Power Pros Forum

ABO Weekly Recap
September 26 - October 4, 2016 (END OF SEASON)

2016 ABO Playoff Matchups
Atlantic Conference

#1 Orlando Wizards vs. #4 Annapolis Angels
#2 Nashville Music vs. #3 Sandusky Beagles

Pacific Conference

#1 Glendale Copperheads vs. #4 Honolulu Tropics
#2 San Diego Surge vs. #3 New Orleans Krewe

Matchup previews coming soon!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Stats Leaderboards

Atlantic Conference

Pacific Conference

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Players of the Month - September 2016

Atlantic Conference
The Hitter of the Month for the Atlantic Conference in August went to Kalamazoo 2B Martin Kerswell. The Kalamazoo second baseman hit .381 with 4 home runs, 22 RBIs and 18 runs scored to capture the award. This season, Kerswell hit .352/.425/.518 with 182 hits and 15 home runs. He scored 75 times and had 83 RBI. He lead the AC in batting average, and put up 7.4 WAR.

The Pitcher of the Month for the AC went to Orlando RHP Bobby Davis. He threw 15.2 innings over 15 relief appearances and collected a 1-0 record with 26 strikeouts and 12 saves while etching his 0.00 ERA. This season Davis crafted a 7-3 won-lost mark, pitched in 73 relief appearances and rung up 49 saves, leading the ABO. He had a 1.80 ERA and allowed 43 hits over his 75 innings of work, struck out 122 batters and walked 13. He put up 3.1 WAR as well.

Pacific Conference
The Hitter of the Month for the Pacific Conference in August went to Seattle DH/2B Liam Shearer. With a .343 batting average (37/108), 9 home runs, 24 RBIs and 17 runs scored, he was a solid choice. For the season, Shearer hit at a .290/.347/.555 clip with 39 home runs, an ABO-leading 128 RBIs and scored 82 runs. He had 184 hits and 47 walks, and put up 5.5 WAR.

The Pitcher of the Month for the Pacific Conference went to Arlington RHP Hal Burton. He made 15 relief appearances for Arlington last month, throwing 19.2 innings and collecting 7 saves, a 4-1 record, 30 strikeouts and a 1.37 ERA. This year, Burton chalked up 70 relief appearances, worked 80.2 innings, struck out 115 and issued 19 walks. He had 31 saves with a 2.34 ERA, a 11-7 won-lost mark, and 2.2 WAR.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Players of the Week

Atlantic Conference
The PotW award for the Atlantic Conference went to Indianapolis 2B Adri Wemerman. He racked up 12 hits in 23 at-bats (.522 AVG), no home runs and 5 RBIs last week in 6 games. In 134 games this season, Wemerman compiled a .298/.375/.421 slash line with 150 hits and 5 home runs. He also scored 66 times, knocked in 66 runs, and put up 4.2 WAR.

Pacific Conference
The PotW for the Pacific Conference this week was Hollywood 1B/LF Kane Sirrell. Sirrell punished opposing pitchers with a .533 average, 16 hits in 30 at-bats, 1 home run and 5 RBI. This season, Sirrell hit at a .345/.373/.436 clip with 63 RBIs, 6 home runs, 69 runs scored, and 4.0 WAR.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Final Standings

Cape Cod lost the make-up game to Arlington, meaning that the Annapolis Angels have made the postseason!

Atlantic Conference
Coastal Division



Central Division



Pacific Conference
Central Division



Coastal Division



ABO Wildcard Standings (Top 5)



----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks for reading this regular season, and stick around for the Postseason Previews, coming up soon!

Alright everybody it's playoff preview time yeah boiiiiiiiii

ABO Playoff Previews 2016 - Conference Semifinals

Atlantic Conference
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
#1 Orlando Wizards vs. #4 Annapolis Angels

Tale Of The Tape

-------------------------Orlando Wizards-------------------------------------------------------Annapolis Angels-------------------------


