Suwanee, GA – Friday night was game 2 of the SBL Championship series between the Monsters and the Crackers. In game one the Monsters had a two-run 8th inning and Avery Brown got the final 5 outs to earn the Win for the Monsters. Game two of the series looked to be very similar with Colt McKibben starting for the Crackers and Howell Polk starting for the Monsters. Both pitchers have been at the top of the SBL all season long and earned the opportunity to start in this pivotal game.

The first inning went as expected and both pitchers made quick work of the opposing lineup but in the top of the second inning, the Monsters took the lead. Fisher Moss came to bat with a runner in scoring position and hit a fly ball down the third base line for a double and an RBI. In the third inning, the Monsters added three runs to that lead. Taylor Harris was up with two runners on when he hit a high fly ball to right center that narrowly stayed in the part for an RBI double. Jake Goolsby followed Harris scoring another run on an RBI single. The third run of the inning was scored on what I would call a sacrifice stolen base attempt. Goolsby stood between 1st and 2nd as the pitcher threw to first to pick him off Harris took off for home while Goolsby was caught in a run down. Both runners ultimately advanced safely, and the Monsters had a 4-0 lead after three innings.

In the top of the fourth inning McKibben was taken out of the game after Fisher Moss hit another double on a 10-pitch at bat. Davis Williams was subbed in for McKibben and struck out 2 of the 3 batters he faced in the fourth and Moss was left standing on second base. Howell Polk was subbed out of the game to start the sixth inning after he pitched 5 scoreless innings with 5 strikeouts. The Crackers were looking to start their comeback in the sixth inning and cut into the lead scoring a run on a bases-loaded wild pitch. The following 2 batters were unable to score any more runs as they struck out on 7 combined pitches.

The Monsters added to their lead in the seventh inning after a double hit by Weston Kirk and an RBI single hit by Hugh Windle. In the eighth inning, the Monsters added another 2 runs to their lead when Jake Goolsby hit a 2-run home run over the center field wall. The Crackers had a chance to cut into the 7-1 lead when they had bases loaded and 1 out into the 8th inning. Thomas Ballard struck out the final two batters of the 8th inning to keep the Monsters' 6-run lead. The Dagger to the heart of the Crackers came on a lead-off homerun hit by Fisher Moss to give the Monsters an 8-1 lead. The bottom of the 9th ended quickly with the final out coming on a 6-3 ground ball. Once the ball hit the first baseman's glove the Monsters threw their arms in the air as they won the franchise's first SBL Championship.

The Celebration continued with a dog pile on the pitcher's mound and an ice water bath for the head coach Ricky Clayton. The SBL Championship series MVP went to Taylor Harris who went 4-8 with 4 RBIs, 2 stolen bases, and 2 doubles. Hugh Windle also had a notable series as the lead-off man going 6-8 with 1 RBI. Fisher Moss went 3-4 in game two with 2 RBIs, 2 Doubles, and a home run. The Monsters pitchers combined for 12 strikeouts, allowed just 1 run on 7 hits, and left 10 Crackers batters on base in game 2.

That is a wrap on the 2024 SBL season but the season-long awards will be handed out as the week progresses. Check the SBL website and social media during the coming weeks to see if your favorite SBL athlete earned an award this season.