Game 3 - 2006 Wiffleball World Series

With a series lead on the line, the 301's and Tanks met for the pivotal Game 3 on a cold Saturday afternoon for the first game of a doubleheader. In the end, a familiar hero would emerge once again to give the 301's the hard fought victory.

The teams traded zeros in the first inning, but this scoreless frame would not be an indicator of things to come. In all, the teams would combine for twenty-seven runs in the game, including sixteen in the third inning alone. Additionally, seventeen combined homeruns made this game one of the greatest offensive displays in wiffleball history.

The Tanks drew first blood in the top of the second inning, using a solo homerun by Scott Williams. The 301's responded in the bottom half of the inning with a solo homerun by Joe Kotsovos to tie the score.

In the third inning, the bats came to life. In the top of the inning, the Tanks used four homeruns, including two more from Scott Williams and one each by Josh Williams and Zach Roe, to push across seven runs and earn a commanding lead. The 301's, however, mounted a furious comeback in the bottom of the frame. Joe Kotsovos launched his second shot of the afternoon on the grassy knoll in left, bringing home two runs and cutting the lead to five. After that, Jamison McAndie and Casey Zimmerman each homered twice and Joe Kotsovos added another two-run homer to turn a seven-run deficit into a two-run lead.

The 301's lead, however, would not last long. In the fourth, the Tanks used homeruns by Scott Williams and Josh Williams to take back a two-run lead. In the bottom half of the fourth, the 301's went right back to work, loading the bases with nobody out. Josh Williams nearly pitched out of the jam, getting Kotsovos to ground out and McAndie to fly out. The next batter, Casey Zimmerman (playing in his first game since his walk-off single in Game 1), hit a clutch, two-out grand slam to put the 301's up once again.

In the fifth, clinging to a two-run lead, the 301's hoped to close the game out. TJ Brown lined out to the pitcher, Kotsovos, for the first out of the inning. The next batter, Scott Williams, hit his fifth homerun of the game, cutting the lead to one. Kotsovos then struck Roe out swinging. Josh Williams beat out a grounder for a base hit, bringing up TJ Brown with two outs. Brown struck out looking to end the game. With the comeback win, in which they trailed by as much as seven, the 301's took a 2-1 series lead.

BOX SCORE

Tiananmen Sq. Tanks