Championship Final Series-Sunsets Sweep Cubs To Complete Threepeat

              Under occluded skies, the Sunrise Sunsets broke through the clouds and dispatched the Broward Cubs, 5-3, in Game 3 of the Championship Final Series. The win allowed the Twilighters to complete a three game sweep of the series and claim their third consecutive title. The championship was the sixth overall for the 'Sets.
              Calvin Rayburn started for the Sunsets and got off to a rocky start as he committed a throwing error, gave up a one out single to Jorge Bravo and then surrendered a three run home run to Cory McEwen as the Cubs took a 3-0 first inning lead.
              In the bottom of the first, the 'Sets tied the score as Nick Cardona greeted Cubs' starter Hasley Concepcion with a lead off single, Rudy Mueller and Garrett Rogers drew one out walks, and Dom Ficarra sent all three runners home with a double to left center.
              The 'Sets took the lead in the second. Chris Craig drew a lead off walk, stole second, and scored on a two out double by Cardona.
              Meanwhile, the Cubs were unable to mount another serious threat against Rayburn, despite getting a runner on base in four different innings. Rayburn finished with a three hitter, walking three, and striking out 10.
              A home run by Rudy Mueller, leading off the fifth, wound up being the final run scored in the 2023 season. It was Mueller's third home run of the series.
              Cardona and Ficarra led the 'Sets with two hits a piece.
              Hansley Concepcion went the route for the Cubs, yielding five runs on eight hits. Concepcion issued six free passes and fanned seven.
              The Cubs only managed five runs in the series, collecting a total of 14 hits, while striking out 34 times in three games.
              The Hullmen became the seventh team in league history to win three consecutive championships. After the game, Rayburn, Mueller, and Garrett Rogers were named co-most valuable players of the playoffs by the editors of South Florida Baseball Report.
              Sunsets Shutout Cubs In Game 2: After three consecutive days of rain, the Championship Final Series finally resumed on Thursday, although, it almost didn't. After a 20 minute delay caused by an issue with the lights, the Sunrise Sunsets whitewashed the Broward Cubs, 5-0, taking a commanding two games to none lead in the best of five series.
              The groundscrew did yeoman's work getting the rain soaked field in shape, but an hour before the scheduled start time, the lights could not be turned on. An electrician was dispatched and the game began, albeit, slightly delayed.
              Almost immediately, the Twilighters took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first when Joe Iacobucci singled and scored on a double by Dom Ficarra. Later in the frame, Ficarra scored on a single by Garrett Rogers.
              The 'Sets doubled their advantage in the fourth. Rogers reached on a one out single and went to third as Chris Price corked a single just inside the right field line. After Price swiped second, both runners scored as Brandon Hull squirted a seeing eye single up the middle.
              A two out home run by Rudy Mueller in the seventh closed out the scoring.
              Rogers tossed a complete game for the Sunsets, scattering four hits. Rogers walked three and struck out 11. Chad Volbert went the distance for the Cubbies and took the loss. Volbert was charged with five runs on 14 hits. Volbert walked one and fanned 10.
              Rogers and Nick Cardona had three hits each for the Twilighters. Iacobucci and Price had two hits a piece.
              Dave Cushwa had three of the Cubs' four hits.
              The Sunsets left 11 runners on base. The Cubs stranded seven in a game that was completed in two hours and 19 minutes.
              The teams will resume the series with Game 3 scheduled for Saturday. The Sunsets can clinch their third straight championship with another win.
              Veteran Sunsets Defeat Upstart Cubs In Game 1: The 2023 Championship Final Series began on Saturday and the Sunrise Sunsets, two time champions loaded with playoff experience, prevailed with a 6-1 win over the relatively post-season inexperienced Broward Cubs.
              Right off the bat, the Series opened with a surprise as the Cubbies gave the opening game starting assignment to Everett Miller, who only tossed three innings all season. The Twilighters countered with the league's career leader in playoff ERA, Calvin Rayburn.
              Both pitchers pitched out of early jams in the first two innings. Each team had two runners on in both the first and second frames, but Miller and Rayburn kept the game scoreless.
              In the bottom of the third, Rudy Mueller led off with a single and came around to score when Dom Ficarra singled to left and the ball was misplayed. In the fourth, the 'Sets extended their lead to 3-0, aided by another error in left field. With two outs, Jimmy Schariest walked and scored, after stopping at third, on a double by Nick Cardona when the Cubs missed the cutoff man. Cardona later scored on a wild pitch.
              After the Cubs left the bases loaded in the top of the inning, the Sunsets made it 4-0 in the bottom of the fifth. Ficarra drew a leadoff walk and went to second when Miller plunked Chris Price with a pitch. Miller clipped Rayburn on an 0-2 pitch, loading the bases. Ficarra scored when Chris Craig hit a sacrifice fly to left. Miller avoided further damage by retiring the next two batters.
