2016 BDZ Construction Bombers Shutout Indians for First Portland MABL Crown

Portland MABL 18+

BDZ Construction Bombers 1, Portland Indians 0

Top row L-R: Ben Grubb, Dusty Obteshka, Bo Cornish, Zac Israel, Grant Taylor, Todd Herbst, Chad Kjemhus, Beau Fraser, Steven Brock, Manager Ty Brack. Bottom row L-R: Kurt Yinger, Scotty Burris, Bob Donley, Riley Henricks, Zach Miller, Kramer Scott. Not pictured: Kevin Armijo, Tim Culligan, Grayson Wayne.

‘Bombers Cap Successful First Season in Portland MABL 18+’

By Grayson Wayne, (Bombers blogger)

The BDZ Construction Bombers defeated the defending champion Portland Indians 1-0 in a tension-filled Portland MABL championship game on Aug. 29. Bombers’ left-handed pitcher Scotty Burris hurled a complete game shutout to lead the BDZ squad to a title in the team’s first year in the league. Burris stepped up in the absence of Bombers’ ace Kurt Yinger, who despite only allowing one run in 43 innings, was suspended for the championship game due to a violation of team rules.

Burris’s 11-strikeout gem was nearly matched pitch-for-pitch by Indians’ starter Dave Kinney, whose off-speed magic and location stymied a Bombers offense that averaged seven runs a game and hit 13 homers in 18 games. The lone run of the game came in the bottom of the sixth when Bombers’ manager Ty Brack led off with a single and later scored from first on a two-out double by second basemen Riley Henricks.

In the dramatic top of the ninth, the Indians’ cleanup hitter Mike Andrusco led off with a walk and reached second on a passed ball. With no one out and the tying run at second, Burris induced a ground out to short and then struck out the six-hitter, keeping Andrusco at second base. Indians’ left-fielder Sean McGovern then stepped in and knocked a bouncing ball between the diving gloves of the Bombers’ first and second basemen. As Andrusco rounded third to tie the game, Bombers’ right-fielder Grant Taylor charged the base hit, fielded and transferred cleanly, and uncorked a championship-saving throw to gun down Andrusco and end the game.

In addition to the solid pitching, both teams played clean defense and managed to escape multiple jams. The Bombers finished 0-13 with runners in scoring position and left nine men on base; meanwhile, the Indians went 1-10 with RISP, with the only hit being the game-ending knock that didn’t result in a run.

For the Bombers, Brack went 2-3 with the run scored and shortstop Zac Israel also went 2-3 with a double. Stephen George of the Indians was 3-4 and Donnie Sixberry went 2-4. BDZ finished with 10 hits and the Indians finished with nine.

The Bombers/Indians rivalry, which culminated in the thrilling championship game, included five total contests in which BDZ held a 4-1 advantage. Three of those five games were decided by two runs or less.

The Indians finished the season with a 12-6 record while the Bombers went 17-1 and are 41-1 over the last two seasons, having played 2015 in a different league.

The championship game was a symbolic reflection of the Portland MABL’s entire competitive season, as over half of the playoff games were decided by one run, and all but one of the playoff games involved a come-from-behind victory.