Matchup Summary
The Atlantic Conference, as a whole, only had one team you could conceivably call "elite" this year. And if you go outside of the Conference, the Orlando Wizards were really the only team that could fit that bill in the entire American Baseball Organization. They are clearly the favorites to win it all, and the matchup with the Annapolis Angels is seen as just another stop in the road to the ABO Championship. However, Annapolis' starting pitching, led by right-handers Mario Hernandez and Mark Rolph has been quietly good this year, with nobody in their starting rotation posting an ERA above 4. Annapolis was one of the few teams in the AC competitive against Orlando, winning 6 games in 18 tries (only Charleston (!) won more games in-division against Orlando). Both these teams are very good at playing defense, with every infielder and outfielder in this series having average to above-average defensive abilities. On the offensive side of the ball, the Angels were certainly offensive in another sense at the plate, finishing in the bottom third of many batting categories, save for stolen bases, where the only team better than them in that department in the ABO was New Orleans. Their best offensive piece, 21-year old LF Marvin Shanks, will return from the DL in time for Game 1, but even he might not be able to save the offense. Orlando has been consistent in many areas of the game, with an offense led by the "Swingin' Indians", AC home run leader Nataraja Vinutha and AC RBI leader Ramu Pratima, who hail from India, and SS Sergio Marroquin, who led the AC in WAR and runs scored, and led the ABO in stolen bases. Their bullpen was as advertised as well, led by Bobby Davis' 49 saves. Orlando is too good to lose this series, but Annapolis could squeak out a game in this 5-game set based on luck alone.

Prediction
Wizards in 3

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

#2 Nashville Music vs. #3 Sandusky Beagles

Tale Of The Tape

-------------------------Nashville Music-------------------------------------------------------Sandusky Beagles-------------------------


Matchup Summary
The only other matchup in the Conference Semifinal round involving division rivals, this one will be the more competitive of the two. Nashville won the season series against Sandusky with a 10-8 record, with the Music winning 6 of the last 9 matchups. Sandusky was bit by the injury bug the last half of the season, and three key players on their team, LF Brencis Dahin (.298/24/62), SP Abram Mahtiev (12-7, 2.26), and CF Malcolm Buddenberg (debatable, he had a 0.3 WAR) will be on the DL for this round, with Mahtiev only becoming available after this round. Nashville has its own injury problems, with 3B Carl Waterhouse, CF Michael de Lange, and RP Bill Brown being the notable players on the DL for the Music. Both teams are very balanced, with Nashville holding a slight advantage offensively, and Sandusky on the pitching side, despite the Music's ace, Don Larnin being one of the top strikeout artists in the AC. If there's one thing that can decide this series, it will be the pitching. Sandusky has one of the better bullpens in the AC this side of Orlando, with Louie Connor (44 saves, 0.85 ERA) and Srinivas Jindal (1.31 ERA, 13.1 K/9) in the back end, compared to Nashville's Thomas Anderson (41 saves, 2.61 ERA) and Ron Hall (2.36 ERA, 80 G, 7.2 K/9). However, with 2/5 of Sandusky's starting rotation on the DL (Gonya Wonlyarsky is on the DL as well), Nashville could control what happens early on in the game. This will be the series to watch, no doubt about it.

Prediction
Music in 5

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pacific Conference
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
#1 Glendale Copperheads vs. #4 Honolulu Tropics

Tale Of The Tape

----------------------Glendale Copperheads---------------------------------------------------Honolulu Tropics------------------------


Matchup Summary
The Copperheads used the dry air and elevation of Arizona - and the rest of their division, frankly - to post the second-best offense in the ABO, other than Boise, who didn't have the pitching to make the playoffs. They also boast one of the 2 best pitchers in the entire ABO in Sherman Lewis, who posted a 22-2 record with a 2.23 ERA, 259 Ks, and a 6.2 WAR, which was second among Pacific Conference starters to San Antonio's Morgan Fowles, who had an 8.4 WAR. Honolulu isn't as flashy as the Copperheads are, and their pitching, for the most part, has carried them this far. The four starters they will have for the postseason rotation all have winning records, led by Vicente Pujols, who went 12-9 with a 2.30 ERA. Both offenses can hit dingers for days, as 9 players between both teams' projected lineups have 20+ homers, with the Copperheads' Dave Hammond leading them with 31 HRs, and Honolulu's Jaime Robles with 37. There won't be a lot of walks in this series, and the defenses could be better, but the one thing that could decide this series is the bullpen. Glendale's Spencer Ravenscroft has been a roller coaster ride for their fans in the 9th inning, with a 3.13 ERA, 12 HRs allowed, and a 2.7 BB/9 rate, but on the positive side, he had 12.2 K/9 and 44 saves. Their other bullpen options outside of Kennet Bartelen are not inspiring, especially in a potentially high-scoring series such as this. On the other side, Honolulu has the lowest bullpen ERA of the PC teams in the postseason, led by the 8th-9th duo of Alexandre Rodriguez (1.85 ERA, 37 holds) and Gary Inge (2.59 ERA, 43/49 SV). The bullpen might help win a couple games in this series for Honolulu, but will the Tropics' bats show up against Glendale's mighty offense?

