2025 Summer League Results- Playoffs RD 2

8/13/25- Grays 12 - Isotopes 5

8/14/25- Phillies 4 - Plug Uglies 1

Thursday night at Mackenzie, the #2 seed Phillies hoped to exact revenge for a playoff elimination two years ago and championship loss in 2024 to the #3 seed Plug Uglies, while the Plugs aimed to make the Finals for the third consecutive year. The Phillies, led by the courageous pitching performances of Ken Sloat and Colin Hosley, allowed 11 hits and only 1 unearned run, backed by stout defense for the win, punching their ticket to the Final next week against the top seed Dorian Grays.

In the top of the first, Nolan Anaya singled with one out off wiley Sloat, but was quickly gunned down trying to steal by Phils backstop Ron Totten. Micah Winston led off the bottom of the first against Plugs hurler Jeff Whitehead, then stole 2nd, but unwisely tried to advance to 3rd on a dropped pitch. Matt Boulanger quickly threw to Jeff Cabana at 3rd, who tagged Winston on the sleeve.

In the second, Sloat only allowed a no-harm 2-out single to Greg Elbaum, while the Phillies plated a pair when Whitehead walked the first two batters he faced, only to get caught in an epic at bat with Jim Fogarty, who after being down 0-2 fouled off half a dozen pitches and earned a walk to load the bases with no outs. Miguel Ringler then hit a slow roller to SS Bill Evans, who could only get an out at 2nd as the first run came across. Sloat followed with an RBI single to left-center before Whitehead escaped with no further damage.

In the third, the Plugs tried to duplicate the Phil’s feat by loading the bases with no outs on consecutive singles from Cabana, Steve Wall and Mike Olkin, but Sloat pulled a magnificent Houdini act by inducing an infield fly and a pair of easy grounders to the mound, the first of which resulted in a force out at home. Paul Griswold led off the bottom of the 3rd with a single, stole 2nd, and evidently wasn’t paying attention to Winston’s mishap in the 1st as he ran into his own out at 3rd on a sweet throw from Boulanger.

Sloat was scintillating in the top of the 4th, carving up the top of the Plugs order with 2 strikeouts sandwiched around an easy groundout. The Phillies then doubled the lead in their half of the inning. Winston led off with a walk and Stephen Malachite smashed a double to right-center. Yami Baker’s deep sac fly to LF, nicely hauled in by Mike Olkin, brought in the first run, and then Phil’s manager Andy Klepacki singled in Malachite for a 4-0 lead.

Sloat escaped a jam in the 5th, his final inning. After allowing 1-out singles to Rob Eccleston and Elbaum, he induced a nifty 6-4-3 DP. Whitehead also rebounded from a rough start, after the first 2 Phils reached on errors, by striking out 2 batters and getting a groundout to close the inning.

Fireballer Hosley relieved Sloat in the 6th, allowed a hit to Cabana, who moved to 3rd on 2 groundouts, and then after hitting Chris Scanlon with a pitch, Hosley snatched a soft liner to end the inning. Whitehead faced the minimum in the 6th, inducing a 4-6-3 DP after Ron Totten’s single.

Hosley retired the side in order in the 7th, featuring a strikeout and a nice catch by Sean St. Marie on a sharp line drive to LF. Whitehead put 2 men on when Baker walked and Hosley singled but then snagged a hot comebacker to turn a 1-6 DP and stifle the rally.

The Plug Uglies finally broke through with a run in the 8th when Whitehead and Eccleston singled with one out. The Phils tried to turn 2 on an infield hit, but the throw to first bounced off of Malachite’s glove allowing Whitehead to scamper home. The Phils went down quietly in their half without hitting the ball out of the infield.

With one more shot to come back in the 9th, Cabana led off with a single, but Hosley bore down, fanning the next 2 batters, before a grounder to the surehanded SS Klepacki ended the game.

The loss ended the Uglies’ season, while the Phillies advanced to face the number one seed Dorian Grays.