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CARLISLE — And the Southwestern Buckeye League's Buckeye Division champion is ... all wet.

At least for now.

The visiting Monroe Hornets (16-6, 9-2 SWBL Buckeye) needed a win Friday, May 9, at Carlisle's Sam Franks Field in order to earn their share of the SWBL Buckeye division crown. Carlisle (20-5, 10-1 SWBL Buckeye) is already assured of at least part of the title at this point.

But we won't truly know how things will shake out until sometime Monday, when the two teams return to Carlisle to try to finish their game.

That's because both teams slogged through a steady rain for nine innings and played to an 8-8 tie!

With both teams in their respective dugouts, and large puddles beginning to appear on the infield, Monroe coach Bobby Hunt and Carlisle's Brad Sizemore joined Carlisle athletic director Mark Townsley on the mound.

Hunt and Sizemore wanted to finish the game to determine the division outcome, but both agreed they couldn't complete the game Friday.

If the rain were to have suddenly stopped, they still couldn't have played. Dusk had set in, and Carlisle's field doesn't have lights.

"But we're supposed to get some rain on Sunday, so I don't know if that will work, either," Sizemore said.

"Well, let's go ahead and schedule it for 5 p.m. Monday and see how it goes," Townsley said, and Hunt agreed.

There's still a sticking point, however.

If the game can't be played on Monday, Tuesday won't work because Carlisle plays its first sectional tournament game Wednesday. Sizemore and any other coach in the same situation doesn't want his kids tired for the postseason by going back-to-back like that.

And Thursday doesn't work because that's when Monroe begins postseason play.

Whatever happens, chances are Dylan Brandenburg won't be pitching for the Indians. Brandenburg took over pitching duties in the third inning and finished out the contest. He gave up two Hornet hits over the final seven innings. Monroe's Kyle Stone and J.C. Kellis pitched solidly over the last five innings and yielded four hits over that span.

Kellis bashed a home run over the left-center-field fence to score himself and Kevin Enchelmeyer as part of a four-run Hornet first inning. Stone, Jason Osterman and lead-off man Cody Ridinger each have two hits. Enchelmeyer, Jake Hofer and Christian McElroy each have three walks thus far.

Brandenburg is 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles and four RBIs, and Kyle England hit a three-run triple to help Carlisle's cause.

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