Auburn Plainsmen win Hitchcock League title

The Auburn Plainsmen captured their second consecutive Billy Hitchcock Men’s Senior Baseball League Championship on Sunday by defeating the Auburn Braves in a best-of-three series (2-4, 18-7, 6-5).

The championship series caps a season that began in early April. Six teams played a total of 60 games, with the top four teams advancing to the playoff rounds.

At the conclusion of the regular season, the Plainsmen found themselves in first place with a record of 17-3. There was a three-way tie for second place between the Upatoi Indians, Auburn Braves and Montgomery Rebels, each with identical 11-9 records.

In semifinal action, the Plainsmen defeated the Rebels in two straight (10-4, 11-5). The other semifinal series pitted the Auburn Braves against the Upatoi Indians. After splitting the double header on Saturday, the teams met again on Sunday for a deciding Game 3. The Braves came out on top by a score of 16-4 and advanced to the League Championship Series against the Plainsmen.

The opening game of the championship series was a pitchers’ duel. For the Plainsmen, Hurston Pittman pitched seven scoreless innings, allowing only four hits. Jesse Edwards and Clay Andrews combined for the Braves to pitch seven scoreless innings, also allowing 4 hits.

In the top of the eighth inning, with two outs and two runners in scoring position, David Bush hit a line-drive single to left field scoring two runs for the Braves.

The Plainsmen, taking advantage of a couple of walks, answered in the bottom of the eighth with two runs of their own.

A two-out double by Rodney Lindsey got things started for the Braves in the top of the ninth. A string of walks and the Plainsmen’s only error of the game netted the Braves 2 more runs. With Lindsey on the mound for the Braves, the Plainsmen were unable to answer in the bottom half of the ninth, earning the Braves the 4-2 win and a 1-0 lead in the series.

The Plainsman rolled in a Game 2 that was split up due to rain, taking an 18-7 win to force a deciding game.

Game 3 would prove to be another hard-fought battle.

The Plainsmen took a 6-5 win, as a walk and a hit batter with the bases loaded drove in two runs in the top of the ninth.

Since 2002, the Billy Hitchcock Men’s Senior Baseball League has provided adult men in Lee and surrounding counties an outlet for real baseball.

More than 140 men ages 18 to 60 plus play wood bat baseball in the Hitchcock League each year.

Preparations for the 2010 season begin in January, with registration scheduled for March 7. Interested teams and players should contact league president Gary Gomez at 334 444-3909 or see www.billyhitchcockmsbl.com for more information.