Rollers earn kickball win in dramatic 10th inning

Coach Kaylee Matuszak celebrates with her team at Wheeler Athletic Complex after the Rollers defeated the Rawkers in extra innings to win the 2026 Homegrown Kickball Classic. (Photo by Seth Roeser)

Despite two controversial decisions by Umpire Jason Beckman pushing the game into extra innings, Matuszak’s Rollers eventually bested Rohrbaugh’s Rawkers in the 2026 Homegrown Kickball Classic at Wheeler Athletic Complex. The final score was 6-2.

The first laugh came about ten minutes before the game when Zach Kerola, standing near the Rawkers bench, commented on the condition of his kickball mitts.

“I’ve got concrete burns on my hands,” he said.

Standing about 20 feet away, Ryan Nelson quickly turned to ask if he heard Kerola correctly: “Cockring burns?”

El Karnwie-Tuah steps into a big kick early in the game. (Photo by Seth Roeser)

El Karnwie-Tuah led off the game by reaching on an infield grounder. He eventually scored on a fielder’s choice to give the Rollers an early 1-0 lead.

The first significant controversy occurred about 20 minutes into the game. The Rollers loaded up the bases in the second inning with two outs, threatening to expand their lead. A force out at any base in that situation, however, would end the inning without allowing any runs to score.

The Rawkers got the rally-killing opportunity they were hoping for when a slow grounder was fielded and thrown to Clancy Ward at third base in an attempt to force out Rollers baserunner Nick Pawlenty, who was on his way from second. When the ball arrived in Ward’s hands, however, Pawlenty had already easily reached third safely. Unfortunately, Pawlenty overran the base.

Though by rule Pawlenty should have been permitted to return safely unless tagged out, Umpire Beckman quickly called him out. At first, Pawlenty started walking off the field, but his teammates yelled at him to get on third base, which he did without being tagged out. A lengthy argument ensued, but Umpire Beckman stuck with his original call and the inning ended. This resulted in a lost run for the Rollers, because Tess LaChester had scored from third base and Umpire Beckman denied the run on the false premise that the out at third was a force out, which it was not because Pawlenty had clearly reached the base before the ball arrived.

Umpire Jason Beckman (center) hears both sides of the debate from Rollers coach Kaylee Matuszak (left) and and Rawkers player Ryan Nelson (right). (Photo by Seth Roeser)

The Rawkers evened the score in the fourth inning. Jesse Hipolito singled and advanced to second on a fielder’s choice, then made a daring dash for home off a fly ball by Ward that dropped in the infield. Pawlenty caught the relay throw and attempted to gun Hipolito out at home but narrowly missed him. Hipolito, by the way, impressed the crowd with skillful base running while holding a beer.

In the top of the seventh, a guy named Ryan showed surprising speed beating out an infield grounder to reach first. A bunt single by Liana Sweezer advanced him to second. Someone named Marcus followed with an infield grounder that was fielded for a close play at second, but Sweezer beat the throw and Ryan scored on the fielder’s choice.

Rawkers pitcher Chad Lyons was back on the mound despite announcing his retirement from kickball in 2025. (Photo by Seth Roeser)

With the Rollers leading 2-1, it was time for the “Seventh Inning Sip.” Coach Kaylee Matuszak gathered her Rollers around a picnic table next to the adjacent field while Coach Leon Rohrbaugh huddled his Rawkers near the team’s bench. The beverage of choice for the Rollers came from a bottle of what Matuszak called “warm, pickle-flavored whiskey,” which led to chants of: “Piss-key! Piss-key!”

During the “7th Inning Sip,” Zach Kerola opts for a different vice. (Photo by Set Roeser)

The Rawkers still needed one run to tie the game in the bottom of the ninth inning. Dan Branovan led off by reaching on an error and Mike Smišek singled to put runners on first and third with no outs. The potential rally began to flounder when Korela flew out and Maya Galvin grounded out. Then Ryan Van Slooten reached on a fielder’s choice to load the bases.

The Rawkers’ situation was eerily similar to the Rollers’ situation in the second inning. A good kick could easily score a run, but a force out at any base would end the inning — and in this case, end the game.

As it turned out, the next play ended up being the opposite of the second-inning fiasco, but still somehow ended up favoring the Rawkers.

Miles Rhorbaugh kicked a grounder to third, where the easy force out should have ended the game, but Umpire Beckman ruled that Branovan had scored before the force out happened, even though a force out should, by rule, negate the run. The call resulted in another lengthy argument, with Beckman at one point declaring the game was over and the result would for some unjustifiable reason be a tie, something no one was pleased to hear.

Though Beckman stuck with his decision to count the illegitimate run, he eventually allowed the game to continue into extra innings.

Infielder Israel Malachi lets one slip between his hands late in the game. (Photo by Seth Roeser)

The Rollers wasted no time in the top of the 10th, loading the bases for Pawlenty, who booted one to the outfield, scoring the two lead runners. Paul Connolly followed with a bunt that scored Sweezer from third. The throw to first in an attempt to get Connolly was out of control, allowing the heads-up Pawlenty to keep running and score from second, making it 6-2 in favor of the Rollers.

Jesse Hipolito, who had emerged as the standout player for the Rawkers, led off the bottom of the 10th inning with a line drive down the leftfield foul line for a double. Ryan Nelson then reached on a fielder’s choice, setting up the Rawkers with runners on first and second with no outs.

Next up was Ward, who kicked a liner to Camren Eidenschink-Ziebol, who caught the ball and doubled up the lead runner, Hipolito. Suddenly there were two outs, and on the next play Chris LeBlanc lined out to end the game.

Hipolito’s performance throughout the contest — both in the field and kicking the ball — led to chants of “MVP! MVP!” In the end, however, it was Cam who came through in the clutch with the double play that seemed to seal the game. For that, he was narrowly awarded the title belt as the game’s most valuable player.

Camren Eidenschink-Ziebol straps on the Most Valuable Player belt while being congratulated by Coach Matuszak. (Photo by Seth Roeser)