Prediction
Copperheads in 5

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

#2 San Diego Surge vs. #3 New Orleans Krewe

Tale Of The Tape

--------------------------San Diego Surge----------------------------------------------------New Orleans Krewe-----------------------


Matchup Summary
The San Diego offense surged to the Pacific Conference Coastal Division title on the back of dingers. Lots of dingers. In fact, only Boise hit more dingers than the Krewe. Their short home porch to left field, coupled with the winds that occasionally blow out to that part of the field in San Diego, helped make the Surge one of the more dangerous offenses in the ABO. San Diego boasts sluggers like #1 overall Inaugural Draft pick Steve Adams (.299/44/112, .395 OBP) and 3B Hilton Avery (.204/40/101). New Orleans made it here by another route - manufacturing runs with their speed. Led by 2B Raul Trejo (.319/6/69, 37 SB, 16 3B) and 23-year old SS Carroll Hammond (.234/1/44, 22 SB), with flashes of power from RF Julian Montes (.273/19/78) and DH John Kennedy (.288/18/61), the Krewe are one of the more scrappy teams in the postseason. San Diego can steal a few bases, as well, as Adams stole 22 bases, and CF Clifton Hutchison stole 25. Pitching and defense will once again be key in this series, as San Diego's ace Phil Carter (12-6, 3.63) is on the DL for the postseason, and their starters outside of him are not inspiring any confidence, with Duane McGinnis being the only pitcher that could be considered steady enough to lead their postseason run. Meanwhile, New Orleans has one of the best rotations in the PC, led by Pablo Damhuis (15-13, 3.08) and 22-year old Jose Guzman (9-13, 3.28). The other two in the postseason rotation, Yu-hsui Liao (10-6, 3.63) and Tim Holliday (13-7, 3.52) are effective as well, and could be the difference in the series. The Krewe could conceivably pull out this series, and will be a Cinderella pick to make the conference finals.

Prediction
New Orleans in 4

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So, who do you think will win these matchups? Who wins it all? Sound off in the thread!

d-d-d-drop shadows

orlando winning it all

ABO Conference Semifinals Recap

A very exciting round of the ABO Playoffs, with some close games, upsets, and awesome pitching performances!

(Hopefully this post isn't too unwieldy; If possible, I could make the pictures smaller, let me know)

Atlantic Conference

#1 Orlando Wizards vs. #4 Annapolis Angels

Game 1



Game 2



Game 3



Game 4



Orlando wins series 3-1
Series MVP: CF Brenton Martinez, Orlando (.316 AVG (6-19), 2 HR, 5 RBI in series)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

#2 Nashville Music vs. #3 Sandusky Beagles

Game 1



Game 2



Game 3



Game 4



Sandusky wins series 3-1
Series MVP: SP Tony Winter, Sandusky (2-0, 16 IP, 2 ER, 12 K, 1 BB in series)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pacific Conference

#1 Glendale Copperheads vs. #4 Honolulu Tropics

Game 1



Game 2



Game 3



Honolulu wins series 3-0
Series MVP: 1B Jaime Robles, Honolulu (.385 AVG (5-13), 2 HR, 6 RBI in series)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

#2 San Diego Surge vs. #3 New Orleans Krewe

Game 1



Game 2



Game 3



Game 4



Game 5



New Orleans wins series 3-2
Series MVP: CF Toby Newey, New Orleans (.368 AVG (7-19), 0 HR, 1 RBI in series)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

With that, your ABO Conference Finals matchups are as follows:

Atlantic Conference: #1 Orlando Wizards vs. #3 Sandusky Beagles
Pacific Conference: #3 New Orleans Krewe vs. #4 Honolulu Tropics

Previews coming soon!

Before we start, the rest of the series from here on out will be 7 games, and the game structure will be like the NHL, a 2-2-1-1-1 format, with the higher seed (except the Honolulu-New Orleans series) having home field advantage.

