Boulder has now claimed their second straight Goldblum Cup.

CHARLESTON, SC – Leonard Strike smashed a grand slam in the second inning that put Boulder up 5-1, and the Bunions never looked back. They went on to beat Charleston 15-7, claiming their second straight Goldblum Cup.

Unlike most of the postseason, this game was never in doubt for Boulder. They amassed a 13-0 lead before Charleston recorded their first hit. That hit did not come until the sixth inning. Charleston’s pitching was utterly torn to shreds by Boulder’s bruising offense. The Bunions tallied 18 hits and scored 15 runs from them.

Boulder’s pitching, on the other hand, was top-notch for most of the game. Things may have seemed grim when starter Steve Reynolds left the game in the first inning with an injured finger, but reliever Jacob Tinley marched in and held the Windjammers hitless for four innings. By that time, Boulder could have already popped open the champagne. Charleston, for the third consecutive game, failed to hit a home run.

No matter how it may have seemed after the Paxton Championship Series and the opening game of the Goldblum Cup, Boulder is still the dominant team in BH Baseball. Now, they perch high atop the mountain with two trophies. This team could be stretching out and reigning over a dynasty.

Boulder now leads the Goldblum Cup 3-1 and is one victory away from repeating as BH Baseball champions. For Charleston fans, however, the championship dream is dangling on a precipice. In the last three games, the Windjammers have led through most of the game but gave it up to Boulder in the seventh and eighth innings. Josh Hughett sees the problem as a strictly pitching issue. “Our lack of depth is showing,” he said. “Our starting nine is just as good as their starting nine, maybe better, but our relief is just inexperienced.”

Charleston hopes to stay alive and win Game 5 on Wednesday. A victory would send the series back to Boulder, where the Windjammers captured their only triumph of the Cup.

In the eighth inning, McElroy hit the tying home run, and he was followed later in the inning by Sergeant Carter, who crushed a three-run shot to put the Bunions ahead for good.

“It was fast-paced, high-offensive game,” Striker said of his team’s victory. “I’m glad we were able to win one of this type. Our team is far from perfect, but we made great strides toward a championship tonight.”

Charleston’s pitching, for the first time in the postseason, let them down. Their offense definitely gave them an opportunity to win by holding a 10-5 through the seventh inning, but the guys on the mound just couldn’t bottle up Boulder’s bruising batters. “We have to make some adjustments defensively,” Josh Hughett said of his team. “We can’t play like this and expect to win.”

Game 3 will be Sunday night from I.O.P. Field in Charleston, South Carolina.

The Boulder Bunions fought off a late Wichita rally to win the game and the series 10-8 on Monday evening. Wichita clearly took the mighty Boulder Bunions closer to the edge than any other team ever has. The game is now being discussed as the greatest BH Baseball game of all-time. Boulder led 7-4 until the seventh inning when Wichita put up three runs to tie the contest at 7. It was then that Jonathan Mitchell, the hero from Game 6, knocked a go-ahead home run over the wall in left field. Boulder quickly tied the game in the bottom of the seventh on a Matt Talley homer.

The game went the ninth tied at 8, and it was there that Sergeant Carter became the hero. His home run was definitely one of the most dramatic moments of all the baseball games ever played. It would seem perfectly fitting to end the season on such a note, but no, Boulder must now go ahead to the Goldblum Cup and tackle the Pierce Brosnan Champion Charleston Windjammers.

Who will claim this summer's Goldblum Cup?

Believe it or not, the new season of BH Baseball begins on June 6. The suitably titled Summer League kicks off on a Sunday, and is part of what league creator Jeff L. Horner called, “A revolution to the sport. If we can fit three of our seasons within the span of one Major League Baseball season, then we have three-times the excitement.”

A little over a week after the Boulder Bunions claimed the first Goldblum Cup, they go back to work defending it. The league has also expanded by four teams, and the organization of divisions has been shifted entirely. BH Baseball is now separated into two leagues consisting of eight teams each. Interleague play does not exist, so the winners of these respective leagues will meet each other in the second-ever Championship Series later this summer.

Interesting matchups are abounding on Opening Day. Unlike last season, there will be no opening night game separated from the other games. The Boulder Bunions, however, will have to open against Hawai’i again. Considering that the Bunions were swept in that series last year, it will be curious to see how they do as defending champions. A further report displaying the expected trends of the upcoming season will be published shortly.

Mike Dunn proved to be the hero of this one, as he provided the Bunions with five RBIs. Four of those came on a grand slam that he belted in the eighth inning. “When you play well,” Dunn said, “it feels really good. When you play well in a championship game, it feels heavenly.”

For the fourth game in a row, Manchester’s pitching was no match for Boulder potent offense. Boulder amassed 12 hits to the Monarchs’ nine. “Our offense performed brilliantly,” Striker, Boulder’s ecstatic manager, said after the game. “I think these last four games may have been our best of the season.”

Now, as Boulder celebrates, the rest of the league hunkers down and prepares for the Summer Season which starts in a matter of weeks. The Bunions should definitely be the favorites to repeat, but with so many free agents declared, anyone could claim the title as the league’s most talented team.

Matt Talley hit a home run in the third, as he continues his exemplary play in the postseason. The home run, sailing in the mile-high air of Dr. Scholl’s Park, traveled 470 feet before dropping into stands. Later that inning, Conrad Strike knocked in David Blair put Boulder up by two runs.

The Monarchs once again struggled to hit the ball, amassing only one run on six hits. Walt Lloyd hit a single to center that drove in Paul Carter to provide Manchester’s only run of the game.

David Blair added another RBI in the seventh to conclude the scoring. “We’re doing what we have to do,” Striker said following the win. “You have to win your home games in a series like this.”

The series travels to Manchester for Game 3 on Sunday.

A packed house witnessed Game 1 of the Championship Series, in which the hometown Boulder Bunions won 6-1.

Manchester cut the lead to 2-1 in the fifth after Paul Carter hit a 380 foot home run. But starting in the sixth inning, Boulder was back on the offensive. David Blair was walked in, and Keith McElroy hit a floater down the third base line that brought in Leonard Strike. After two more runs in the seventh, the dust settled and Boulder had a 6-1 victory.

With Game 1 in the books, Manchester prepares to avenge their loss in Game 2 at a sold-out Dr. Scholl’s Park in Boulder. “We just didn’t perform,” Jacob Hampton said following the game. “They hit the ball very well, and we never responded.”

Brandon Strike was pleased with his team’s performance. “I think this was a good way to start off,” he said. “Winning your games at home in a series like this is very important. Let’s hope we can keep it up.”

And pull it together they did. Boulder completed the best regular season the BH Baseball for its opening season, amassing a 25-15 record. Now, after a 4-1 series win over Central champion Virginia, the Bunions are poised to win the league’s first ever Championship Series.

“We came alive at the right time,” Strike said. “It’s not over yet, but we’re happy to be here.”

The Championship Series kicks off tomorrow night as Boulder square off against the Eastern Division champion, Manchester Monarchs.

“They’re a good team,” Strike said. “They have a lot of talent on the mound, so our hitting will have to be strong.” That bodes well for Boulder, for they easily possess the best offense in the league, as they average 6.1 runs per game.

In the opening series, Boulder will face Virginia, and San Antonio takes on Manchester. The winners of the best-of-seven series advance to the Blue House Series and a chance to capture the Jeff Goldblum Memorial Trophy, which signifies the inaugural BH Baseball champions.

Here’s a look at the playoff schedule: