Adam Folkard (seen here in a tournament earlier this year) was simply phenomenal this past week, leading the Six Nations Hill United Chiefs to the ISC World Championship in Illinois. Folkard pitched ten innings of shutout ball in the championship game, as Six Nations downed the New York Gremlins 1-0. (Expositor File Photo)
The Six Nations Hill United Chiefs are ISC World Champions.
The Chiefs won in a fantastic, 10-inning, 1-0 championship game against the New York Gremlins Saturday night in Moline, Illinois.
It was an old-fashioned pitching duel for the ultimate fastball title, as Adam Folkard pitched the full 10 innings for Hill United, recording an amazing 22 strikeouts while giving up just two hits and one walk.
The fireworks occurred in the bottom of the tenth, when shortstop Calvin Miller led off with a double. James Shields came on as a pinch runner, and advanced to third on a Jason Sanford groundout.
New York pitcher Sean Whitten - who came on in the seventh for starter Andrew Kirkpatrick - walked the next two batters to load the bases in hopes of setting up an inning-ending double play.
Six Nations right fielder Jeff Ellsworth had other plans, as he hit a game-winning sacrifice fly to score Shields and deliver the championship to the Chiefs.
The Chiefs went a perfect 6-0 over the weeklong tournament. They opened with a 10-0 win over the Great Lakes Mariners Aug. 11, beat Pete's Blues 9-1 Monday and Circle Tap 4-0 Wednesday.
Six Nations captured a huge win Thursday, beating the powerhouse Jarvis Hallman Twins 6-4. They then downed the New York Gremlins 3-0 Friday to advance right to the championship game. Folkard pitched a perfect game in that contest, giving up no hits, no walks, and striking out 15 batters in seven innings of work.
Folkard was honoured with the Leroy Zimmerman Most Outstanding Pitcher award, and Six Nations infielder Nick Shailes was named the Cleo Goyette Most Valuable Player.
