GRAY DEYOSports Writer

The top four teams of the Tullahoma Adult Baseball League squared off in a postseason tournament to determine the champion of the 2025 season. In a tight contest, the Piñatas took the crown with a win over the Stache in the finals, winning 6-4.

First round of playoffs

The Stache advanced to the championship game in a low-scoring bout against the Shovels, winning 3-2.

The scoring for the Stache came early in the bottom of the second inning, where they scored all three of their eventual runs in the contest. These runs were scored from two RBI hits: Noah Fann hit a single that scored Dylan Ward, and Logan Underhill hit a double to center field that scored Sean Whinnery and Fann. This was the last scoring for any team until the top of the fifth inning, where the Reds then produced their runs for the game, scoring two in the frame.

The Shovels again got some offense flowing in the last frame of the game at the top of the seventh. Both of their first two batters reached base. However, this positive momentum was short lived as Stache’s pitcher Layne Roberts retired the next three batters to officially stamp a win.

The Piñatas in their game before the championship took on the Reds, where they snuck out a 2-1 win. It seemed the Piñatas’ magical nine game win streak was going to finally snap, but that, like many times this season, that was not the case.

The Reds in the opening frame at the top of the first scored one run from a single off the bat of Cody Stephens. The Piñatas in the bottom of the third answered back on a passed ball. After that offense for both teams, nobody could get hits at volume. All four hits that took place after the Piñatas game-tying run were all followed by outs. This was the case until the bottom of the seventh, where the Piñatas had a chance to secure a walk-off win. Cameron Gordon was the lead-off batter and did not disappoint. On the second pitch of his at bat, he striped a triple into center field, which sent the Reds side into a blender on what to do next. They decided in order to have a better chance of recording outs, to intentionally walk the next two batters and load the bases. They were able to record an out on the Piñatas’ next batter, but Gordon, who stood on third base, then decided to take the game into his own hands. Instead of waiting for a ball to be hit into play, Gordon ran for and stole home. He was ruled safe, and the Piñatas punched their ticket to the championship game.

Championship

The two teams with the best records in the regular season were the Stache and the Piñatas. It served right that they were the two teams left standing.  In the final game of the 2025 season they played in a tightly contested match. The Piñatas, despite trailing through four innings, ended up claiming a 6-4 win.

The big turning point in this contest was in the fifth inning when the Piñatas scored five unanswered runs. These came from an error, a hit by pitch, and RBI singles from Brady Nugent and JD Parker. The Piñatas, after this big scoring output, were able to hold off and claim the title.

At the start of the season in July the Piñatas sat at the bottom of the division with a 0-3 record. Fast forward a few months, and they are now seen as the clear best team in the league and are the 2025 champs.