The Slugs team members pose for a photo after their 11-5 victory over the Team Boggs, Aug. 5, 2018, at Sharpe Field. BRIAN HAYES/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
The almost-90-degree weather was perfect for the men’s first playoff game with the Slugs taking on Team Boggs at Sharpe Field.
The game was at 3 p.m. Sunday, August 5,. Team Boggs is a team assembled of staff from the Youth Activities Center, Boys’ and Girls’ Club and the Sailing Center. The Slugs are the complete opposite, made up of mostly family members and veterans of the softball league.
The playoff game was intense and was an offensive struggle for both teams. The Slugs ended up winning 11-5 and will play in the championship game.
To begin the game, Team Boggs got a quick two outs, then scored off an error to get the first points of the game. The Slugs answered back with a flurry of runs and ended up with seven to begin the second inning.
The Slugs relied heavily on pitching, and the pitchers stepped up. Slugs’ pitcher Jeff Miller had his first of three strikeouts of the game. Jeff Miller and his brother, Dan Miller, swapped each inning at the mound. Neither team scored in the second inning.
Dan Miller described the brothers’ dynamic duo pitching as “yin and yang.”
Team Boggs scored two runs at the top of the third inning, then played good defense and shut out the Slugs at the bottom of the inning. That would become a trend throughout the game.
“We just went cold and (Team Boggs) was just chipping away at us,” Dan Miller said.
Neither team scored in the fourth inning. However, Jeff Miller got another two strikeouts.
“That was crazy; I only pitched nine outs and two of them were double plays,” Jeff Miller said. “That was an anomaly. I just tried to get the first strike and have the hitter down 2-1 on the count.”
Top of the fifth inning, Team Boggs scored two more to inch a little closer. The score was 7-5 going into the bottom of the fifth inning. The Slugs didn’t score again and were shut out for four innings straight.
At the beginning of the sixth inning, Team Boggs didn’t get a run to score, but the Slugs scored four runs at the bottom of the sixth to seal the game.
“We are looking forward to the championship and whoever we play,” Dan Miller said.
