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Leps surging after series win
TWIN BRANCH- The Lynn Street Leprechauns traveled to Twin Branch to take on the Billy Goats in the lone interleague series of Week 4.
The younger Doran Peyton took the mound for the Goats while Nate Hansen was on the hill for Lynn Street.
In Game 1, both teams went back and forth up until the top of the 3rd when Lynn Street was able to gain some separation.
Already leading 7-6, the Leps popped off for 6 runs in the 3rd as they jumped out to a 13-6 lead as they would not look back.
The Leps would go on to win Game 1 by the score of 14-8. Leps Manager Nick Brassell set the tone for his team as he captained the ship, going 4-6 with 4 HR & 5 RBI.
Nate Hansen helped himself out at the plate as well as he hit 2 Home Runs. Guy Wilson also added 2 Homers in the Leps Game 1 victory.
Hansen would end up picking up the win on the mound in Game 1 as Lynn Street set the tone for the rest of the series.
In Game 2 things slowed down at the plate for both teams as Lynn Street carried a 2-1 lead heading into the top of the 4th.
And then Lynn Street would break out in a big way just as they did in Game 1. But this time, it was against the older Doran, Andrew.
While Andrew Doran managed to keep the Leps bats quite early, Lynn Street exploded for 11 runs over the course of the final 3 innings.
Nate Hansen did his thing on both sides once again in Game 2 as he held the Goats to only 5 runs. Hansen nearly matched the Goats run production all by himself as he went 5-5 with 4 HR’s.
After being listed as doubtful before the series, Zach Brassell went into warrior mode as he powered through and ended up playing. Not only did he play, but he actually would end up being the unsung hero of Game 2, going 4-5 with 4 long balls.
Nate Hansen had to be tickled pink about the run production out of Lynn Street in the first 2 games of the series as they would follow up their Game 1 win with 13 runs in Game 2.
Fueled by Busch Light, Nate Hansen was a joy to watch on the mound as the crafty veteran supported his Tennessee Coach Duggs shorts.
Inspired by Barstool Big Cat’s NCAA 2014 video game franchise featuring Head Coach Gus Duggerton, Nate Hansen surely made Duggs nation proud with this performance.
Hansen picked up the win on the mound in Game 2 as Lynn Street clinched the series win with a 13-5 victory.
Looking to salvage the series with a win the Billy Goats turned to Frankie Minerva on the mound.
Twin Branch took the lead early and led throughout most of the game as they took a 9-5 lead heading into the 5th. Lynn Street would claw their way back as they would score 4 runs in the 5th to tie the game up at 9.
Still tied in the 6th inning, Guy Wilson gave the Leps a 1 run lead as they looked to clinch the series sweep. However the Goats fought for their lives as they plated 1 run to tie the game in the bottom of the 6th.
Now in extras, the Leps would leave one on in the top of the 7th leaving the door open for Twin Branch to walk it off.
Just as the rain started down pouring, Twin Branch’s Frankie Minerva helped himself out as he blasted a walk off Home Run through the wind as the Billy Goats were able to salvage 1 win from the series.
With the win, Twin Branch finished the first half of the season with a disappointing 5-7 record as they will look to make a statement on rivalry week.
Twin Branch (5-7) will travel to Snead Field where they will take on their arch rival Granger Panthers who remain as the only unbeaten team in the league at 12-0.
It will be interesting to see if Manager Andrew Doran decides to keep rolling with a pitching rotation against Granger or if he will be the horse on the mound all series long.
As for Lynn Street, Manager Nick Brassell has to be thrilled to take 2 from Twin Branch who went 20-4 in the regular season last year. He has to feel even better knowing that they were able to take 2 games despite not getting their normal production at the plate from Levi Miller.
Although Miller was not his usual self at the plate, he still found a way to make a major difference as he made up for it by playing stellar defense in left field.
Miller was not the only stud defender for Lynn Street as Nick Brassell & Guy Wilson are showing that this trio is one of the more under rated defensive trios in the league.
With Miller leading the outfield charge, Nate Hansen has to feel comfortable doing his thing on the mound. Now at the half way mark, it is clear that Nate Hansen is the glue guy for this team as he has 3 of the 4 Lynn Street wins on the mound.
Hansen’s stellar performance helped him take home Wiffle Talk’s Week 4 National League Player of the Week honors.
The Leps also had to be encouraged from what they saw from Guy Wilson as he is back on track after hitting a team high of .667 on the day.
Manager Nick Brassell had the following things to say about his team: “Everyone contributed and it worked out for us as we went home taking 2 out of 3. Now we look forward to next week in our first ever series against some of our best friends in the Heat. We look to have Kegley and Mikey Smith back in the lineup and we are hoping that Nate dawg can make it out as well.”
All in all, it was a fantastic end to the 1st half of the regular season for Lynn Street who now hold a 4-8 record. While that record leaves a little to be desired, it is worth noting that the Leps have now moved into 4th place in the National League.
If this team can continue to get these types of quality performances from their squad, Lynn Street could be poised to have a strong 2nd half of the regular season.
