The team clinched their spot in the title game with an exciting 5-4 win over the Tigers Wednesday night, pushing the contest into extra innings before Aidan Aliberti launched a walkoff homer in the seventh.

 

Earlier in the week, the Cubs played the last game of the regular season against the Pirates, with the teams tied for first place in the league (13-3 records). Hits by Tabor Caron and RBIs from Bryce Nighlinger and Jacob Gunderson gave the team a 4-0 lead, and though the Pirates rallied in the bottom of the sixth to narrow the gap, Tabor came in as closer to preserve the Cubs’ win.

 

The Tigers, though they fell to the A’s 7-6 last Monday, had earned their playoff berth with a 15-3 win over the Cardinals last Saturday. John Morris notched three hits and three runs while earning the win in his first-ever start on the mound. Richado Andrade also turned in a pair of hits for the Tigers, while Hunter Cleary had two RBI singles.

 

 Last Thursday, the Red Sox defeated the Cubs 8-3. Sam Cranston pitched a complete game, turning in a two-out, two-run single in the bottom of the fifth. Willson Slayton and Jake Howell also had hits for the Sox, reaching base a combined six times while contributing 4 RBIs between them. Jeremy Regan contributed to the defensive effort.

The minor league championship game will take place after the majors game on Saturday at 2 p.m. The Reds, having upset the league-leading Rays in Tuesday’s contest, will take on the second-place Marlins.

 

Little League action continues after Saturday’s games, as the 11-year-old travel team plays Old Rochester at Veira Park on Tuesday at 5 p.m. in a District 7 playoff game. The 12-year-old travel team is also home this week, playing the winner of Barnstable/Bridgewater Wednesday at 5 p.m as they begin the hunt for a Little League World Series spot.