Charleston hopes to hold off Virginia and win their first divisional crown.

With Charleston’s and Virginia’s wins on Monday, the race for the Southern Division remains conspicuously close. The Windjammers (24-11) have a one game lead on the Virginia Opossums (23-12). And yet, Virginia is riding high on a late season swell, amassing an 8-2 record in their last ten games. Charleston, by comparison, is only 5-5. The remaining schedule, however, favors Charleston. They open a three game series with Baltimore (15-20), while Virginia will tangle with Eastern-leading Montreal (19-16).

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.”

“We’ve had a tremendous run,” Hampton said. “Just being here’s a thrill. We would love to win it, though.”

Another trait Hampton possesses is an unfettered desire to win. “If you’re not here to play for a championship,” he told his team at the beginning of the season, “then follow that freeway right there (he pointed to a distant highway). It leads all the way to the airport.”

It was this desire to win that garnered Manchester an Eastern Division title and a clean sweep of San Antonio in the semifinals. Led by their inexhaustible pitcher, Butter Maker, the Monarchs hope to control a powerful Boulder offense as the BH Baseball Championship Series kicks off this evening.

“They can hit the ball well,” Hampton said referring to Boulder. “But we’re scrappy, and you just can’t teach scrappy.”

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:

“It’s a big win,” Brandon Caldwell, the Sleeper’s manager said. “When two heavyweights collide on the field us and them did, it always provides fireworks. Today, most of the fireworks were defensive, and luckily, we have a pretty good defense.”

San Antonio ranks first in the league in runs allowed per game. The two teams meet again on Saturday.

NORFOLK, VA – The Virginia Opossums (17-13) notched a crucial victory over divisional foe Wichita (13-17), 12-4, on Tuesday evening. Harvey Simon proved the hero by jacking three home runs and six RBIs. His performance puts him right back into an already tight MVP race. He has 8 home runs and 24 RBIs on the season.

For Virginia, the win extends their Central Division lead to four games. If they can sweep the three-game series with the Somethings, the division might prove a runaway, and Opossums fans can go ahead and starting ordering playoff tickets.

In other scores:

Baltimore Ninjas (15-15) 1, Tacoma Aroma (15-15) 2

Hawai’i Kats (15-15) 6, Charleston Windjammers (14-16) 11

Montreal Flatliners (14-16) 5, Johnson City Fuckhectors (12-18) 6

Boulder Bunions (18-12) 1, Whisker City Fighting Lionelles (12-18) 2

The Virginia Opossums have dropped their last three games, but, all in all, they don’t have much to worry about. They still hold a two game lead over Wichita in the Central Division, and they look poised to secure a playoff spot as the last quarter of the season begins. Virginia is the second-best pitching team in the league with William Ecklund holding a 1.89 ERA, and Joel Wingard earning 8 saves. Virginia only allows 3.3 runs per game while batting in 3.7 themselves. This statistic usually adds up to a winning franchise.

The Eastern Division is still up for grabs. The Baltimore Ninjas are still hanging around despite injuries to their best hitter (Kenneth Donaldson) and their best pitcher (Rex Rivera). They are currently two games back of the Manchester Monarchs, but Manchester has to open a three game series at San Antonio on Tuesday. Baltimore, conversely, travels to Tacoma to face an Aroma team who ranks last in the Western Division. It appears that the Eastern race will not render a decision until the season wanes to a close.

With the playoffs approaching, here’s a look at the all-important playoff picture and wildcard race:

John Mayer topped the list of Blue House Baseball All-Stars.

BH HALL OF THE IMMORTALS – As the inaugural Blue House Baseball season reached its halfway point, the league announced its first ever All-Star Team this week. The announcement was accompanied by a ceremony at the Blue House Hall of the Immortals earlier today. Leading the league with the most votes was Charleston Windjammers left fielder John Mayer. Second was Manchester’s right fielder Michael Dawson. The Hawai’i Kats had the most selections with four.

While the league will not have an official all-star game this season, the league is in talks with four unnamed cities regarding expansion franchises. League officials stated that these potential franchises would expand the league into two separate leagues, like the National and American, and therefore, enable a true all-star game. As of now, the all-star team is merely an honor.

Here is the team:

For Manchester, the loss marks their second in a row, and guarantees them a second-place tie in the Eastern Division. The  lead now goes to the winner of the Balitmore versus Montreal game later today. Charleston and Manchester meet again on Tuesday for game two of their three-game series.