In the first round, as the #1 seed, AWA met the Swingin' Sacks, a team that owned one of AWA's regular season losses, a 13-11 decision a month before. The Sacks were up for the game as they opened up a 3-0 first inning lead, but AWA was the club destined for greatness this night, and the guys rallied back to reel off an impressive 14-4 victory. Dogs on the Run cruised to an easy win in their first round match, setting the stage for a 10:10 PM final.

This was the sixth time in AWA history that the team had made the championship game, and it was pointed out that the guys, up to this point, had never lost a league final. That tradition was severely tested this night as the Dogs poured five runs onto the scoreboard in the very first inning, and adding another run in the second for a 6-0 lead.

AWA put runners on base in each of the first two frames, but the team could not come through with the clutch hit. The game was only two innings old, but it already had an eery feel to it. It felt like a bad night. It felt like defeat.

AWA finally got on the board in the bottom of the third inning, as hits by Neil Christie, Gary Matsushita, and Bruce Christie loaded the bases with no one out. Brian Christie and Greg Brown each hit sacrifice flies, and Tom Sukup delivered a run-scoring hit to center to make the score 6-3. AWA then added another run in the fourth as Dave Jackson singled with one out, moved to second on Steve Sammut's infield hit, and scored on a two-out single to left by Neil.

The score was now 6-4, and very much undecided, but that eery feeling of defeat still hung in the AWA dugout. That feeling was intensified as the offensive-minded Dogs scored three more in the fifth to push the score out to 9-4.

What was worse is that the guys in the AWA dugout were beginning to lose their collective cool in the heat of battle, chewing on each other and bickering both in the dugout and out on the field. The team's tradition of victory in these championship games was quickly going out the window. Scoring chances had been missed and the team was losing by a wide margin to a team who, on this night, appeared to be the better team.

Trailing by five, AWA came to bat in the bottom of the fifth. Bruce opened the inning with single to left and moved up as Brian drew a base on balls. Greg then lined a single to right that scored Bruce, as Brian held second. Tom then drilled a hit to center. Brian was waved home by third base coach Neil, but the throw from the outfield nailed him on a close play. Jumping all over Brian and Neil, the AWA dugout barked its disapproval at the risky decision to try to score down by so many runs.

Al Brown stepped up next and lined a hit to left, loading the bases. Joe then ripped a clean single to right to score one run, but Tom held third even though the Dogs defense conceded the run and had thrown to second. Again the dugout wailed at both Tom and Neil. The score was now 9-6, and Dave followed by skying one to right center. Tom tagged up from third, bluffed, and then did not break for home. A weak throw from the outfield was way off line, and there was Tom standing at third. The angry mob in the dugout went nuts. That made three baserunning blunders in the same inning, and the even-tempered were nowhere to be found as players shouted each other down. The team had lost its cool, and the fighting amongst each other in the dugout was more intense than the battle being waged on the field against Dogs on the Run.

But then Steve quelled the rioters with a shot through the middle for a hit. Tom scored and Al scooted home right behind him, closing the deficit to 9-8. Mike Applegate singled to load the bases, but a golden opportunity to score more runs ended when neil lined out to short.

Dogs on the Run kept up the heat in the sixth, as they pushed across a run and had runners at first and third with two outs. A hard grounder was then smashed through the middle, ticketed for center field. But Bruce stabbed it with a furious dive, and turned it into a force play at second that ended the inning. The bickering AWA players needed to find something that would pull them together again, and Bruce's spectacular defensive play seemed to do the trick. Emotions were running wild and the racket from the dugout was all positive as the team came in, trailing 10-8 heading into the bottom of the sixth. With the top of the order coming up, nobody was about to give up yet.

The Dogs pitcher was working carefully, but Gary and Bruce showed patience at the plate, each working out a walk. Brian brought Gary home with a hit to center, as Bruce took third and Brian scooted into second on the belated throw to third. Greg then lofted a long sacrifice fly to center, scoring Bruce with the tying run. Tom followed with a drive to left center. The Dog outfielder ran it down, but dropped the ball. Brian moved up to third while Tom cruised into second on the error. With the go-ahead runs in scoring position, Al was walked intentionally to load the bases.

Joe made short work of that strategy, drilling a single to right, and scoring Brian and giving AWA its first lead of the night. The once angry mob in the AWA dugout was now cheering wildly. Dave smoked a hit to left, bringing Tom home, and then Steve lofted a sacrifice fly to plate Al with the fifth run of the inning. AWA had taken a 13-10 lead, and Joe only needed to survive the seventh to get AWA another championship crown.

Three outstanding defensive plays completed the evening. The first Dog batter drove a blast deep to left. Steve raced back, twisted, and at the last instant, threw up his glove to spear the ball for the out. After a single, the next hitter smoked one just right of second base. Gary snagged the ball with a dive to his right, and got the force on a bang-bang play. To make things a whole lot more uncomfortable, another hit put runners at first and second.

The potential tying run came to the plate, and the Dog hitter shot one into the hole between short and third. Bruce burst to his right, made a brilliant backhanded pickup, and then flipped the ball to Al at third for the force and the ballgame.

This victory was particularly sweet. The team had run the gamut of emotions, even to the point of fighting among themselves. But when it was all on the line, AWA found a way to pull this one out. Which proves anything is possible if you never give up.