2021 Fighting Lloyds Sweep Nationals for 18+ American ‘B’ Division Title in DCMSBL
DCMSBL 18+ American ‘B’ Division
Fighting Lloyds 15, Nationals 13
‘Fighting Lloyds Sweep Nationals for 18+ American ‘B’ Crown’
Submitted by Eric Halstrom, Fighting Lloyds manager
The Lloyds secured their first playoff title in the entirety of Lloyds history in the DCMSBL. Many a Lloyd has tried to reach this pinnacle of dominance, but not until now has the hardware found its way into our hands. I want to congratulate everyone on powering through a mostly forgettable regular season before arriving at the Playoffs, at which point we found our mid-season stride and had a clean sweep of our 3-game postseason. Now, to some recaps.
Truth be told, game one against the Nationals was a beatdown. The final score was Fighting Lloyds 11, Nationals 1 and the game was never in doubt. Dow threw seven dominant innings, plus another 3 2/3 in game two, and the game wasn’t that close. Game two, however, was a little bit of a different story.
After having a sizable lead of 10-2 after four innings in the final game, the Nationals found their turbo button and decided to drop a 6-spot on us in the fifth, making it 10-8. But the Lloyds didn’t relent, putting up five of their own and extending the lead to 15-8. At this point, most would assume that the 7-run lead wouldn’t be in jeopardy. However, true to form, the Lloyds wanted to make things a little more interesting. That’s how we roll… mettle! After the ump had a few ‘strike three’ no-calls, AJ shut the door to seal the deal at 15-13. Game over. Championship won. Calamity ensues.
I want to commend everyone on such an incredible playoff run. Every guy on this team came up big in some way throughout the playoffs and to me, that’s the definition of (NIT) championship baseball. We know exactly what it takes to win because we spent so much time coming so close for so many years. Nobody believed in us, because they never do except, of course, for our fans — thank you for coming out. And when it’s all said and done, the trophy is rightfully ours, and it belongs to all of us. 2021 turned out to be the Year of the Lloyd!
Congratulations on a great season, guys. Job well done.