Crucial and pivotal game 5 went to Forest City 4-2 on the road in Valmara... Matty O'Mara (1-0/1.00 ERA) in a solid performance stopped the Vipers
on one earned run in his 8 innings... reliever Curt Leininger picked up the save, his 2nd in the playoffs. He sat down the Vipers in order in the 9th...
the defeat went to Shura Azarin (0-1/2.08 ERA), who tossed a complete game, but gave up 4 runs on 8 hits with 8 Ks and 2 walks. Azarin did not
allow a single run for the first 6 frames... Milt Moncriffe stroked a 2-run double to give the Firebirds the lead in the top of the 7th... Cale Borden's
two-run clout sealed the verdict for Forest City in the 8th... Keith Tobin led Valmara with 3 hits, including a double and a triple. He drove in both
of the Vipers' scores... the Firebirds took the lead three games to two... one more win and they are on their way to the Pro Cup Series.
With their backs to the wall in game six and on the verge of playoff elimination, the reigning Pro Cup titleholder Valmara rose to the occasion
and forced a 7th game in the series with a hard-earned 6-5 triumph over Forest City on the road at Riverside Stadium... the Vipers leaped
ahead 5-0 in the 3rd inning and then held off the rallying Firebirds 6-5 to level the series at 3 games apiece... Viper closer Paolo Portocarrera
again came to the rescue with a solid 3 and one-third innings of relief... he posted his 2nd postseason save by holding the potent Firebirds
to one run and 2 hits... Cale Borden home run in the 8th was the only run he allowed... Valmara starter Steve Griffeth (1-1/3.00 ERA)
was just good enough to win... Forest City got to him for 4 runs and 7 hits in 5 and two-thirds frames... the losing pitcher was Firebird starter
Craig Ballantyne (2-1/0.00 ERA), who victimized by the 5-run third inning... none of the runs were earned, but he still suffered the defeat...
Ballantyne has not permitted an earned run in his 3 playoff starts and 15 innings... Valmara's Tavio Ortega ripped a grand slam homer to highlight
the 3rd frame 5-run outburst... the Vipers got the eventually game winner in the 6th on two walks, a pickoff-throw error and a wild pitch.
The first six games of the series were up-and-down and back-and-forth hair-raisers between two powerhouse teams --- the biggest margin
of victory was just 3 runs --- not so in the decisive 7th game... Valmara gave Arjan Huntsman a 4-0 lead in the opening frame and he took it
and ran with it... Huntsman never gave the Forest City Firebirds much of a chance... he cajoled and powder-puffed them, scattering 8 hits in
a complete game, fanning 7 batters and walking just 2 in a strong performance and a 5-0 whitewashing... the Vipers came back from a 3-2
deficit and won the series four games to three... Valmara will get a chance to repeat as overall IPA champion against the Tycobbian Union
champion, the La Claire Lynx, who knocked off the White River Rascals in a four-game sweep... Viper first sacker Keith Tobin led the way
with 2 hits and 2 RBIs, including a solo homer in the 5th, his 4th postseason swat... taking the loss was Forest City starter Shannon Slate
(0-2/5.17 ERA)... the Vipers zapped him for 5 runs and 6 hits in his 4 innings... the Firebirds only threatened twice in the game... they got
runners on first and third in the bottom of the third, but then hit into an inning-ending double play... two baserunners reached first and second
in the 8th, but that is as far as they got... Huntsman got out of it both times... otherwise it was smooth-sailing, all the way to the Pro Cup Series
and another possible Pro Cup Trophy for Valmara... it was a very disappointing end to the season for the Forest City Firebirds... they were the
favorite to win the IPA overall crown this year.