After 2 scoreless innings, the Royals broke through first, plating 4 in the top of the 3rd.  Tyler Heckard had the big hit in the inning, knocking in 2 with his single.  The Indians finally got to Andy Mumma after 3 scoreless innings, scoring 3 runs in the bottom of the 4th to cut the lead to 1 run at 4-3 after 4 innings.  After a scoreless 5th inning, the Royals added another run in the top of the 6th to extend their lead to 5-3.  But then the Indians bats came alive!  Starting with the bottom of the order, Jared Grim and Nate Emlet scored on RBI singles by Bryan Chase and Chaz Ruth, respectively, to tie the game and roll the lineup over to the top.  The Indians would take the lead when Ryan Scott reached on an error.  Eric McNeil immediately knocked in 2 more and Ryan Chataginer finished the 6-run inning with an RBI single, scoring McNeil.  The Royals were unable to get any closer in the 7th to make the final score 9-5.  Emlet pitched the final 4 innings and only allowed 2 hits and an unearned run, while striking out 5, for the win.  McNeil was the offensive star of the game, going 2-for-2 with a single, double, 2 runs, and 3 RBIs, also reaching when being hit by a pitch.  The Indians' Chase and the Royals' Tony Kelly both were also perfect at the plate, going 2-for-2 with 2 runs.

Congratulations to the 2024 INDIANS for defending their championship and winning in back-to-back years!

Box score

In the bottom of the 1st inning, Eric McNeil hit a 1-out double and scored when the next batter, Rick Thompson, hit a single to right field.  It turns out that would be the only run of the game as the pitchers took over the rest of the game.  For the Braves, Chris Archambault and Chris Kiehl only allowed 5 more hits and a walk over the final 5 2/3 innings while striking out 9.  But it wasn't enough for the Indians' combo of Ryan Chataginer and Eric McNeil.  Chataginer pitched 4 shutout innings, allowing only 3 hits and striking out 4 for the win.  McNeil closed the game with 3 1-hit innings, also striking out 4, to nail down the save.  The Indians' Bryan Chase was the only player with more than 1 hit, collecting a single and a double.

Congratulations to the 2023 RL35 Champion INDIANS!

Box score