In the Championship game, Beast Mode was a very different team from the one we defeated 9--6 in the first game of the season. They beefed up their lineup with some heavy hitters and skilled women, and their team skill was on display with outstanding hitting and defense. Before Re-Entry even got started, they posted four runs on the board, and sported a 9--1 lead after an inning and a half. In the bottom of second inning, Re-Entry made some noise with their bats. Omar started us off with a home run, and Eddie continued the power surge with a home run, although that result was momentarily in doubt when a superb throw from the cutoff woman at second base nearly nailed Eddie at the plate. Only a head first slide to avoid the tag followed by a desperate reach back to the plate with his hand resulted in a "safe" call by the umpires (despite the loud protestations of the Beast Mode players). After two innings, the score was 9--5, and there was a glimmer of hope that Re-Entry would make a game of it.

Unfortunately, the Re-Entry defense and offense was not up to its usual standards. After a few miscues in the field, the Beast Mode lead was up to eight runs again, and with no sustained offense there were no late heroic comebacks left in the tank. Eddie repeated his second inning drama with a nearly identical replay, scoring on a second home run that required an even more impressive slide around the catcher who received the throw while blocking the plate. A good offensive showing by Howie (3--4 with a triple, double and single) and Andy pushed across a few more runs, but that was about it. A double by Rob in the late innings led to a second and third situation with two outs, but Re-Entry was just unable to push across that tenth run. Meanwhile, powered by a number of tape-measure home runs to the deepest parts of the outfield, Beast Mode built up a eleven run lead, with runs in every inning save the last.

Despite some shaky defensive plays in the early part of the game, there were a few web gems to report. In the top of the fifth, with two outs and Beast Mode threatening another big inning with a runner on second, Andy in center field retrieved a single and came up throwing, with a strike to the plate to nail the runner from second trying to score. At the catching position, Laura received the throw and was in perfect position to tag the runner and end the inning. In the top of the 6th inning, with one out and runners on first and second, Howie made a backhand snag of a sinking line drive, then wheeled and threw a strike to A.J. at second base for the inning ending double play. Finally, in the 7th inning, Re-Entry held Beast Mode scoreless, but it was too little too late. Eleven runs was too much to overcome, and Re-Entry went down quietly in the bottom of the 7th to end their hopes of a championship season.

The Re-Entry offense started slowly, mustering only one run in the first two innings. Meanwhile, the Re-Entry defense kept Cori Gunz in check. A lined shot to third baseman Omar was turned into an inning ending double play, when the Cori Gunz runner strayed too far off first base. In the second inning, a potential Cori Gunz rally was squashed. With runners on first and second, a ground ball to Howie at short started an unusual double play. Howie flipped the ball to Laurie at second base for the first out, while the runner from second kept on running home. The throw to Laura at the plate was late, but Laura then threw back to first, after noticing that the runner had rounded the bag and was caught in no man's land. Rob applied the tag completing the inning ending double play. When Re-Entry scored three runs in the third inning, mostly on small ball, Re-Entry clung to a 4--1 lead.

The Re-Entry bats finally came alive in the top of the 4th inning. A.J. led it off with a line drive shot down the left field line that just eluded the left fielder, resulting in a solo home run. But the really big hits were to follow. With two people on base, Erica hit a long drive over the left-center fielder's head, and when the dust settled, Erica had 2 RBIs and a stand-up triple. Andy followed with a massive drive over the center fielder's head for a two-run home run, and suddenly Re-Entry was up by eight runs. The lead did not last. In the bottom of the 4th inning, a number of errant plays in the infield prolonged the inning, and Cori Gunz took full advantage with a two-out three-run home run to close the gap again to three runs. With Re-Entry going down quickly in the top of the 5th inning, it looked like the momentum had swung in favor of Cori Gunz. However, with a couple of people on base, Laurie made the defensive play of the game, spearing a sinking line drive to left field to end the inning and the Cori Gunz threat. That play earns the web gem of the game, and swung the momentum back to Re-Entry. A four run sixth inning by Re-Entry was jump-started by A.J.'s second solo home run of the game. Later that inning, good situational hitting by Andy and Howie with two outs to drive in the final two runs finally gave Re-Entry a comfortable seven run lead. The defense held firm in the 6th inning, and closed the game out in the bottom of the seventh allowing two innocuous runs, to claim the 13--8 victory.

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