It may have taken the full three games in the best-of-three series, but the HG Christie Rockies emerged as the JBLN’s Minor Division champion on Saturday by torpedoing the Insurance Management Marlins, 5-1.


Rockies pitcher Ashton Ward and the Rockies’ defense were keys to the victory. Ward recorded 11 strikeouts for the game, despite being replaced by Ian Mayers in the top of the fifth inning. Ward had struck out 10 batters when Mayers relieved him on the mound, but was brought back in the top of the sixth inning after the Marlins loaded the bases with only one out in their final at bat.


The Marlins couldn’t muster much offense for most of the game. With two outs in the top of the second inning, the Marlins’ Richie Munroe stood at first base on a walk, and teammate Dane Rolle was in scoring position at third. But Ward stopped Michael Treco with his pitching, to leave both players stranded.


The Rockies would take advantage of two Marlin fielding errors in the bottom of the same inning to bring Ward home and grab the lead 1-0, despite a fine display of defensive fielding by Richie Munroe in center field. Although Munroe couldn’t reach a long fly ball hit to center by Rockies’ Maurice Watson, he quickly fielded the ball and fired to second base, catching Watson trying to extend his hit into a double.


The Marlins went three-up and three-down in the top of the third, but also kept the Rockies from scoring. The Marlins replaced starting pitcher Dane Rolle with Michael Sands, who ended the inning with the score still 1-0 in favor of the Rockies.


The fourth inning proved pivotal in the game. The Marlins’ Jeremy Weech tied the score after stealing third base and crossing home on an overthrow by the Rockies’ catcher. However, Ward continued to throw strikes, and the Marlins left two men stranded on base with their final out.


Marlin pitcher Sands struggled in the bottom of the fourth inning. With runners on second and third base, Rockies batter Mayers sent a Sands’ pitch down the third base line and was thrown out at first. But the hit scored Zachary Thurman from third to make the score 2-1. The Rockies continued to pound Sands with successive hits from Watson that brought home Blair Seymour, and RBI shots by Justin Sweeting and Dwayne Davis. By the time the inning ended, the Rockies had widened their lead to 5-1.


The Rockies’ defense further tightened in the top of the fifth, as Ward recorded two more strike outs and second baseman Romero Cartwright threw out the Marlins’ Ben Hudson at first after fielding a short grounder. The Marlins left Chris Nottage stranded as the top of the inning closed out with the score still 5-1.


Marlin catcher Nottage picked a Reggie Johnson, full-count, tipped ball out of the air to record the first Rockies out in the bottom of the fifth inning. And hurler Sands struck out George Ratliffe to end the inning with the Rockies’ Cartwright stranded on third base.


In a last gasp effort to come from behind, the Marlins loaded the bases in the top of the sixth inning. But with one out and the bases loaded, Rockies head coach Victor Cartwright again brought Ward back to the mound in relief of Mayers. Ward forced the Marlins’ Andrew Pindling to pop up in the infield for the second out, and then struck out Sands to end the game and win the championship for the Rockies.