The Cubs ran into another "junker-baller" pitcher, in the morning game, and again it proved to be their undoing.
While the Cubs were able to muster 14 hits, those 14 hits only translated into 4 runs. Three or four hard line drives found the gloves of Delaware defenders, and 1 even found the helmet of base runner Mike Labanowski.
It was the craziest thing I have ever seen. Mike was leading off of second base, when a line drive off the bat of Shawn Maney looked like it was laser guided to Mike's head. Since Mike was in front of the nearest Delaware defender, Mike was called out. He was a little woozy, but the Orioles trainer checked him out and he was OK!
The Delaware Diamondbacks were able to make their 15 hits count for 9 runs, and that was the story in this one.

The final round robin game was in Ed Smith Stadium (the Orioles Spring training home).
The Cubs were already in and did not want to use any playoff pitching, so Jim McQuade got the call. The opponent was the Columbus Dragons, who were 3-1 coming in.
Jim struggled with his control and the Dragons took a 4-0 lead in the top of the 1st on 3 walks and 3 singles. McQuade battled hard and made it through the second inning, giving up just one more run.
Even though Mike Girard threw 6 complete innings in game one (bringing his total to 11 innings in the tournament) he offered to take the ball if any more runs were scored, and the deal was made.
After the Dragons took a 6-0 lead with one out in the 3rd inning and men were on 1st and 2nd, Girard took the ball and got a fielders choice and a fly out to left to get out of the inning without further damage.
Girard would navigate the next 4 innings, allowing just a single run.
The Cubs used this to change the momentum in the game. The Cubbies rallied for 2 runs in the 3rd; 4 runs in the 5th; and 1 in the bottom of the 6th to tie the game at 7.
The train kept rolling in the bottom of the seventh, where the Cubs would plate 3 runs on hits by Shawn Maney, Randy Craft, and Dave Mitchell, and a sacrifice fly by Girard.
The Dragons would not roll over as they rallied for 3 in the top of the 8th off of a tired Girard (now at 11 innings on the day and 16 in the tourney) and Chris Dunn, who volunteered to come in to bail out his tiring teammate.
I really appreciated that Chris! The game would go to the 9th inning tied at 10.
The 9th inning saw some drama as the Dragons got back to back one-out singles to put runners on 1st and 3rd. The next hitter crushed the ball right at 3rd base, but Ralph Caputo made the defensive play of the tournament, snaring the smash, and throwing on to first to complete an inning ending double play.
The Cubs were unable to mount any offense in the bottom of the 9th inning and the game ended in a 10-10 tie.

With the tie, the Cubs ended RR play at 2-2-1, and earned a first round bye. The Cubbies will face the Bux-Mont Cubs at 1:45 pm at the Carpenter Complex, in the second round.
With 4 relatively fresh starting pitchers, and 3 games needed to win it all, the Cubs are upbeat and ready to go!