Blood was shed at the Calamity Stadium last night as the Fearhand Wildcats’ last hopes of securing a postseason slot were snatched up by the Lastland Predators in the final inning of a 3-game series.

In Game 1, Wildcats pitcher Lucy MacIntyre played a fierce pitching duel against EJ Austen, holding the Predators to 2 runs for 9 innings. In inning 6, Wildcats catcher Gabriel Hansen drew a walk, and Clara Joffe followed up with an elegant home run to tie up the score. Austen and MacIntyre were evenly matched and chugging away until inning 10, when multiple flukes stacked up for the Wildcats—MacIntyre gave into exhaustion, and Predators leadoff hitter Daisy Welles managed to squeeze in a double. MacIntyre, an expert on when to fold ‘em, tagged in her reliable second, Karen Ingstorm. Ingstorm pitched well, but a rare fumble from third baseman Rhonda Maclay proved fatal, putting Skye Bentley on first base. Shaken and frustrated, Ingstorm was thrown off her game enough to allow Predators shortstop Thomasina Koslof to hit a home run, bringing the score to a devastating 5-2. Ingstorm closed the inning quickly, but the damage couldn’t be reversed. A home run from Hansen showed the Wildcats a spark of promise, but it was quickly snuffed out by Predators reliever Edward Welton, who held the score to 5-3.

Determined not to be shown up by their conference rivals, the Wildcats entered Game 2 of the series with a newfound ferocity. Relaxed as always, Hansen started with a smooth double, and cleanup hitter Maclay followed up with a home run. What came next was another impressive performance by MacIntyre, who allowed only 4 hits until inning 8, at which point Koslof scored yet another booming home run. MacIntyre put her faith in Ingstorm once again, and the Wildcats held strong, finishing the game with a score of 4-2.

Going into Game 3, it seemed the series (and the season) could have been anyone’s, and the score box continued to tell that story… until it didn’t. Bentley hit a home run for the Predators at the bottom of Inning 1, and the Wildcats responded with a collaborative effort at the top of 3, Joffe hitting a single to send MacIntyre to home plate. This time, both pitchers remained in the game until the final inning, working tirelessly to keep the score tied. It looked as though the duel had become personal, a matter of honor between Austen and MacIntyre. In the end, the Predators killed their prey as predators often do: quickly, quietly. Chaz Ali Aziz from the tail end of the Predators lineup hit a sacrifice bunt to send left fielder Slick Marquez home at the bottom of the 9th inning, ending the game in a red-tinted instant the Wildcats never saw coming.

When prompted for comment after the game, MacIntyre lowered the brim of her hat over her eyes, spat on the ground, and grumbled “Next time for sure…”

The Lastland Predators will play this season’s Felicity Conference champions, the Summerville Hellhounds, in a best-of-7 game series for the Augur League Baseball Season 1 Pennant.

The Lastland Predators closed out their impressive Augur League Season 1 performance last night in the final game of their best-of-7 series that saw the Summerville Hellhounds grasping at any chance for survival to no avail.

Some might argue that the series was over in Game 1, where Predators leadoff hitter Daisy Welles hit a home run in Inning 2, sending several runners past home and taking a soul-crushing five runs off of Ludmilla Martel. Despondent, Martel tapped out of the game early, passing the baton to reliever Dezba Dunai for a full 7 innings. Despite the pressure, Dunai was able to keep the Predators from scoring any more runs. Even so, the Hellhounds floundered to catch up. EJ Austen pitched a full game, holding the Hounds to a single lucky home run from Faustino Hammond in Inning 8.

Determined to redeem herself for her performance in Game 1, Martel left Dunai in the bullpen in Game 2, pitching a full game. Martel and leadoff hitter Bennie Mai both scored runs for the Hounds in Inning 3, and Hesiodos Toivonen hit a double in Inning 6 to send Bada Vasylyk home. Martel’s pitching looked messy in Innings 7 and 8, where Thomasina Koslof and Chaz Ali Aziz scored 2 small ball runs off of her. Martel stubbornly pitched into Inning 9, holding the score to 3-2 for a Hellhounds win.

In Game 3, things looked dark for the Hellhounds from the first inning, as Koslof and Welles collaborated once again on 2 runs. Martel, still toiling away with obstinate ambition, held them to those runs for the rest of the game. In Inning 4, Hellhound Bronius Lacy hit a home run, sending Tina Parma home in the same stroke. In Inning 6, Parma popped a home run of her own, bringing the score to 3-2 in an echo of the previous game.

Analysts might note that the scorecards for Games 4 and 5 tell similar stories: Martel’s continued refusal to switch out with her reliever cost the Hounds several runs in the late innings. In Game 4, the Predators scored 3 runs in Inning 9, bringing the score to 4-1. In Game 5, they scored runs in Innings 4, 5, and 7, and won again at 4-2.

When reached for comment on her captain’s behavior, Dunai had this to say: “Honestly, I don’t know what to do with her sometimes. She has a lot of passion, you know? But sometimes, she isn’t so smart. She wants to do it all herself.” Dunai ran her hand through her brown hair pensively. “I think that first game really threw her, yeah? So I'm trying to be gentle.”

Game 6 saw something of a change of attitude in Martel, apparently cooling off after several days. After giving up a run to Koslof in Inning 6, she let Dunai take over. Dunai gave up another run in Inning 8. Meanwhile, Austen pitched an 8-inning shutout, then seemed to grow bored, passing the baton to reliever Edward Welton. The Predators won Game 6 with a score of 2-0, ending the series at 4 games to 2.

When reached for comment on the colossal win, Austen appeared nonchalant, and, in this journalist’s opinion, slightly irritated.

“What do you want me to say?” they said, sniffing, adjusting their short ponytail. “We were just better than them. If the Hellhounds are the best team the Felicity Conference has to offer, the whole thing is a joke. So jot that down.”

Welton, the Predators’ elusive dark-haired reliever, who pitched only 2 innings in the entire series, was spotted eating a sandwich in the stands after the game.

“Yeah, we won. I dunno. Good game.” Welton wiped a bit of tuna from his upper lip. “I got to talk to Dunai a lot. She’s cool. I think we’re getting drinks later.”

Any attempts to reach Ludmilla Martel for comment were intercepted by her catcher, Bronius Lacy.

“Ludmilla will not be taking questions for the foreseeable future.” Behind him, the sound of wood striking metal echoed out of the Calamity Stadium visitors’ locker room.