2022 Raleigh Oaks Sweep Sox in 18+ Division Championship Series of Central North Carolina MSBL
Central North Carolina MSBL, 18+ Division
Raleigh Oaks 21, Triangle (Tri) Sox 5 (Game two of championship series sweep)
This was the Raleigh Oaks’ inaugural season in the Central North Carolina Men’s Senior Baseball League under manager Brett Moraes. The Oaks finished with a league-high 17 victories, which was supported by a .394 team batting average and a league-leading nine home runs. Standout players include Jason Wipaki (league-leading 24 steals), Brian Rubin (league-leading .622 batting average), and John McKenna (league-leading four home runs). Pitchers Cooper Strong (6-1) and Brendan Mafnas (3-0) both combined for 114 K’s in 77 innings pitched while Dylan Barton notched five wins in only seven appearances.
On Sunday, October 16th, the Raleigh Oaks and the Triangle (Tri) Sox faced off for the first two games of a best-of-three Championship series. The Oaks took Game One (box score) by a score of 7-0. Cooper Strong started the game for the Oaks and was dominant, throwing a complete game shutout with nine K’s. The defense was tight, and the offense was powered by MJ Tineo and Kyle Ohanian, who each delivered two RBI.
Game Two (box score) immediately followed Game One, and the Oaks kept rolling, racking up 21 runs in just four innings, on their way to a 21-5 victory. Pretty much everyone contributed offensively, with standouts being Brendan Mafnas (4-4 with a double and 4 RBI), Khalif Hill (2-4 with 2 RBI), and MJ Tineo showing up once again (3-5 with 3 RBI). Dylan Barton got the win giving up just one earned run in four innings.
