2B: none
3B: none
HR: Carmichael (5), Beynon (1), Uhland (1)
Summary: Just two games after possibly the best pitching performance in playoff history, we upped the ante, as the Holy Whites and Road Warriors put on a clinic Monday evening during Game 1 of the 2003 Series of the Sac.

Only three hits were seen, but all three left the yard as the Whites did the most damage and won, 2-1. Tavis Beynon, in his first playoff game, hit a one-out shot off fellow rookie Curtis Henning in the 4th inning, and Carmichael nailed the door shut in the bottom of the inning.

In the bottom of the first, Darnell took Scott deep to put his team up 1-0. Scott answered in the top of the 2nd off Pat Plummer, hitting a line drive shot no one was going to catch. Pat would strike out the side to end the inning though, keeping the score knotted at one.

From then until the top of the 4th, the teams flexed their arms, striking out many and walking none while the pace of the game remained frighteningly quick. Tavis then hit his solo shot, putting the Whites up for the first time, and Scott, after getting Pat to ground out, struck out Darnell and Curtis to end the game. For those keeping score at home, the teams combined for 16 strikeouts and zero walks.

2B: Uhland (1)
3B: none
HR: Uhland (2), P. Plummer (1), Henning 2(2), Carmichael (6)
Summary: The Road Warriors were one-hit by the Whites in Game 1, but that game seemed to have taken place ages ago as the Warriors lit up the Whites in Game 2 to even the series.

The Warriors got contributions from all members of their team as they beat up on the Whites pitching, 8-1.

Things started off oddly enough, as Carmichael actually WALKED in a run. After Darnell tossed a scoreless first inning, Henning cleared the bases with a three-run shot off Deatrick in the second to put the Warriors up 4-0. Scott homered in the bottom of the third off Curtis, but that was all the Whites could get.

The Warriors, however, weren't done. After getting two quick outs, John Deatrick gave up single to Darnell, and then served up an opposite-way homerun to Pat, who at that point in the series was 0-8 with 6 Ks. Curtis followed, taking the first pitch he saw to deep right, and then Darnell took the first pitch HE saw to deep left. Three pitched, three homeruns.

2B: Carmichael (1)
3B: none
HR: P. Plummer (2), Henning 4(6), Uhland (3)
Summary: If you thought the Warriors blew their load in the first game of the day (and 2nd of the series), you were grossly mistaken as the Warriors continued to pound Whites pitching and went up 2-1 in the best of 5 series.

The Warriors combined for six homeruns--four by rookie Henning--and nine runs in only three innings, and pitched four innings of shutout ball to take Game 3, 9-0.

The Warriors' quality staff of arms allows them to rotate turns in the "who pitches the 1st and 4th innings?" dilemma most teams face. Showing great confidence in his rookie teammates, Darnell (who did the honor in Game 2) gave Pat Plummer the duty in Game 3. Pat responded with two innings of no-hit ball and picked up the win.

He also started his team's hitting off. He hit a two-run, two-out homerun to right, which was immediately followed by a solo liner to center from Henning.

The Warriors tacked on three more (they scored three each inning) thanks to two more Henning homeruns in the bottom of the second. Curtis would then hit a two-run shot in the third, which Darnell followed with a solo shot of his own.

Pat then tossed the second of his shutout innings in the top of the fourth, and the game was over.

2B: none
3B: none
HR: Uhland 2(5), P. Plummer (3), Deatrick 2(5), Carmichael 2(8)
Summary: The Whites finally got to Curtis Henning's bat, and thanks to another walk-off homerun from Deatrick, were able to even the series and send it to a Game 5.

Scott returned to form on the mound, tossing two scoreless innings, and both he and Deatrick hit a pair of homeruns to lead the Whites to a narrow Game 4 victory. And getting Henning to go 1-5 with no homeruns (and 3 straight Ks to end his game) only helped their cause.

Darnell started things off in the top of the first, taking Deatrick deep to left-center to lead off the game. Deatrick fought back though, getting out with no more damage.

He and Scott then went back-to-back to give themselves their first lead of the day.

Scott tossed a scoreless second, and then hit a solo shot off Pat Plummer to put the Whites up 3-1.

The Warriors didn't lay down though, as Darnell and Pat both hit solo shots to even the game back up at three. Curtis then threw a scoreless bottom half of the third, and Scott matched it in the top of the fourth, setting the stage for Deatrick.

Off Darnell (which would be a theme for the day), John led off the bottom of the fourth with a walk-off homerun, his second of the playoffs.

It was then that Curtis had to leave for work, so the four remaining players deliberated to decide whether or not to play Game 5 right then and there. It would be Darnell's last chance to play, as he left for San Diego Monday evening. This was a main reason the four decided to decide the championship Sunday instead of waiting for another day.

2B: none
3B: none
HR: Deatrick 3(8), Carmichael 2(10), P. Plummer 2(5), Uhland 3(8)
Summary: Darnell blew his dream, but was given a second chance, and came up big to give the Road Warriors the 2003 Series at the Sac Championship.

