Royals' Season Ends
By Nathan McShinsky

After the Royals finished up the regular season at 11-4 it was time to get into playoff mode and the Royals were seeded #6 and looking for a second championship in three years. First Round

The #6 Royals were given a first round home playoff game on May 31, and they hosted #11 Twin Valley.

The Royals spotted Twin Valley a run in the top of the 1st but were able to make the Wildcats strand the bases loaded, getting out of the inning with just a 1-0 hole. The Royals' offense was kept quiet through three innings with just one hit, while Twin Valley added two more runs in the third to give them a 3-0 lead.

The Royals got on the board in the top of the fourth after a one-out double by Tyler Manning was followed by a Miles Ellis double that scored Manning. With Ellis on second Dale Manning came up and drove one to left field, scoring Ellis to make it 3-2. After a scoreless fifth inning, the Royals came into the bottom of the sixth still down 3-2. Once again Tyler Manning hit a double and scored on a hit from Ellis to tie the score at three. With one out, Dustin Parker, who was also pitching for SoRo, took one to the opposite field, scoring Ellis and giving Parker his second hit of the game and the Royals the goahead run, 4-3.

That was all that the Royals' defense would need to move on to the quarters. Parker went the first six innings, getting the win, faced 29 batters, fanning 6, while allowing 10 hits and the three runs. Tyler Manning threw the seventh and got the save. Quarterfinals

On Saturday, June 2, the Royals made the trip up to Enosberg Falls near the Canadian border for a quarterfinal, #6 vs. #3 game.

The Royals once again spotted the opposing team a run after the first inning, this time by way of a home run when Enosberg's #3 hitter hit one out of the park in right-center field. The Royals gave up four unearned runs in the second to give Enosberg a 5-0 lead after two as the Royals had five errors in the inning. The last Enosberg run came in the fifth after a leadoff double. The number two batter scored on a single to center. This sixth run could have been the most important run of the game.

The Royals mounted a comeback and didn't go down easily, as they scored two runs in the top of the fourth, making it a 5-2 game after both Tyrell and Tyler Manning got on and scored off a Dustin Parker single to center. In the sixth inning the Royals added a third run when Miles Ellis hit a home run over the left field fence, making it 5-3 before Enosberg scored again. The tally was 6-3 headed into the top of the seventh.

SoRo's lead-off man, Nate McShinsky, was walked to start the late charge. Tyrell Manning was hit, and Tyler Manning also walked as Enosberg's pitcher was getting tired and wild. After a change in pitchers, the Royals had the bases loaded and Ellis up, who made the first out with a pop up to shortstop. Dale Manning followed with a drive to left that was caught, but deep enough to score McShinsky to make it 6-4. Parker was up next and walked to load the bases again before Trevor Webster was hit to advance another run across the plate. This made the score 6-5 with the bases loaded, but it was as far as SoRo would get, after a strikeout ended the charge.

The Royals' errors in the second proved too costly at the end of this game, along with 10 men stranded on base. So with that the Royals season ended with a 12-5 overall record, and five seniors finished their playing careers at South Royalton- Nate McShinsky, Kris Ferris, Dale Manning, Trevor Webster, and Darren Slack. Tyrell Manning led SoRo's last attack of the 2007 season going two for two with two walks and two runs scored.