ABO Playoff Previews 2016 - Conference Finals

Atlantic Conference
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
#1 Orlando Wizards vs. #3 Sandusky Beagles

Tale Of The Tape

-------------------------Orlando Wizards-------------------------------------------------------Sandusky Beagles------------------------


Matchup Summary
A few experts panicked after Game 1 of the Orlando-Annapolis series, when the Angels took a slim 4-3 win in 19 innings. They asked if the Wizards would choke their #1 seed away so quickly, or if they would falter under the pressure of the big lights against a team they (relatively) struggled against. They went on to win the next 3 games by a combined score of 19-9 to set up a Conference Finals matchup with one of the most balanced teams from the other AC division, the Sandusky Beagles. The Beagles controlled their series with Nashville, playing the Music like a fiddle, outscoring them in a low-scoring series 12-4. Their starting pitching was dominant, and the bullpen was shut-down. Will that pitching dominance continue against an Orlando team that won the season series against Sandusky 4-2, or will Orlando assert their ABO dominance again and go to the ABO Finals?

Prediction
Wizards in 5

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pacific Conference
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
#3 New Orleans Krewe vs. #4 Honolulu Tropics

Tale Of The Tape

-----------------------New Orleans Krewe-----------------------------------------------------Honolulu Tropics-------------------------


Matchup Summary
In the preview for the Honolulu-Glendale series, I wondered whether or not Honolulu's bats would show up against the Copperheads, and boy did they. They steamrolled the team with the best record in the Pacific Conference by a combined score 23-5, hitting nine taters in the process, including four in the clinching Game 3. Now they face off with a team that has given up the 4th-fewest home runs in the PC, the New Orleans Krewe, who had to go the distance to beat the San Diego Surge. Some might say the Krewe got lucky that Surge LF Steve Adams went down with an injury, or that their luck came from San Diego's 5 errors in Game 5 (including 3 in the 12th inning), but they capitalized on both of those situations with timely hitting, and managed to win in 5 games to make the Conference Finals. The New Orleans Superdome doesn't give up too many homers, while Honolulu's does, and the latter be the site of the first 2 games of this series, and 4 of the 7 games. The Krewe went 4-2 against the Topics in their matchups this year, with every game featuring at least one home run. This will be an interesting matchup of smallball vs. longball, and whoever strikes out less will win this matchup.

Prediction
Tropics in 7

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So, who do you think will make the ABO Finals? Sound off in the thread!

ABO Conference Finals Recap

We had a series go to 7 games this round, and I'll bet you know which one.

Atlantic Conference

#1 Orlando Wizards vs. #3 Sandusky Beagles

Game 1



Game 2



Game 3



Game 4



Game 5



Orlando wins series 4-1
Series MVP: 2B Cody Sims, Orlando (.550 AVG (11-20), 0 HR, 4 RBI in series)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pacific Conference

#3 New Orleans Krewe vs. #4 Honolulu Tropics

Game 1



Game 2



Game 3



Game 4



Game 5



Game 6



Game 7



Honolulu wins series 4-3
Series MVP: DH Denzel Burtson, Honolulu (.414 AVG (12-29), 7 R, 7 RBI in series)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

With that, your ABO Finals matchups is:

#1 Orlando Wizards vs. #4 Honolulu Tropics

The ABO Finals Preview is coming soon!

And now...the moment you've all been waiting for...

ABO Finals Preview 2016



#1 Orlando Wizards vs. #4 Honolulu Tropics

Tale Of The Tape

-------------------------Orlando Wizards-------------------------------------------------------Honolulu Tropics-------------------------


How'd They Get Here?
Honolulu was arguably the hottest team coming into the playoffs, losing only 7 games in the month of September to finish 2nd in the PC Coastal Division, only 2 games behind division champ San Diego. They primarily used pitching and dingers to make it, finishing 6th in the PC in homers, 4th in starter's ERA, and 3rd in bullpen ERA. They used those strengths to their advantage to obliterate the Glendale Copperheads in the Conference Semifinals, and sweep them out of town. They went the distance against the New Orleans Krewe in the Conference Finals, and won Game 7 scoring 17 runs to make the ABO Finals.