Up 6-3 heading into the final inning, Darnell stepped to the mound looking to close it out. Close it out was the last thing he did as Deatrick and Carmichael would score three times to tie the game up and force the Warriors to win the game they way they had been all day: with their bats.

Which ended up helping Darnell in the end. With men on first and second, and a man out, Darnell lined a Carmichael offering into left for a walk-off, 3-run homerun that won the championship for the Road Warriors.

It wasn't supposed to be this dramatic. After Pat tossed a scoreless first inning, the Warriors put up four runs on Deatrick. John got a couple back when he hit a two-runner in the second, but Pat matched that with a two-runner of his own off Scott in the bottom half of the inning. Scott hit a solo shot off Pat in the third, leaving the Holy Whites down by three going into the final frame. The way runs were piling up though, it wasn't as big a surprise when Darnell gave up three runs in the fourth to allow the game to be tied. And no matter how painful that may have been for Uhland, it probably didn't match what he went through in the top of the first.

With one out, Scott hit a high and deep drive to center. Darnell went after it, made the catch, and went shoulder first into the light pole in ceter field. This was no glancing blow either. Darnell came inches from colliding head-on into the pole and instead merely drove into it full force with his left shoulder. He immediately coughed up the ball upon impact, but it was ruled a catch, since he seemed to have possession of the ball prior to the violent crash. Or, as Carmichael deemed it, the baseball equivalent of "the ground causing the fumble."

Darnell's first words were "at least it wasn't my throwing arm," to which he was then questioned about his ability to swing the bat. Darnell answered "I guess we'll have to wait and see," and then moments later, in the bottom of the inning, hit a homerun on his first AB of the game. Nine ABs later, he would homer on his last AB as well.

The homerun was the last one on a day that saw more homeruns (per AB) than any other day in the history of the league. With temperatures hitting 100 degrees, and no wind to speak of, the ball was flying off the bats as pitchers ducked for cover.

Ironically, it was the rookies who fared the best, as Pat Plummer and Curtis Henning were the only two pitchers to give up less runs than innings pitched. On this day, it was either batters striking out or going yard, as the pitchers also managed to post a playoff record-high 6.69 K/4 ratio.

Deatrick and Uhland seemed to enjoy hitting off one another. All of John's five homeruns on the day came off Darnell, and five of Darnell's seven shots were adding runs to Deatrick's ERA.

Post-series, Darnell Uhland was named Playoff MVP for his efforts in the tightest race in playoff history. Traditionally, each playoff series have had one player that stood above and beyond the rest of the field. In 1999, that was Creighton. In 2000, it was obviously Mike Walsh. Carmichael dominated in 2001, and Yoder played his ass off in 2002. This year, all three Road Warriors played exceptionally, and aside from the earned runs, the Holy Whites did as well. As it was, Darnell received all the first-place votes except for two, which went to Curtis and Pat, respectively.

 

Game 1
	vs.

Tm.	1	2	3	4	5	R	H
Wiffolution	0	0	0	0	1	1	1
Holy Whites	0	0	0	0	2	2	3
2B: none 3B: none HR: Evans (1), Deatrick (1), Carmichael (1) Summary: Arguably one of the finest pitching performances in playoff history occured here, as both teams simply handcuffed the opposing teams' bats. The Holy Whites actually had a no-hitter through 4 complete, but were able to avoid the loss. In the bottom of the 4th, Matt Plummer was on the mound and after striking out John Deatrick, he issued back-to-back walks. He struck Scott out, but John would rip one opposite way. However, the ball landed on the lip of the sidewalk and actually bounced back towards the field. Jeff Morrison made a great play, reaching for the ball while holding a leg on the 2nd base bag and getting the force out to end the inning. If John had hit the ball maybe 3-4 inches further, it would have been a walk-off double. In extra innings, Dean hit a one-out opposite way homerun off John to not only give Wiffolution their first run of the game (and the lead), but their first hit. Morrison had to pitch the bottom half of the inning, and things started as well as they could. He induced two quick ground ball outs, and then got Scott 0-2. He then made a huge mistake, giving Scott something to hit on an 0-2 count, and the ball promptly left the yard, tying the game back up. He then fed one to Deatrick, who took it off the light pole in center to end the game.

Game 2
	vs.

Tm.	1	2	3	4	R	H
Holy Whites	3	0	3	2	8	7
Wiffolution	0	0	0	1	1	6
2B: M. Plummer (1) 3B: none HR: Deatrick 2(3), Carmichael 3(4) Summary: The Whites made sure this one wasn't as close as Wiffolution once again failed to make it past the first round. Scott and John both hit first-inning homeruns off Matt Plummer as the Whites cruised to an 8-1, series-clinching win, sending them to their 3rd straight Series at the Sac. The Whites would score three more in the third inning, off Dean, and then two more in the fourth and final inning. To their credit, Wiffolution didn't lay down, and were somehow able to put up four hits in one inning off Carmichael, scoring one. Dean though would ground out with the bases loaded to end the season for Wiffolution.