2020 Father/Son Federal
Maine Diamond Dogs 12, So Cal Quakes 3
‘Maine Makes in Three Rings in Three Years’
Submitted by Clair Crandall, Diamond Dogs manager
The Maine Diamond Dogs scored three in the top of the first against the Southern California Quakes and never trailed winning 12-3 in the MSBL Father-Son Federal championship. The Quakes scored in the bottom of the second to make it a one run game, but Maine opened it up with a 5-run fifth followed by a 3-run sixth to close out the scoring.
Maine was lead on the mound by winning pitcher Chris Fuemeller giving up two earned runs and six hits in four innings but avoided any major damage with a good combination of off-speed pitches keeping an extremely good hitting squad in check. Matt Powers and Alex DiMascio combined to shut down the Quakes on two hits over the final five innings.
Offensively Maine was led by three hits each from lead off hitter Matt Powers and team MVP Jim Fier and as a team tallied 17 hits in total. Powers scored three times and the top four hitters for the Dogs tallied eight runs scored. Fier, at age 57, hit the ball well all tournament long and had several key hits in big moments.
The Quakes were led by Bill Locken with three hits and Dale Eby chipped in two. The Quakes were going for two rings in a row after winning the Central division in 2019.
The semis saw Maine pound out 15 hits in a very tight game against the formidable 3n2 Rangers. The game was tied at five each after the fifth, but Maine scored two in the sixth and tacked on insurance runs in the seventh and ninth. The Quakes bested the Sacramento Dirt Bags 5-1 in the other semifinal game.
This marked three rings in three years for Maine, having won back to back Federal division championships after a 2018 win in the Central. Maine has brought a team every year since 2004 and has won seven championships in total with several players owning six rings!
“Similar to last year the key to winning is getting the top of the order on base, using their speed and having the bats behind them to bring them in.”