Sharkas Slam Lifts Mammoths Past Beavers in 6–5 Thriller
UTICA, Mich. – The Westside Woolly Mammoths (9-14) rallied behind a go-ahead grand slam from center fielder Anthony Sharkas to top the Birmingham Bloomfield Beavers (-14), 6–5, in a back-and-forth showdown Saturday night at Jimmy John’s Field.
After falling behind 5–2 midway through the fourth, the Mammoths stormed back in the bottom half of the inning. With the bases loaded and two outs, Sharkas sent a towering shot over the wall in left-center for a dramatic grand slam, flipping the lead and energizing the home crowd.
Beavers catcher Tyler Shinn provided the early fireworks with a three-run homer in the third, putting Birmingham Bloomfield on top. Shinn finished 2-for-4 with three RBIs. Outfielder Ryan Maka added three hits and an RBI, while Matt Piotrowski went 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI.
The Beavers struck again in the fourth on RBI singles by Piotrowski and Maka, but couldn’t break through against the Mammoths bullpen. Austin Baugh and Kyle Pijaszek combined for two scoreless innings to shut the door, with Pijaszek earning the save.
Dillon Chapa picked up the win despite allowing five runs over four innings. Choyce Diffey took the loss for the Beavers, surrendering six runs in four frames.
Notable Performances:
Mammoths:
- Anthony Sharkas: 3-for-3, HR, 2B, 4 RBIs, 2 R
- Mark Kattula: 1-for-2, 1 R, BB
- Derek Wood: 1-for-2, R, BB
- Kyle Pijaszek: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 K (Save)
Beavers:
- Dominic Hann: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 K
- Tyler Shinn: 2-for-4, HR, 3 RBIs
- Ryan Maka: 3-for-4, 2B, RBI, R
- Matt Piotrowski: 2-for-4, RBI, R