Orlando was, is, and still are the consensus favorites to win the inaugural ABO Championship. They were only 1 of 2 teams to win 90+ games, and the only one to win 100+ games. They had a powerful and balanced attack, dominating everybody in the Atlantic Conference to make the playoffs and win the AC Coastal Division. They breezed through their first two playoff rounds, losing the first games against both Annapolis and Sandusky in the Conference Semis and Finals, respectively, and then proceed to sweep the rest of those series to make the ABO Finals.

Matchup Preview
Both these teams primarily used dingers and pitching to make the Finals, but there's a couple things that should be pointed out about this matchup. For one, surprisingly, these two teams never faced each other in the regular season. The only player on Honolulu that has faced the Wizards is RP Alexander Mitkevich, who pitched 2 innings against them, giving up 2 hits while striking out 2 and walking 1, when he played for the Charleston Palmettos. The second is that the only thing the Tropics are ranked higher in statistically against Orlando is starting pitching ERA. Which begs the question: is the 1-2 duo of Jeff Rogers and Vicente Pujols for the Tropics better than the duo of Anatolii Karmokov and Kyle Wade for Orlando? That will be answered in this Finals matchup, and could be key to who wins this series. Another key that could make the difference is the return of key outfielders for both teams from injury. Honolulu CF Antoine Dumont will return from a strained back he suffered on October 7th, and Orlando RF Ron Montgomery is slated to return for Game 3 after suffering with a strained elbow since September 23. Both teams have good contact hitters in DH Denzel Burston and 2B Jude Hancorn for Honolulu and Sergio Marroquin and Cody Sims for Orlando, and both teams have their duo of sluggers, with 1B Jaime Robles and RF David Morel for Honolulu and C Nataraja Vinutha and 1B Ramu Pratima for Orlando, so this could be an evenly-matched series if the bullpens can perform to expectations, as well. Even though this matchup would be puzzling to see if predicted early on this season, on paper, this is truly a worthy matchup for the ABO crown.

Prediction
Wizards in 6

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Who wins it all? Sound off in the thread!

ABO Finals Recap

As advertised, this was a close series! But who won? Scroll through the post to find out!

#1 Orlando Wizards vs. #4 Honolulu Tropics

Game 1



Recap: Honolulu took Game 1 in a game that was a pitcher's duel. Orlando threatened early and often, putting two on base with 1 out in the 1st, 3rd and 4th, but couldn't get a run across against Honolulu starter Vicente Pujols until the 5th, when Sergio Marroquin lined an RBI single over the head of SS Jordan Gillard. It would remain that way until the 7th, when Honolulu 1B Jaime Robles and LF Seb Allomes went back-to-back off Orlando starter Kyle Wade. Tropics RP Alexandre Rodriguez had a great outing in relief of Pujols, going 4 innings, striking out 4 and giving up only 3 hits. Gary Inge cleaned up the 9th, only giving up a hit and striking out the side to seal the victory for Honolulu in Game 1.

Game 2



Recap: Honolulu dominated Game 2 in a big way on the mound. The game was relatively uneventful until Honolulu C Cornell Marshall singled to RF with runners on first and second and 2 out in the 2nd. 1B Jaime Robles tried to score from second, but was thrown out on a close play by Orlando LF Horace Booth to end the inning. In the top of the third, Orlando SP Anatolii Karmokov loaded the bases on 2 hits and a walk, which led to Robles singling in 2 runs to take the early 2-0 lead, a lead they would not surrender. Orlando threatened in the bottom of the fourth, though, with 2 on and 1 out, but a groundout and a pop-up ended that scoring chance. They would have no other scoring chances all game, as Jeff Rogers was lights-out all day, giving up only 2 hits in his 8 innings of work. Gary Inge once again cleaned up the ninth for the save, as the series shifts to Honolulu.

Game 3



Recap: The Wizards activated RF Ron Montgomery before this game after OF Tommy Holmes strained an ab muscle in the gym the day before Game 3, and had to be put on the playoff DL. Cornell Marshall opened the scoring for Honolulu in the bottom of the second, hitting a 2-run HR off Arjen Stenis to take a 2-0 lead. Jaime Robles did the same in the bottom of the 5th, increasing the lead to 4-0. The Wizards started a comeback in the 8th, with a Lee Myatt RBI single, and Brenton Martinez scoring on a double play to make it 4-2. In the ninth, it got interesting, with Ramu Pratima leading off with a homer to deep left field to make it 4-3, but after pulling Gary Inge for Alexandre Rodriguez when that happened, the Wizards went 1-2-3 to put them at the brink of elimination.

