[jksander]

1907 MBA Championship Series
Louisville Rivermen (98-56) vs. Chicago Internationals (107-47)

September 25, 1907: We got things going with a bang in game one of the MBA Championship Series in Chicago ... we took an early 2-0 lead, but, up 7-4 going into the ninth inning, we let them score on a groundball single, and then their first-baseman Nate Westfall hit a single that drove in two more to tie it up. But in the top of the 11th, Michael Levine hit a grounder and reached safely on an E5 error, allowing Josue Grimaldo to put us in the lead! Kyle Fargo came out to pitch in the bottom of the inning and didn’t let them even dream of a hit, and we held on to win 8-7! McClain got blown up tonight, allowing 16 hits with seven runs, four earned, through 8.2 innings, but J.R. Potter got the win with just one hit in 1.1 innings. Chalk one up to our bullpen as we took a 1-0 series lead! Burgess had two hits, one of them a homer, and two RBIs, while Cole hit twice and scored a run on the ground.

September 26, 1907: In game two we scored a run in the top of the first, but Chicago scored five unanswered starting in the sixth, and despite two runs scored in the top of the ninth, it wasn’t enough to overcome the deficit. We lost this one 5-3 and the series evened out heading back to Louisville. Impagliazzo completed the eight innings with eight hits but allowed five runs, only three of which were earned. Burgess went 0 for 4 and struck out twice, while Cole hit twice and batted in a run.

September 28, 1907: The Internationals took game three and the series lead, beating us 6-2 in a game they took over in the third, never trailing for a moment. Morris gave up 14 hits in 7.2 innings and though the bullpen stayed unblemished, those six earned runs were impossible to make up. Burgess has gone ice cold ... another 0 for 4 with two K’s for him, while Cole hit twice and got nowhere.

September 29, 1907: McClain had a great night in game four, pitching a complete game 10-inning seven-hitter with a walk, a strike and two earned runs, the game going into extras tied up 2-2. In the bottom of the 10th, Brad Burgess hit a walk-off RBI single, scoring Michael Levine to give us a 3-2 victory and tying the series at 2-2! Burgess woke up big time, hitting three times with a run and two RBIs, including his second homer of the series, while Cole went hitless in four tries -- the battle of the MVP shortstops is heating up!

September 30, 1907: Game five was scoreless until the bottom of the fifth, when Impagliazzo hit a squeeze bunt to the third base side, Trent Hall scoring safely ahead of the throw to give us a 1-0 lead! Having gotten us the lead with his impeccable bunting skills, Impagliazzo held tough and completed the shutout, allowing just six hits, walking four batters and striking out a pair as we took the series lead three games to two heading back into Chicago. Burgess hit twice, bringing his series average up to .350, while Cole hit once and kept his at .368.

October 2, 1907: Game six was another squeaker ... Chicago took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second, but in the top of the fifth Mike Andreen hit an RBI single that scored Trent Hall to tie it up, and an inning later Brad Burgess hit a solo homer to take the lead 2-1! But in the bottom of the ninth with the lead still at one run, we choked. Alex Larralde, their first baseman, reached on an error, and then Mike Morris allowed a hit to David Cole, putting him in scoring position. Then left fielder Kyle Doak hit a single, and on an E9 throwing error to home plate, Larralde scored the tying run. Christian Collier, their third baseman, hit a flyout to left, but Doak had time to tag up from third and scored the walk-off as we lost a heartbreaker 3-2. Burgess had one hit, which was his third homer of the series, and it would have been a championship one if we could have held on. Cole hit twice and scored a run, and has now hit .391 through the first six games. Morris took it pretty hard after the game, having gone 8.2 innings with just seven hits and three runs (one earned) in a game that was so close to won he could taste it.

October 3, 1907: We scored first, top of the third, but they answered with a pair in the bottom of the inning, adding a third in the bottom of the fifth and a fourth in the bottom of the sixth. Mike Andreen hit an RBI single in the top of the seventh to cut their lead to two, but we couldn’t make anything else happen. The Internationals held their ground and won this one 4-2, taking another championship home in the process. McClain only lasted six innings, allowing eight hits and four runs with a walk, and Fargo was impressive in his two innings of relief, with just a single hit. Burgess went 0 for 4 and struck out twice (sound familiar?) and Cole scored a run after being hit by a pitch. He finished the series with a .346 average and one RBI, while Burgess hit .286 with three homers in the series and five RBIs. He slugged .643 in the series, and would have easily been the MVP if we’d come out victorious.

We would have loved to take home the title, but going up against a juggernaut like the Internationals and managing to take it to seven games without any truly bad losses, that’s a real achievement. And I’m confident we’ve got the players who can make sure this isn’t a one-off trip.