              In the sixth, with Cory McEwen on in relief of Miller, Cardona was hit by a pitch and then trotted home as Mueller crushed a long two run home run.
              The Cubs finally broke through in the top of the ninth on a RBI bloop single by Adrian Roznowski, but it was much too little, and much too late.
              Rayburn wound up with a complete game seven hitter. He walked two and struck out 13. Miller took the loss after permitting two earned runs on four hits in five innings. Miller walked five, hit two, and fanned five.
              Mueller led the Twilighters with three hits and two RBI. Cardona, Ficarra, and Rayburn contributed two hits a piece. Jorge Bravo had two hits to pace the Cubs.
              The teams will be in action on Monday, for Game 2, with Chad Volbert scheduled to start for the Cubbies. The Sunsets have yet to name a starter for the second game of the Series.
              Championship Final Series Preview-Will The Sun Set On Cubs?: The 2023 Championship Final Series will feature an uncommon matchup of regular season underachievers that found their strides in the playoffs. The sixth seeded Broward Cubs will face the fifth seeded Sunrise Sunsets. The Sunsets have won the last two league championships and play in the Championship Series, virtually, perennially. The Cubs have not appeared in the Championship Final Series in 12 seasons.
              The teams took very different paths to the Series. The Sunsets had a, largely, up and down regular season, before sweeping through the heavily favored Fort Lauderdale Atlantics and Margate Sentries in the previous rounds. The Cubs, on the other hand, were the last team to qualify for a playoff berth, edged the Tri-Cities Tritons in a hard fought Play-In Round win, and went the distance before dispatching the Hollywood Stars in the semi-finals. As a result, the Twilighters enter the Series healthy and rested. The Cubs arrive tired and banged up.
              During the regular season, the Cubs outhit the Sunsets by 20 points (.285 to .265) and outscored them by an average of almost half a run per game, but the 'Sets walked more and steal more bases than the Cubs.
              On the mound, the teams were fairly even statistically. The Cubs' hurler give up a lot more hits, but issued almost half as many walks as the Sunsets' pitchers.
              The major difference between the two teams' pitching staffs, and the difference that is key in a short series, is depth. The Sunsets have it. The Cubs don't.
              Calvin Rayburn, Garrett Rogers, and Tommy Tritz will most likely form the starting rotation for the Sunsets, with Alex Katz, Dom Ciero, Wyatt Stiles, and Brant Spring in the bullpen. The Cubbies will counter with Chad Volbert, Hansley Concepcion, and, probably lefty Cory McEwen getting the starts. The Cubs' bullpen will be populated by Dave Cushwa and Eddie Cabrera. Both Cushwa and Cabrera, as well as McEwen, are also position players, further stressing the cubs lack of mound depth.
              Cushwa was the Cubs' leading hitter during the season, but Marques Irving was on fire during the playoffs. Unfortunately, Irving suffered an oblique injury during the series with the Stars and, although he is expected to play, he may be limited in his ability to swing the bat. Tyler Brown, who hit .357 for the Cubs during the season limps into the Series. Literally.
              Brown is nursing a leg injury and may not be able to contribute anything beyond an occasional pinch hitting appearance.
              The Cubs will have to lean on Jamaal Thelwell, who had a nice bounce back season, especially after moving into the leadoff spot, the mercurial Yaniel Perez, power hitting Jorge Bravo, steady run producer Mike Chevere, and hope that usually reliable Cory McEwen busts out of his post-season slump.
              To make matters even more difficult for fans of the Ursus Minor, outfielder Terrence Biel is nursing a shoulder injury.
              Nick Cardona leads a veteran lineup for the 'Sets. Cardona was one of the league's best hitters this season. Rudy Mueller had a streaky season, but still finished at .385. Joe Iacobucci is still one of the league's best overall hitters, and Brandon Hull, Chris Craig, David Hall, and Dom Ficarra don't have flashy batting averages, but they all get on base consistently. The Twilighters also have the pedigree. Keith Nicoll and Calvin Rayburn are the active leaders in combined championships won by teammates.
              Both teams are middle of the pack in terms of their fielding. Irving and Price are excellent in center field, most everyone else, on both sides, are decent if not spectacular.
              The Cubs are trying to present the series as "us against the World," portraying themselves as major underdogs, but, apart from the pitching depth, the teams present as fairly even.
              It was a curious decision that the Cubs made in not addressing their lack of pitching depth with their in-season roster moves. That decision is almost a certainty to cost them a championship.

            
                          
              
              
                   
                


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