Brewers seal their 4th straight Twi title with 3-1 series win
By DAN PAWLOWSKI
WAKEFIELD — If three was official then four is officially final: The Brewer dynasty is real.
That dynasty rolled on with a 9-3 decision in Game 4 of the Twi League Finals on Sunday at Moulton, giving the Brew Crew a 3-1 series win over the High Life for their fourth consecutive Twi League title.
The Brewers, who finished their season at 17-1 with their only loss coming in Game 3 of the Finals on Thursday, decided to give the ball to Colin Jaena on Sunday. It was the right move.
Once the newcomer who helped spark the team to their first trophy in eight years in 2021, Jaena has settled into his Twi career as one of the best in the league, now the starter in every finals clincher during the Crew’s current four-year run.
Jaena was sharp on Sunday, scattering 8 hits and fanning 6 while walking none and allowing 3 earned runs in a complete game victory.
An RBI slice down the left field line from Anthony Caracciolo gave the Life a 1-0 lead after 1, seemingly building toward another exciting game after getting back into the series in Game 3.
The Brewers quickly put an end to that dream, putting up 4 in the 2nd to take a 4-1 lead and never look back.
After all the ink for the Brew Crew’s top half of the order, it was batters 6-9 that stole the story in Game 4. Steve Morganelli (1-for-3, RBI), Chris Coombs (2-for-3, 2RBI), Mike Greer (2-for-3, 2RBI) and Tom Leahy (BB, sac fly, 2RBI) combined for 7 of the team’s 9 RBI and 5 of the team’s 10 hits.
Three straight base hits started the Brewer 2nd with Morganelli’s bringing home Brendan Casey and Matt Fiore. A Coombs walk loaded the bags and an RBI infield hit from Greer made it 2-1. Leahy walked to bring home another run and a sac fly from Chris Casey extended the lead to 4-1.
Jaena put it into cruise control from there, allowed just one baserunner in each of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th while the Brewer bats extended the lead to an insurmountable 8-1 lead.
They added two more in the 3rd as Life starter Caleb Birchem struggled to find the zone with three walks and a Coombs hit leading to another tally followed by a sac fly from Leahy. The all-business Brewers would have had two more in the 3rd if not for an impressive basket catch in center field by Danny Concessi.
Of course, by this point, nothing could stop the inevitable. Jaena rolled on and a 2-RBI knock from Coombs in the 4th was the final nail for the Life. John Halsey chipped in an RBI single in the 5th and Derek Dettorre gave the High Life a run on a solo shot to left to make it 9-2 after 5. Concessi’s RBI double in he 7th accounted for the final run of the game.
In the end, 2024 was the same old story in the Twi League — something that always happens when a dynasty takes hold. Four in a row is rarefied air. The Brewers officially built the Twi League’s newest dynasty last year. This year, at 17-1, they’ve constructed one of the most dominant seasons in league history.
If three is enough to claim a dynasty, then four is enough to wonder: who can stop this train?
THE BREWERS won their fourth consecutive Twi League title on Sunday at Moulton Park. See the sports section for a full story. (Dan Pawlowski Photo)