Game 4



Recap: Game 4 was a pitcher's duel until the 7th inning between Adam Bruce and Héctor Fajardo. In that inning, Orlando 3B Horace Booth rocketed an RBI single to right-center to score David Norman just ahead of the throw from David Morel to take a 1-0 lead. Sergio Marroquin added another run with an RBI single to score Yurg Yadrov to make it 2-0. When Nataraja Vinutha hit an RBI single after that to make it 3-0, Marroquin was thrown out trying to go first-to-third, and was injured on the play. Test results showed that he suffered an intercostal strain and is out for the rest of the postseason. Honolulu's Antoine Dumont homered in the bottom of the 8th to make it 3-1, and then things got interesting. In the bottom of the ninth, Jaime Robles led off with a double against Orlando CL Bobby Davis. The next batter, David Morel, hit a hard liner down the right-field line for a base hit. Ron Montgomery, just back from injury, got the ball and fired a laser shot from RF to gun down the slow-footed Robles at the plate for the first out. The next batter, Ijsbrand Langeman, then got drilled by Davis to go to first, which led to Seb Allomes hitting an RBI single to score Morel to make it 3-2, just ahead of another strong throw from Montgomery. Patrick Reece relieved Davis, and got a soft grounder to the mound against Jude Hancorn and a called strike three against Cornell Marshall to end a wild ninth, send the game back to Orlando for Game 5, and avoid the sweep in the ABO Finals.

Game 5



Recap: It was a rainy night in Orlando for Game 5, which included a 66-minute rain delay in the 3rd. Orlando jumped in front early with a David Norman RBI single to score Nataraja Vinutha in the first inning off Vicente Pujols. After the third inning rain delay, Orlando starter Kyle Wade stayed in the game, and subsequently gave up two straight doubles to Cornell Marshall and Jordan Gillard to tie the game at 1. Orlando threatened to re-take the lead in the 4th, but Brenton Martinez grounded into an out with the bases loaded to end the inning. No one would score until the bottom of the seventh, when Ramu Pratima used the seventh inning stretch to his advantage to muscle a 2-run HR off Don Garner to give Orlando the 3-1 lead, which they held on to, courtesy of Bobby Davis' 4th save of the postseason, to get the series to only a 3-2 deficit.

Game 6



Recap: In the top of the first, David Norman doubled home two on the first pitch with two out to give Orlando a quick 2-0 lead. Fast forward to the bottom of the third, Jude Hancorn hit a solo shot to cut the lead to 2-1. Denzel Burston tied the game at 2 with an RBI single in the bottom of the sixth. In the next half inning, Orlando's Ron Montgomery broke out of his 0-14 skid (which included a crap-ton of strikeouts) with a 2-run shot to RF to make it a 4-2 game, which ended up being the final out of the game, with Bobby Davis retiring the side in the 9th to force a Game 7 in Orlando.

Game 7



Recap: The Wizards have come back from the brink of elimination to win the ABO Championship! The scoring in Game 7 started when Denzel Burston shot an RBI double to the right field corner to score Jordan Gillard to make it a 1-0 lead in the third inning. Bottom of the fourth, David Norman hit a clutch two-run single off Scott Terry, with Ron Montgomery just scoring from second ahead of the throw, to give the Wizards a 2-1 lead. Arjen Stenis was the story of this game today, as he went 8 innings, striking out 7, and only giving up 6 hits and giving up the one run in the third. He was electric, as was the 17,365 in attendance at ESPN Field at Disney's Wide World of Sports. Bobby Davis electrified it even more, striking out the last two batters in the ninth to complete the 3-0 comeback to win the ABO Finals!

Orlando wins series 4-3
Series MVP: 1B Ramu Pratima, Orlando (.480 AVG (12-25), 2 HR, 3 RBI in series)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ladies and gentlemen, your ABO Champs for 2016 are the Orlando Wizards in 7 Games! Congratulations!



Coming up soon, the award winners, news that occurred during the playoffs, and other miscellany to wrap up the season. Stay tuned!

Wow down 3-0 and Orlando still finds a way.

It takes a lot of magic to come back from down 3-0.