Game of the Century comes to Father Flohe Field

The #1 Ranked Portland St. Patrick's Shamrock Baseball team has a date with destiny. This Friday, May 24th, the undefeated #1 Ranked Pewamo Westphalia Pirates are coming to Portland. The Shamrocks are ranked #1 in Division 4, and the Pirates are ranked #1 in Division 3. Both teams are undefeated in the league, and this is arguably one of the most eagerly anticipated CMAC matchups in league baseball history.

The Shamrocks are fresh off a huge victory over Division 1 power house Dewitt in the Diamond Classic. On Monday, May 20th the Shamrocks put a shut out on the heavily favored Panthers and a key triple by Devin Fedewa in the 1st inning, followed by a sacrifice fly by Evan Schrauben vaulted the Shamrocks to one of the biggest victories in program history. The Pirates did their part in the opening game, defeating the heavily favored Division 1 team East Lansing 4-3. The Pirates play #2 seed Grand Ledge Thursday at 5pm, and the Shamrocks follow that up with a match against the #1 seeded Mason at 7. Both Games are at MSU's McLane Stadium.

Regardless of the outcome of those games, the league title game at 4 pm at St. Patrick's Father Flohe Field will be one for the ages. The Pirates and Shamrocks have beaten common league foes by similar margins, the most notable being #3 in the league Saranac, with the Shamrocks defeating Saranac 3-1 and 2-1 and the Pirates defeating Saranac 7-2 and 4-2.

Junior pitcher and right fielder Devin Fedewa is excited about the opportunity for a League title. "If we play like we played against Dewitt, it should be a really good matchup. We just have to get our bats working again and continue being strong defensively."

Coach Bryan Scheurer, with a smile on his face, wanted to talk a little smack when asked for a quote, but ultimately donned his classy hat and put together a quote for print. "I have the utmost respect for Coach Rademacher and their program. The combination of off-season and in-season work they put in throughout their sports programs has and continues to set the bar for our league. We are thankful for and very excited for the opportunity to host this matchup. They have our full attention, and we know it will take our best effort to win a league title."

St. Patrick's Father Flohe Field has not hosted such a large crowd for baseball in recent memory, so the environment will be electric. Seating is limited, so a lawn chair is recommended. Game 1 will begin at 4:00, with a break in between for food for the teams, game 2 after about a 30 minute break. Other challenges include the ongoing construction around the fields. Parking will be available in the Alton Park parking lots on West St. (just east of Fr. Flohe on Grand River) and there are 2 lots at the corner of Grove and Union St. Admission is $5.00 for all CMAC league games.

Photo by Lindsey Bos of St. Patrick's game vs Dewitt on Monday.