Recap
The National Slowpitch Championship Series resumed on Sunday with a playoff series between the Sliema Patriots and Mustangs. The Patriots and Mustangs finished with 10 regular season wins apiece but the Patriots had the tie-breaker and took 2nd place in the standings. This is the first game of a best of 3 playoff series between these teams.
The Mustangs started hot, leading by 5 runs after the 1st inning. Extra-base hits from Mark Buttigieg and Daniele Palumbo led the way and they were later driven in by a 2-run single from Chris Munz. The Mustangs continued putting pressure on their opponents, scoring 2 more runs in the 3rd inning, leading by 7 runs.
The Patriots had the work cut out for them. Multiple hits from the heart of the order kept the line moving and allowed Jorge Acosta to hit a big 3-run homerun to get the Patriots within 3 runs. The Mustangs weren’t done yet though, and scored another 6 runs with big hits from Efrain Deyan, Michael Pitzschel and newcomer Alfred Chen.
Down by 5 runs in the 6th inning, the Patriots had another rally in them and scored 4 runs. In the 7th and final inning, with the bases loaded, the Patriots won the game in walk-off fashion thanks to a big hit by Jorge Acosta! His teammate Dillon Adams was voted the player of the game for his prowess all over the diamond.