Greensboro, NC - (10/11/00) - Solar flares may have prevented the distribution information on Game 4 from the Guilford College Fall Intrasquad World Series (IWS), but nothing could stand in the way of a Team Black sweep, the first in the three-year history of the IWS, and the only sweep Commissioner Gene Baker can remember back to his playing days in the late 70's.

The two day affair opened with Team Black ace Anthony Ramakis facing Team Cardinal's Brad Franklin, throwing on two days rest. With one out in the first, Luke Kempton ripped a double to right center and scored on series MVP Nick Black's sacrifice fly giving Team Black the early lead. Ramakis settled into a nice groove, and threw no-hit ball through five innings of the six played on day one. Franklin struggled with control problems, but survived the second and third stranding four Team Black runners.

Team Black staked Ramakis to a seemingly insurmountable lead in the fourth.  The first six batters reached base without a hit or an error, then Black unloaded an RBI double making it 7-1. Black's hit was followed by an out and a run-scoring error.  The final tally of the inning scored on Andrew Duffy's double to left. When the dust had settled, Team Black had scored eight runs on just two hits and taken a commanding 9-1 lead with Ramakis cruising with a no-hitter into the top of the fifth.

After a 1-2-3 top of the fifth, Team Black went right back to work on Cardinal reliever Chris Francis, a newcomer to the mound who showed a devastating sinker at times this fall. Francis retired the first hitter of the inning, but then left three sinkers up and surrendered a single on each to Chris Solas, Kempton and a run-scoring hit from Black.

Heading to the mound for the sixth, Ramakis had a 10-1 lead and his mind set on throwing a no-hitter as Team Cardinal moundmate Chad Coward did last year. As is usually the case, a break in concentration on each pitch lead to disaster. After hitting Francis and walking Matt Webb to lead off the inning, Ramakis lost the no-hitter on a double to Team Cardinal skipper Eric Pelletier.  He nearly lost the game as three Team Black errors and a sacrifice fly by Steve Danis led to five Cardinal runs and narrowed Black's lead to 10-6.

Following that 'masterful' inning, play was suspended due to solar flares and resumed the next day in the bottom of the 6th.

Zach Morgan, who had come on to pitch in the fifth for Team Cardinal, retired the side in order.  A one-out RBI-double by catcher Pat Murphy wasn't enough as Team Black held on for the 10-7 win. Skipper Josh Wolfe pitched the 7th for his squad because he wanted to be the guy on the hill when Team Cardinal packed up and went home for the winter.

"They never had a chance, and now they have double-field jobs to prove it," Wolfe said.  "I wanted to personally drive the last nail in the coffin."

"I'm just glad its over,"  said Nick Black. "Wolfy and Nasty (Pelletier) really got after each other in this series. Lesser people resort to throwing pitches and, in the extreme, bats at each other. I'm just glad we could rise above what's going on in the minor-league world series in New York."

Wolfe and Ramakis ran their career IWS records to 3-0, while Pelletier dropped to 2-1. Pelletier was devastated after the series , threatening to leave the game. "Probably not," he said when asked if he would return for revenge next year.

While probably the worst interviewee in the history of the IWS, Pelletier would certainly be missed on the field. Always a threat to send someone out to coach third, his experience and savvy is all that kept this series from being a one-sided affair. Or not.

Wolfe plans to retire on top. He has collected his winners' share and scheduled a vacation to Trinity over the holidays. "What's left to do? How can I improve on a 1.000 winning percentage?  I hope management holds this team together, I really feel like they could win it for years to come."