The Pacific Empire League’s first year ended with an exciting three-game series between the first-place Healdsburg Prune Packers and the second-place Lincoln Potters, and in many ways it met expectations—including that the heavily favored 39-7 Packers ended up with the championship trophy.
But getting there was more than half the fun. After the Potters stunned the Packers in Lincoln on Tuesday with an eight-run ninth inning for the come-from-behind upset, 13-12, Game Two of the series saw both teams play fairly cautiously, but the Potters still managed to build a 3-0 lead into the sixth inning. Then a hit batter, a single and a misplayed infield scratch hit loaded the bases for a two-out off-the-fence double by Eamonn Lance to tie the game.
The Potters, wearing yellow “Clay City” jerseys (their host town in Yuba County is the home of Gladding McBean Ceramics), seemed to crack under pressure. In the seventh inning Jack Tatom singled, then Robbie Hamchuk doubled to score him for the go-ahead run in the seventh inning. In the next frame, Connor Charpiot lifted a Ryan Baker pitch over the 410-foot center field ivy for an insurance run. Final score was 5-3, and the Packers were back in the hunt.
Game Three
Tension was high, and the grandstands were filling to capacity for the third game in the series, Friday Aug. 2. Game Three got off to a rough start for the Packers defense, as Lincoln’s Luke Mansy took a walk off starting pitcher Elliot Joslin then made it all the way home on a pass ball, then a wild pitch. In the confusion following a presumed strike three that was called a walk, Mansy came home to give the visiting Potters a 1-0 lead—without a hit.
Then the spirit of Art McCaffrey Field rose up. The Packers’ starting lineup scored five runs in the bottom of the second inning to set the tone for the rest of the evening, and the assembled fans began to hope again. Catcher Eamonn Lance, making up for his misjudgment in the first inning, opened the second with a double, Luke Mistone doubled him home through the diving third baseman Hasani Johnson to tie the game.
Soon Lincoln starter Adan Perez loaded the bases with one out on a hit and two walks, then he walked in the go-ahead run. Alex Leopard hit a long fly to right that bounced over the low fence for a ground rule double to score two more. A fifth run was added on a sacrifice fly by Joey Kramer to score Maddox Molony to make it 5-1.
Robbie Hamchuk continued his hot hitting with a ground rule double into the center field ivy, but he soon came around on a sacrifice fly by Molony for another run in the fifth inning.
The Packers scored again in the sixth as Jake Tatom reached first on a high throw from third baseman Luke Mansythat pulled first baseman Zach Chamizo off the bag. Tatom scored when Hamchuk hit his second double, this one down the third base line, making it 7-1.
When the Packers had a comfortable lead, coach Joey Gomes elected to put Mason Lerma on the mound following an exceptional showing by winning pitcher Joslin, who did not allow a hit over his five innings, striking out seven but walking five. In the seventh, Lerma gave up the Potters’ first hit of the day, a home run by Chamizo that took only a small bite out of the Packers’ lead.
Sealing the Victory
With the Potters’ eight-run comeback from Tuesday night still front-of-mind for both players and fans, the Packers finally seemed to drive the nail in that anxiety with their second five-run inning of the night in the bottom of the seventh.
Perry Kyles was the third pitcher of the night for Lincoln, back in their standard blue uniforms, but despite a slippery slider that kept the batters off balance and accounted for two strikeouts, the dreadlocked Kyles hit Joey Kramer to start the inning, walked two and gave up a pair of hits before he managed to get his first out.
He was relieved by Ryan Baker, but three more runs came across the plate before the inning came to an end, with a 12-2 Prune Packers lead glowing bright on the centerfield scoreboard.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, the team’s final turn at bat for the year, Charpiot lifted a fly high into the sunset sky over the left field fence, putting the stamp on the night’s 13-2 victory. Overall the Packers slugged 13 hits, five of them doubles plus a home run, while their pitchers gave up just three hits.
It was Tucker Bougie who had allowed the game-winning home run on Monday night, but there he was on the mound in the top of the ninth, this time with an 11-run lead to defend. Although the first batter got on base due to an error, Bougie managed to get the next three batters out to close out the game, and deliver a fourth consecutive league championship to the Healdsburg Prune Packers.
