2024 Columbus Pirates Win Fifth Consecutive Columbus MSBL 25+ Title

Columbus Men’s Baseball League, 25+ Division

Columbus Pirates 11, Columbus Indians 2

‘Pirates Make it Five in a Row in Columbus’ 

Supplied by Nate Campbell, Pirates’ manager

Playing with heavy hearts following the unexpected passing of Manager Rick Fryman in January, the Columbus Pirates honored the MSBL Hall of Famer with their fifth consecutive Columbus league championship, and sixth in the past seven seasons. Fryman was also the longtime commissioner of the Columbus M’s Baseball League, and in his honor, the league renamed the 25+ championship the ‘Fryman Cup.’

After an extra-inning thriller in the semifinal, where the Pirates knocked off the Gahanna Bananas 9-8, the Bucs took care of business in the league title game with an 11-2 win over a tough Indians squad. Brett Thomas continued his strong season on the mound, tossing five shutout innings to earn the win, while Aaron Geis and Eric Sims combined to throw the final four frames.

At the plate, the Pirates collected 14 hits, led by Clay Ragland who finished 2 for 2 with a double and three runs scored. Jeff Tillman and Todd Imhoff each added a pair of hits, including a double. Nate Recht drove in three runs in the win.

The Bucs were paced this season by several key contributors, including Nate Green, who belted five home runs and finished 5-0 on the mound. Nate Campbell led the Pirates in hitting with a .486 average, 22 runs scored, and 19 stolen bags, while Josh Campanella drove in 19 runs to lead the team. Drew Mahler added three home runs on the season.

The Pirates have an overall record of 20-3, their 11th consecutive season with 20+ wins. They’ll now head west to participate in the MSBL World Series in Arizona from October 16-20.

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