Sticking Points 2043.9: Rockville Rides Delayed Sweep Into Cartwright

[aaronweiner]

It's not technically a sweep when you win a series 4-2, but the Rockville Pikemen pulled off the rare "delayed" sweep, losing the first two games of their Doubleday Round against the San Antonio Outlaws and then winning the next four in a row, including all three games at home, to secure their spot in the Cartwright Cup against Charm City.

"We do like our comebacks, don't we," laughed series MVP Daniel Pepper, referring to the Pikemen's 12-24 start this season. "This is a dream run for me and I'm so excited to be playing for a chance to go to the Landis."

Pepper won the series MVP by hitting .444 in the six-game set. Wilson Alomar also hit .333 for the Pikemen, continuing the success he had in the Geoghegan Round, where he won MVP with a blistering .611 batting average.

"As usual, it's a whole team effort," said Alomar. "It's going to be pretty wild playing in the Cartwright."

It was the first time that Rockville and San Antonio had met in the playoffs, and it marked a special occasion for Rockville GM Aaron Weiner, who ran the Birmingham-now-San Antonio franchise for two decades before Mike Calvaruso took over the franchise and won the organization's only Landis.

"Mike is one of my favorite people in the league and he's still running the team I gave up two decades ago," said GM Aaron Weiner. "It was a real pleasure to meet him in the Doubleday this year and he's built quite the franchise there. That's a fine team there. They'll be back."

Looking ahead to the Cartwright, the Pikemen had some success against the Jimmies this year, but not when it counted; the Pikemen had a chance to secure the division and blew it in a one-game playoff on October 7th by getting shut out by the Jimmies. Charm City has a pretty good story of their own, as an impressive rebuilding program and some excellent gambles have paid off for them. After a 79-83 season in 2042, they won the division title and were statistically competitive with Rockville.

"We're not taking this team lightly at all," said Rockville manager Duane Whitley. "This is going to be a very tough series, and after the way we blew it in the one-game playoff, I know our guys are really motivated. This should be a great series."

[bigmike13]

You guys just battered my bullpen. Great job and I hope you can keep it going