McLean-Poll meant business when Manager Zach Pollard handed him the baseball in the first game of Series A at Keller Field last Saturday. The young Orioles, despite their four hit for four run performance were no match for the Cardinals on this day. No Red Bird was called upon to even break a sweat as McLean-Poll faced 27 batters while amassing a whopping 14 strike outs.

Line score: LCSFS A-#1

The Barrhead Orioles refused to give up despite a short bench which forced two injured players to remain in a game which was knotted up 2-2 after seven completed innings of play. Hardy Fischer, a young minor league pitcher, had a strong outing for the Orioles going five innings while allowing only 1 run on 3 hits. The Cardinals spread out their 7 hits with veterans Riopel and Shepert each getting two, while Zach Pollard, Jeff Morris, and Ryan Lehman notched one apiece. The floodgates opened in the extra inning as the Orioles could not answer the bell after the Cardinals punched in 4 runs in the top of the eighth. The Cardinals swept the Series and will advance to the League Championship Final Series for the first time in their eleven year history in the NCABL.

Line score: LCSFS A-#2

Jake Moger pitched a complete game victory for the Parkland Twins by effectively executing his pitches. Veterans Cassidy and Pasychnyk each led the Twins with two hits while six more hitters added singles resulting in two runs, enough to defeat the Red Lions led by the steady bat of Chris Brand who went 3 for 3 on the day. Corson Hanlan took the loss in a hard fought game reminiscent of old rivalries. The Twins walked away the victors with hopes of a second successive championship still burning strong.

Line score: LCSFS B-#1

The Red Lions opened with the wily veteran, Sean Beaudoin, on the mound. Beaudoin threw an array of off speed pitches and curve balls which seemed to fluster some of the Twin batters who came up empty handed during Beaudoin’s four innings of work. The Red Lion bench was itself in short supply of arms when Corson Hanlan was called in for his second appearance of the Series. Three highly effective innings later and the Twins had only managed two hits and a single run against Hanlan. In the meantime, the Red Lions had collected 12 runs on 13 hits and had provided their pitchers with a solid wall of defence led by their very versatile outfield.!

Line score: LCSFS B-#2

In the third and deciding game of this series, the Twins could not seem to recover from a less than stellar performance in game two. In a move reminiscent of those early days when Mike Gonas, a member of the Hall of Fame, was often called upon to pitch in two or more games in the same series, the Red Lions called upon Corson Hanlan to do the same. Hanlan responded by pitching a complete game in which he allowed only one unearned run on three hits to go along with five strikeouts. The Twins left the field having allowed 11 Red Lion hits to only 3 for the defending League Champions. Hayden Rake took the loss as the Red Lions claimed the right to make yet another appearance in the 2023 League Championship Series.

Line score: LCSFS B-#3