2022 Brookfield Stallions Top White Sox for La Grange (IL) MABL Title
La Grange MABL, 18+
Brookfield Stallions 11, Brookfield White Sox 0
“Don’t play like a pony when you are running with the Stallions”
The 2022 Brookfield Stallions won the La Grange, IL MABL with a 3-1 playoff record to take home the championship versus the Brookfield White Sox! The Stallions made it to the championship three straight years (all against the White Sox) winning in 2019 and now again in 2022 (no season in 2020).
The Brookfield Stallions finished the regular season with a record of 14-6-1, scoring 128 runs and allowing only 69 runs. They finished second in the regular season earning a first-round bye in the playoffs. The toughest aspect of 2022 was being able to field a consistent nine guys every game. However, the Stallions maintained solid performance in all three phases of the game throughout the season.
Timely hitting and sharp defense were major factors to those 14 wins, but the consistency from the pitching staff all year long is what set them up for success every single game. John Barnes and Kyle Halverson were workhorses, starting half of the games for the Stallions and eating up the bulk of the innings. Barnes had a dazzling 1.69 ERA while striking out 45 in 29 innings. Kyle Halverson tossed an excellent 2.33 ERA with four complete games. Jonny Kleinmeyer, Adam Martinson, Kris Solis, and Joe Hnojsky provided a ton of quality innings throughout the summer to help the Stallions remain competitive in almost every game. Solis was the Stallions secret weapon out of the bullpen, and would often shut down the final 2-3 innings of ballgames.
Regarding individual offense numbers, Stallions had a home run from Kyle Halverson, Hnojsky, Macis, Mosher, and Solis. Hnojsky led the team in doubles (4), RBIs (15), and third in BA (.396). Kyle Halverson led the team with an OBP of .560 and finished second with a batting average of .405. Keith Halverson led the team in hits (20) and BA (.417), while adding 12 RBIs for third on the team. TJ Little was a fixture in the middle of the order finishing second in RBIs (13) and produced 17 bases on balls with his competitive at-bats. In addition, Kleinmeyer, Solis, Macis, and Cortez all provided a ton of offense, hitting around .350 with extra-base hits. Lastly, the Stallions had other guys hit around .300 who were huge reasons why they came away with 14 wins (B. Sopczynski, Barnes, Mosher, Reyes, and Woods).
The playoff run started with a matchup versus the White Sox. The Stallions won 5-2, including a rain delay, in which Kleinmeyer tossed a masterful complete game and 14 Ks. The offense was led by Macis, going 3-3 with a huge double in the 3-run fourth inning.
Game two was against the Chargers, in which the Stallions won 7-2 with some late-inning heroics. Barnes had to leave the game after only one inning pitched with a playoff-ending injury. Kyle Halverson stepped in huge and tossed almost six excellent innings. Solis came in the seventh to get the Stallions out of the jam, and eventually closed out the game to earn the win.
D. Sopczynski had a great night with two hits and a walk, while Little provided a huge double in the eighth which allowed Kleinmeyer to steal the show with a clutch 2-run home run to take the lead 3-2. The Stallions had a quiet offense all night, but in typical Stallion’s fashion, they woke up late in the game. Little and Kleinmeyer’s eighth-inning spark was the memorable moment of the 2022 playoffs, providing the momentum and confidence they needed to win it all. Little finished with two RBI and Kleinmeyer with three. The Stallions put up a 4-spot in the ninth to put away any life the Chargers had left.
In the championship, the White Sox needed to beat the Stallions two times, and they managed to win game one. The Stallions showed up with a lot of offense in these two games and stellar defense. The Stallions infield and outfield of Keith Halverson, Macis, Cortez, Kyle Halverson, and D. Sopczynski provided top-notch defense the entire time. That offense and defense helped the Stallions build up momentum in game one even though they lost.
They were down 6-0 early in game one, and without panic, they managed to chip away throughout the game keeping it a close ballgame in a 10-7 loss. Solis and Martinson pitched solid relief to help keep them in the game. The Stallions had doubles by Keith Halverson, B. Sopczynski, and Macis. They also had multi-hit games from Cortez, Macis, Little, and Kleinmeyer.
In game two, the Stallions won the championship with an 11-0 massacre. Kleinmeyer pitched another gem to lead the way. The offense popped out 11 hits, highlighted by Keith Halverson (3), Little (2), and D. Sopczynski (2). The big blow was the crooked number put up in the second inning. Cortez and Mosher had excellent Ab’s ending in walks, and the Sopczynski brothers each had a hit to start the rally. With bases loaded in the second, Keith Halverson lined a shot up the middle to put the Stallions up 3-0. Macis and Little followed up with hits of their own to help produce the big inning. The Stallions added three runs throughout the game and solidified the huge win 11-0!
Stallions are champs again!