AWA rolled through the 1992 Spring season, winning the division with a league-best 8-2 record. And for the first time since 1989, the team was injury-free and playing at the top of its game. Along the way AWA had beaten the first place team in the other division, Dogs on the Run, by a score of 14-10. AWA was feeling pretty cocky heading into this championship night.
In the first round, as the #1 seed, AWA rolled over the Swingin' Sacks 14-4, overcoming an early 3-0 deficit. At the same time Dogs on the Run cruised to an easy win in their first round match, setting the stage for the late night final.
This game marked the sixth time in AWA history that the team had made not to the championship game, and it was pointed out that, up to this point, the guys had never lost a league final. The one common thread for AWA in each of those previous wins was the presence of Earl Yagi on the pitcher's slab. This time we had Joe Sammut tossing the ball, and our tradition of dominance would be severely tested as Dogs on the Run poured five runs onto the scoreboard in the very first inning, and then adding another run in the second for a 6-0 lead.
There was still a lot of game left, and AWA finally got on the board in the bottom of the third inning. Hits by Neil Christie, Gary Matsushita, and Bruce Christie loaded the bases with no one out. Brian Christie and Greg Brown each hit sacrifice flies, and Tom Sukup delivered a run-scoring hit to center to make the score 6-3. AWA then added another run in the fourth as Dave Jackson singled with one out, moved to second on Steve Sammut's infield hit, and scored on a two-out single to left by Neil.
The score was now 6-4, and very much undecided, but an eery pall had fallen over the AWA dugout, which intensified as the offensive-minded Dogs scored three more in the fifth to push the score out to 9-4.
The guys in the AWA dugout were beginning to lose their collective cool in the heat of battle, chewing on each other and bickering both in the dugout and out on the field. The team's history of dominance in these championship games was quickly going by the wayside. Scoring chances had been missed and the team was losing by a wide margin to a team who, on this night, appeared to be on its game.
Trailing by five, AWA came to bat in the bottom of the fifth. Bruce opened the inning with single to left and moved up as Brian drew a base on balls. Greg then lined a single to right that scored Bruce, as Brian held second. Tom then followed with a hit to center. Brian was waved home by third base coach Neil, but the throw from the outfield nailed him on a close play. Jumping all over Brian and Neil, the AWA dugout, which was located on the third base side, barked its disapproval at the risky decision to try to score down by so many runs.
Al Brown stepped up next and lined a hit to left, loading the bases. Neil, feeling the wrath of his teammates behind him, held Greg at third. Joe then ripped a clean single to right to score one run, but Tom held third even though the Dogs defense conceded the run and had thrown to second. Again the dugout wailed at both Tom and Neil, this time for not trying to score.
The score was 9-6, and Dave lofted a towering fly to right center. Tom tagged up from third, bluffed, and then did not break for home. A weak throw from the outfield was way off line, and there was Tom standing at third. The angry mob in the dugout went nuts. That made three baserunning blunders in the same inning, and the even-tempered were nowhere to be found as players shouted each other down. The team had lost its cool, and the fighting amongst each other in the dugout was more intense than the battle being waged on the field against Dogs on the Run.
But then Steve quelled the rioters with a shot through the middle for a hit. Tom scored and Al scooted home right behind him, closing the deficit to 9-8. Mike Applegate singled to load the bases, but a golden opportunity to score more runs ended when Neil lined out to short.
Dogs on the Run kept up the heat in the sixth, as they pushed across a run and had runners at first and third with two outs. A hard grounder was then smashed through the middle, ticketed for center field. But Bruce stabbed it with a furious dive, and turned it into a force play at second that ended the inning. The bickering AWA players needed to find something that would pull them together again, and Bruce's spectacular defensive play seemed to do the trick. Emotions were running wild and the racket from the dugout was all positive as the team came in, trailing 10-8 heading into the bottom of the sixth. With the top of the order coming up, nobody was about to give up yet.
The Dogs pitcher was working carefully, and Gary and Bruce showed patience at the plate, each working out a walk. Brian brought Gary home with a hit to center, as Bruce took third and Brian scooted into second on the belated throw to third. Greg then drilled a long fly to center. The ball didn't quite have the distance as as the outfielder flagged it down on the warning track. But Bruce was able to trot home with the tying run. Tom followed with a shot to left center. The Dog outfielder ran it down, but dropped the ball. Brian moved up to third while Tom cruised into second on the error. With the go-ahead runs in scoring position, Al was walked intentionally to load the bases.
Joe made short work of that strategy, drilling a single to right, scoring Brian and giving AWA its first lead of the night. The once angry mob in the AWA dugout was now cheering wildly. Dave smoked a hit to left, bringing Tom home, and then Steve lofted a sacrifice fly to plate Al with the fifth run of the inning. AWA had taken a 13-10 lead, and Joe needed only to get three outs the seventh to get AWA another championship crown.
It took three outstanding defensive plays to complete the task. The first Dog batter drove a blast deep to left. Steve raced back, twisted, and at the last instant, threw up his glove to spear the ball for the out. After a single, the next hitter smoked one just right of second base. Gary snagged the ball with a dive to his right, and got the force on a bang-bang play. But we still needed one more out, and things got a whole lot more uncomfortable when another hit put runners at first and second.
The potential tying run came to the plate, and the Dog hitter shot one into the hole between short and third. Bruce burst to his right, made a brilliant backhanded pickup, and then flipped the ball to Al at third for the force and the ballgame.
This victory was particularly sweet. The team had run the gamut of emotions, even to the point of fighting among themselves. But when it was all on the line, AWA found a way to pull this one out. Which proves anything is possible if you never give up.
