put together any runs in the top of the inning leaving the door open for the Pirates and they took advantage. After a Nick Visco double and advance to third on an errand throw, Scott Parker took Jimmy Cole deep for a two-run walk-off game winner for the Pirates, evening the series at 1-1 heading into Monday afternoons game 3 and a chance to take control of the series. Key players for the game for the Pirates were Scott Parker with 1 home run and 3 RBIs and Mackenzie Groff with 1 home run, 5 RBIs and 8 K's. For the Ninjas it was Jimmy Cole with 2 home runs, 3 RBIs, and 4 K's, as well as Rob Michelin with 1 home run and 5 RBIs.
The Wiffle World Series Game 3
Pirates vs. Ninjas
10-7
The third game of the Wiffle World Series on a beautiful Monday afternoon was a game dominated by the Pirates offense. In the first inning the Pirates struck fast with a 2 run home run off the bat of Kenny Carman. The Ninjas attempted to answer with a solo home run by Josh Ostrander which made the score 2-1. In the second inning the Pirates put a pair of runs in the second and third innings while Mackenzie Groff shut them out on the mound. In the fourth Mike VanNostrand hit 2 home runs to add to the Pirates lead and the Ninjas got a run off a solo shot by Donnie King. Even though the Ninjas fought hard in the last two innings of play it was not enough to come back from a 7 run lead. Key players for the Pirates were Mike VanNostrand with 2 home runs and 4 RBI, Kenny Carmen with 2 home runs and 5 RBI, and Mackenzie Groff with 1 RBI and 6 K's. For the Ninjas it was Josh Ostrander with a home run and 3 RBI, and Jimmy Cole with 8 K's
The Wiffle World Series Game 4
Ninjas vs. Pirates
8-2
The Ninjas seemed determined from the first pitch to avoid going down 3-1 in the Wiffle World Series. The Ninjas jumped out early to a 1-0 lead after a perfect inning pitched by Jimmy Cole. They added another in the top of the second but were caught in the bottom thanks to a late arriving Ron West home run. The score stayed even at 2 until the top of the 4th when the resurgent Ninjas struck for 3 runs behind a solo shot by Jimmy Cole and a two run blast from Nick Visco. The Pirates, trying to command the series, couldn't get their offense moving all day and couldn't put runs on the board despite numerous opportunities by leaving the bases loaded twice. Three more runs were added by the Ninjas in the top of the 6th from another solo shot from Jimmy Cole and Zach Bedell as insurance and the game was closed out thanks to a fifth scoreless inning worked by Jimmy Cole. The top performers for the game for the Pirates were Mackenzie Groff with 3 strikeouts and an RBI, as well as Ron West with 3 hits and a home run. For the Ninjas it was Nick Visco with 3 RBIs and 2 home runs, and Jimmy Cole with 10 K's , 2 home runs, and 6 hits. The series is tied up 2-2 heading into game 5 next Sunday.
The Wiffle World Series Game 5
Pirates vs. Ninjas
8-9
Game 5 was an important game in this Wiffle World Series as the Pirates and Ninjas were both tied at 2 games a piece. The winner of this game would need to win only one more game for the Wiffle Cup. Both teams knew this and what ensued was possibly the best game of the series so far. The first two innings saw the Pirates jump all over Ninja starting pitcher Jimmy Cole. After 2 innings the score stood at 4-0 Pirates thanks to a 2-run shot by Scott Parker in the second. The third inning started to see the Pirates pulling away as they struck for 2 more runs in the inning, however the Ninjas finally got on the board striking for 4 runs in the bottom half of the inning behind a two RBI single from Zach Bedell. The next inning the Ninjas tied the score at 6 and the teams stayed dead-locked until the top of the seventh. That inning saw the Pirates go up by two after two bases loaded walks from Jimmy Cole. However, the bottom of the inning provided the greatest drama of the series. After two hits and two outs, the Ninjas had men on first and third with Donnie King coming up to bat. King had been in a slump the past two games and was just looking for a hit to get back rolling. With the count 3-2 after a foul ball that was nearly caught by Mackenzie Groff, King nailed the next pitch Just over the left field fence for the walk-off game winner. The Ninjas are now one win away from winning the inaugural Wiffle World Series. Game 6 will take place November 2nd at Cole Field. The key players for the Pirates were Mackenzie Groff with 7 K's and Ron West with 3 RBI's. For the Ninjas it was Zach Bedell with 3 RBI's and Donnie King with 3 RBI's and 1 Home Run.
Wiffle World Series Game 6
Ninjas vs Pirates
4-8
In a game 6 that saw both sides very hostile towards the other. The Pirates came out on top in what can only be considered the worst game of the Wiffle World Series thus far. A game that saw very scrappy runs and questionable calls leads to a game 7 next week. The scoring began when Ninja Jimmy Cole blasted a Grand Slam home run to dead center field. The Pirates clawed back and tied the score going into the fourth inning. It was there that the Pirates Kenny Carman hit a two run shot over the left field wall to go ahead for good. The final score was 8-4 and the series deciding game 7 will be played next week at Cole Field at 2 p.m. The MVP's for the Pirates are Ken Carman with 1 Home Run and 8 K's as well as Mike VanNostrand with 3 RBIs. For the Ninjas it was Jimmy Cole with 1 Home Run, 4 RBIs and 2 K's and Donnie King with 2 hits and 2 BB's.