2025 Fall League Results- Final Weekend

10/26/25- Hortons 17 - Sons of Pitches 2

The Hortons bounced back from a slow 1-3 start to the fall season by winning their final 3 games handily, including a 17-2 blow-out win over the hobbled Sons of Pitches at Mitchell Field in the Final. The Sons were without both their aces – Morriss Partee and Mark Caputo, and had 3 others playing with injuries, so called in reserves Greg Elbaum and Jon Adolph to take the mound, but the Hortons mighty bats were too much. Bill Evans and Chris Bernacki combined to allow only 4 hits and 0 runs with 7 K’s in 8 innings, inducing ground ball after ground ball. Only 4 outs were made in the air the entire game, and the final out was the only outfield flyout.

4 batters into the game, the Hortons already had all the runs they’d need. Bill Evans was hit by a pitch, Chad Walker launched a monstrous double to deep LF, and then Shawn O’Grady hit a triple to RF even further, coming around to score on Diego Ortiz’s RBI groundout. After consecutive singles by Scott Dunaisky, John Malikowski and Micah Winston, Matt Witek’s infield hit scored another, as did Bill Welcome’s fielder’s choice.

The Hortons added another run in the 3rd when Diego Ortiz singled and eventually scored on a throwing error. Marin Goldstein led off the bottom of the 3rd with a hit but was forced out at 2nd when 2B Welcome’s throw miraculously bounced off of the sliding Goldstein’s helmet, right into the glove of SS Walker before Goldstein hit the bag, and then the next batter hit into a smooth 1-6-3 DP started by Evans.

In the bottom of the 4th, the Sons threatened, getting 2 runners on with 1 out, but Evans escaped the jam with a K and an infield pop-up. The Hortons scored a pair in the 5th when Evans and Walker singled, O’Grady hit an RBI double and Malikowski singled in another. The 8-0 score after 5 innings was, coincidentally, the exact same score/inning combo from the Sons 17-15 win over the Hortons three games prior. However, this time the Hortons had Bernacki, who had been absent in that game, on the mound, and the Sons were unable to do anything against “Nacho,” who retired 9 of the 10 batters he faced, 4 on K’s, only allowing a single to Don Edwards.

Meanwhile, the Hortons scored another off of reliever Adolph in the 7th inning. Evans, Walker and O’Grady, each knocked their 3rd hits of the game, with Evans coming around on O’Grady’s single.

Adolph tired in his 3rd inning of work, and the Hortons put the game to bed with 8 runs off of him and Emilio Chaverri. Winston led off with a walk, Witek singled, and Welcome singled in Winston, Tom Salvini’s grounder was misplayed for an error, scoring a run, and then Mike Olkin reached on an infield error to load the bases. Evans was plunked, scoring Welcome, Walker ripped a 2-run single, and Chaverri took the mound. He hit O’Grady to load the bases again, Ortiz & Dunaisky hit consecutive RBI singles, and the 8th run scored when Winston’s fly ball was dropped.

The Hortons put Welcome on the mound to make his pitching debut in the bottom of the 9th, and he allowed a pair of runs. Terry Randall led off with a single, and after a FC, a HBP and a walk, Edwards’ RBI FC brought in the Sons’ first run. After another free pass, Stephen Malachite walked to score the 2nd run, but the game ended spectacularly, as Michael Arbour drove a ball to deep LF that O’Grady raced back on and leaped to grab, before falling backwards the ground.

Offensive stars for the Hortons were: Bill Evans (3-4, 2 HBP, 4R, RBI), Chad Walker (4-5, 2B, 3 R, 2 RBI), Shawn O’Grady (3-4, 2B, 3B, HBP, 2R, 4RBI) and Scott Dunaisky (3-5, R, RBI). For the Sons, Marin Goldstein and Don Edwards (RBI) each reached base twice on a hit and BB.

10/26/25- Meadowlarks 2 - Spiders 1

In what was supposed to be the consolation game finale, the Spiders and the Meadowlarks battled at Anniversary Field as if it was game seven of the Fall Classic. Standings be damned, both teams played great defense, sent great pitching to the mound, and headed into winter by playing a gem of a game.

A pitching duel commenced between the Larks’ Gary Webber and the Spiders’ Jeff Whitehead. Both pitched five shutout innings: Weber gave up five hits, walked one, and struck out two. Whitehead gave up two hits, one walk, and struck out 3. All the action was coming from the pitching mound, and after five innings it was deadlocked at 0-0.

In the sixth inning Jon “JW” Wills took over pitching duties and pitched two no hit innings.

In the bottom of the 6th Krafty Kenny Sloat relieved Whitehead and gave up a single Phillies battery mate Ron “Tater Totten, who later scored on Eli Pacheco RBI fielder’s choice.

In the top of the 8th the Spiders finally broke through. Nolan Anaya reached on a fielder’s choice, got to third on a wild pitch, and scored on an RBI single from Tom Ingram to even it up.

The Meadowlarks didn’t wait long to respond. In their bottom of the 8th Matty Boulanger singled, moved to second on a Totten single, then advanced to third on a wild pitch. That set the stage for Eric “Noodles” Bennett, who singled in Boulanger to make it 2-1. The Larks tried to add more insurance runs, but ended the inning with the bases loaded.

But the fireworks weren’t over just yet. After JW struck out the first batter, Ed Cauley reached on a fielder’s choice, Whitehead singled, and Sloat walked. Bases loaded, two outs, Spiders down by one run. A hit ties the game and maybe scores the go ahead run. But against the next batter Wills induced an infield fly that he handled himself and the game was over! Bennett’s single was the defining hit of the game, getting the Larks to 4-3 on the season. Final score: Meadowlarks 2, Spiders 1.