Game 1 - 2006 Wiffleball World Series

The field at the Great American Wiffleball Park on the morning of Game 1 of the 2006 World Series was littered with debris from a devastating winter storm the previous night. As it would turn out, the Greek Village 301's did some much needed yard work. Using five homeruns and a clutch, two-out, walk-off single from the bat of Casey Zimmerman, the 301's outlasted the Tiananmen Square Tanks in an eight inning marathon to take a 1-0 lead in the best of seven series.

The Tanks wasted no time putting runs on the scoreboard. Scott Williams led off the series with a solo homerun to left field. The 301's responded in the bottom half of the frame as Jamison McAndie hit a two-run homer, plating Joe Kotsovos to take the early 2-1 lead. Kotsovos, the Greek Village starting pitcher, kept the Tanks scoreless in the second, and added a solo homerun of his own in the same inning, pushing the lead to 3-1.

Through the third inning, Kotsovos continued to keep the Tanks' bats in check. The teams traded zeros in the third, sending the game to the fourth inning with the early score still holding. In the top of the fourth, the Tanks exploded for four runs, courtesy of homeruns by Scott Williams and Josh Williams. The 301's, facing a two-run deficit, received a two-out homerun by Eric Paslack in the bottom of the inning, cashing in three runs and retaking the lead, 6-5.

The 301's had a chance to close out the game in the fifth, but the Tanks would not go quietly. Loading the bases with two outs, it was up to Tanks right fielder Zach Roe to keep the game alive. Roe came through, lining an RBI single down the first base line to tie up the game at six runs apiece. Kotsovos got Josh Williams to ground out to end the threat.

In the bottom of the fifth, the 301's offense could not get anything going, thus sending the game into extra innings. In the sixth inning, the 301's came within inches of victory when Casey Zimmerman barely missed a homerun, lining a shot off the top of the center field wall. The ball rebounded to Tanks pitcher Josh Williams, who ended the inning by getting the force out at second base, sending the game deeper into extra frames.

In the seventh, Scott Williams struck again, hitting his third homerun of the game, this time to right field. Tanks shortstop TJ Brown almost extended the lead, but was robbed of a homerun by right fielder Eric Paslack as he jumped over the outfield fence to make the catch. Paslack's catch would loom larger in the bottom of the inning, as Joe Kotsovos' leadoff homerun tied the game up at seven. Williams got through the rest of the inning unscathed, sending the game into yet another inning.

In the eighth, the Tanks once again scored, using a bases-loaded fielder's choice off the bat of Scott Williams to take the lead. One run was all the Tanks were able to push across that inning, but they had another chance to close the game out.

The bottom of the eighth started in the same fashion as the previous inning for the 301's, with a leadoff homerun squaring the game up once again. This time, Jamison McAndie did the damage, sending a deep shot to left field. The next two batters, Paslack and Zimmerman, each reached base, setting the table for the 301's offense. Kotsovos, however, could not capitalize, grounding into a fielder's choice to third base. Williams also retired McAndie for the second out of the inning. The next batter, Paslack, singled to load the bases. With two outs, Zimmerman followed with a walk-off RBI single that split the third baseman and shortstop to give the 301's the victory in Game 1.

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Tiananmen Sq. Tanks