Craig Hastings ends game with one swing
October 4, 2004 | By Justin Hastings

"Time!" shouted Justin Hastings, in the bottom of the sixth of a tie game. "I'm having an awful case of deja vu right now." Fred Rogers was at the plate, with one out in the bottom of the sixth. Eerily, this was the same situation that J.Hastings lost in the 2002 Championship when Rogers and then-teammate Rich McMackin won 6-5 on a solo walk-off homer.

"Don't say that!" screamed teammate Will Kenney who was pitching. Rogers then struck out swinging. But little did J.Hastings know that the same deja vu would come back to haunt him later in the game.

The game began with Fred & Craig getting out to an early lead, scoring three runs in the first, highlighted by Craig's 2-run double. Opposing pitcher Will Kenney quickly settled down, striking out the next two batters.

Will & Justin struggled offensively for most of the game. They failed to score with the bases loaded and two outs in the second, much to the excitement of pitcher Craig Hastings.

"That was the most important inning of the game," said Craig.

Both pitchers, Craig and Will, dominated the middle innings of the game, with no team posting a run until the home half of the fifth when Fred & Craig strung together singles to score a run…a run that hoped to be one of insurance.

Facing certain doom, Will & Justin bore down and tried to at least avoid the shutout. They would do much more than that. Justin's lead-off walk, followed by Will's run-scoring double had the visitors on the board, 4-1. They continued to chip away at the lead, adding two more singles and a walk to get within two. After Will struck out swinging, Justin was left with the bases juiced and one out, still down by two runs. After a lengthy at bat, Justin managed to hit a hard grounder to right field for a 2-run double, knotting the game at 4.

Unfortunately for Justin, he could have taken another base for a triple and a 5-4 lead, but stopped at second.

"I was so focused on just tying the game that I think I locked out any idea of getting a triple," said Justin. "It was a mental error that shouldn't have happened."

The inning ended when Craig struck out Will. The home team then went down with back-to-back strikeouts in the sixth, as the 2004 HMWL Championship moved to extra frames.

Neither team threatened in the seventh, and Will & Justin's half of the eighth only managed one baserunner.

To begin the home half of the eighth, Will continued his dominance of Fred Rogers on the day, striking him out for the tenth time. Will had been using an insane twelve-to-six curveball to confuse Fred. He had been using more of a hard slider to punch out Craig.

Unfortunately for Will, Craig got enough of that hard slider in the final at-bat of the game to hit a solo, walk-off homer to right field to win the game 5-4, the exact same way Justin lost the 2002 Championship.

"That one hurts," said Justin. "It will haunt me for a long time."

Play by Play

Top 1st
Justin grounded out to pitcher.
Will struck out swinging.

Bottom 1st
Fred tripled.
Craig walked.
Fred singled, driving in one run.
Craig doubled, driving in two.
Fred struck out swinging.
Craig struck out looking.

Top 2nd
Justin singled.
Will doubled.
Justin singled.
Will struck out swinging.
Justin struck out swinging.

Bottom 2nd
Fred grounded out to pitcher.
Craig walked.
Fred struck out looking.

Top 3rd
Will struck out swinging.
Justin struck out swinging.

Bottom 3rd
Craig singled.
Fred struck out looking.
Craig struck out swinging.

Top 4th
Will struck out swinging.
Justin flew out to shortstop.

Bottom 4th
Fred struck out looking.
Craig singled.
Fred struck out swinging.

Top 5th
Will singled.
Will forced out at second on Justin fielder’s choice.
Will struck out swinging.

Bottom 5th
Craig walked.
Fred struck out swinging.
Craig singled.
Fred singled.
Craig singled, driving in one run.
Fred struck out swinging.

Top 6th
Justin walked.
Will doubled, driving in one run.
Justin singled.
Will singled, driving in one run.
Justin walked.
Will struck out swinging.
Justin doubled to right, driving in two.
Will struck out swinging.

Bottom 6th
Craig struck out swinging.
Fred struck out swinging.

Top 7th
Justin struck out swinging.
Will struck out swinging.

Bottom 7th
Craig walked.
Fred struck out swinging.
Craig struck out swinging.

Top 8th
Justin flew out to pitcher.
Will singled.
Justin grounded out to first.

Bottom 8th
Fred struck out swinging.
Craig hit a solo home run to right field.