2014 Red Sox Bash Dodgers for MABL Crown in New Mexico

New Mexico MABL 18+

Red Sox 23, Dodgers 6

Submitted by Mike Hyland, New Mexico Red Sox

This season the Red Sox went 15-5 and 4-0 in the playoffs to win their first MABL championship in the New Mexico MABL with a 23-6 lacing of the Dodgers in the final game. We were coming off a disappointing year where the Red Sox were one game below .500 in the regular season and lost two heart breaker games to miss the championship a year ago. The team bounced back this season with a lot more chemistry having a year of playing together under their belt. The early turning point in the season was when the Red Sox beat the defending champions 8-7 in their first meeting of the year. They ended up winning the season series 3-1. From then the team started to gel. As a team this year the Sox batted .330, led by Travis Haguewood (.463), Victor Alvarez (.463), Michael Hyland (.446), and Chris Santoscoy (.407). On the mound the team faced some adversity halfway through the season when they lost last season’s Ace Adam Pink, but the team bounced back with a strong rotation of Cory Chavez, Anthony Archibeque,and Alan Scott.

The team face yet another blow when the playoffs started and learned that Scott had a torn ligament in his elbow. Chavez and Archibeque both stepped up, however, when their teams needed them most. Chavez posted fantastic numbers (1.03 ERA 1.24 WHIP with 20Ks in 17.1 IP) in the Semi-final game and Game one of the championship to put his team in line for the win. Archibequepitched the quarter-final game and Game two, picking up the win in both while posting strong numbers as well. (3.50 ERA 1.94 WHIP with 12Ks in 18.0 IP). Both pitchers had plenty of support in the playoffs as the team came to play, batting a combined .404 in four playoff games combined, and putting up 33 runs in support in the championship series to lock up the teams first title.