Beavers Walk Off Diamond Hoppers in Sudden Victory Thriller, 9-8
UTICA, Mich. – The Birmingham Bloomfield Beavers (18-16) survived a wild late-inning comeback from the Eastside Diamond Hoppers (10-25) and answered in extra innings to earn a dramatic 9-8 walk-off victory in sudden victory Sunday afternoon at UWM Field.
Birmingham wasted little time getting on the board, plating three runs in the bottom of the first inning to take an early 3-0 advantage. Eastside began chipping away in the third when Jarrett Chapman launched a solo home run, his second of the season, cutting the deficit to 3-1. The Diamond Hoppers added two more in the fifth to even the game at three.
The game remained tied until the Beaver’s offense erupted in the bottom of the eighth. The Beavers pushed five runs across, highlighted by Alec Gonzalez‘s first home run of the season—a grand slam that gave Birmingham an 8-3 advantage heading into the ninth. Gonzalez finished the afternoon with four RBI, while David Coppedge collected three hits for the Beavers.
But the Diamond Hoppers weren’t finished. Facing a five-run deficit in the ninth, Eastside mounted a furious rally and scored five runs to tie the game at 8-8, forcing sudden victory. Chapman led Eastside’s offense with two hits, two RBI and the home run, while Eli Watson added two hits and drove in a pair.
After Eastside was held scoreless in the sudden victory, Birmingham finished the job pushing across the winning run for the 9-8 walk-off victory. Beavers reliever Ben Crumpton earned the win, while Eastside’s Philip Miller was charged with the loss.
The sudden victory format is as follows: a coin toss will take place at home plate between the managers of both teams. The home team will call their selection as the umpire tosses the coin. The winner of the coin toss will select whether they will take the field defensively or bat in the inning. The team at bat will remain the same batting order as the previous inning with the hitter making the last out placed at first base. If the team scores a run, they win. If they are held scoreless, the victory goes to the team on defense.