Mistakes aplenty for Will & Justin
October 4, 2004 | By Justin Hastings

"We did everything you're not supposed to do in playoff wiffleball."

Justin Hastings summed it up in one sentence. And he was right.

Will Kenney & Justin Hastings, the losing tandem in this year's HMWL Championship didn't play clean wiffleball.

Right from the start, the game looked bleak for the duo. They went down 1-2 in the top half of the first and then gave up three early runs to the strong team of Fred Rogers & Craig Hastings.

"You can't put yourself in a hole early," said Justin.

The mistakes continued, as Will & Justin had an early opportunity to put runs on the board in the second. With the bases loaded after three straight hits, they couldn't manage any contact as Craig struck out both swinging.

"That was tough," said Will.

"Maybe Will could have advanced a base on that third hit, but you can't got pointing fingers in those situations," said Justin.

Even a lead-off single in the fifth couldn't result in moving the runners along. A fielder's choice, followed by a strikeout left Will & Justin to get all their runs in the sixth.

Even when things were going right for Will & Justin, mistakes continued to follow them. After his 2-run, game-tying double in the sixth, Justin could have easily reached third as Fred misplayed the ball in right field.

"What can I say?" said Justin. "I was focused on nothing else but tying up that game. Third base never even entered my mind. Complete brainfreeze."

And what about the final pitch? Was that a mistake?

"That slider…I wanted to hit it all day but I just couldn't go for it," said Craig.

"Craig had been laying off that pitch all day," said Justin. "And he had been making great selections, too. Balls that were missing by inches on the outside corner he let pass. But that final ball looked like it was heading for the corner, and he didn't let that one get by."

Whether you call them mistakes or missed opportunities, they definitely affected the outcome of this year's championship.