2022 Dragons Sweep the Cigars for 25+ Championship in Atlanta MABL
Atlanta MABL, 25+ Division
Dragons 7, Cigars 2 (Game two in best of three series sweep)
Submitted by Don Pike, Atlanta MABL League President
The Dragons won the championship 1-0 and 7-2 over the Cigars. Game one featured an unbelievable pitching duel with Stef Lollar and Chris Haggard combining on the shutout. The Dragons won on a 2-out wild pitch for the walk-off 1-0 win.
Game two saw Dan Sarisky shutting down the Cigars offense, allowing just two runs in six innings for the 7-2 win. The Dragons have completed the season with a 17-4 record and championships in 2017, 2018, and now 2022 MSBL Champs!
Game 1: Stef Lollar made his first start of the year after dealing with arm injuries most of the last two seasons. Lollar made the most of it going 5 1/3 scoreless and striking out seven, allowing just three hits and three walks before giving way to Chris Haggard. Haggs entered with a 1-0 count and the bases loaded with just one out in a scoreless tie in the sixth. After falling behind in the count 2-0, to the Cigars cleanup hitter, Haggs induced the ground ball he was looking for on a soft one-hop liner that Tommy Meek scooped up at short and completed the double play to escape any damage. This was really the turning point of the game as the Cigars would strand nine base runners in the game.
For the Cigars, their pitcher, Luis Garcia was dealing on his end too. Thru six innings, Garcia gave up just five hits and no walks while striking out 10.
Going to the seventh, the Cigars got a leadoff double and a SAC bunt to advance him to third with one out. With the infield in, Haggard got a ground ball to third and Matt Bishop made the play and the next batter flew to center to end the inning.
Glenn Harbin led off with a single up the middle in the Dragon’s seventh. Cole Outz followed with a single down the third-base line that stayed fair. Matt Bishop bunted them over and Matt Costello was intentionally walked to load the bases. An infield pop-up followed for the second out and Justin Myles was at the plate when Garcia uncorked a wild pitch that bounced about 12-15 feet away. Glenn Harbin, channeling his speed training days, lumbered towards home plate in what felt like slow motion and a head-first dive beat the errant throw for the walk-off win and the celebration ensued!
Game 2: The Dragons produced more offensive fireworks in this one as the Cigars game one starter took the ball in game two. Tommy Meek singled and stole second and third while the throw to third got away into left field, allowing Meek to score to put the Dragons on the board early. Garcia would get a scoreless second before exiting after throwing 94 pitches in game one and another 30 in game two.
In the Dragon’s third, Cooper and Lollar both walked to start the inning, and Glenn Harbin’s 2-out, 2-run single extended the lead to 3-0. In the fourth, Cody Tournear doubled and Justin Myles tripled and the Dragons tacked on two more runs, making it 5-0.
In the fifth, a Matt Costello 2-run double essentially put the game away as the Dragons took a 7-0 lead. The Cigars would get two runs in the bottom of the fifth and Dragon’s starter, Dan Sarisky would go six innings, allowing just six hits and striking out 10. Costello would mop it up in the seventh striking out the final batter and putting the exclamation mark on a remarkable and memorable 17-4 Championship season!