2025 Dirtyard Classic Recap: Star-Studded Chaos At The Dirtyard

Full Series Broadcast
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DnNiy7UikA

​Box Scores
Game 1
Game 2
Game 3

August 24, 2025 – The Dirtyard
The 2025 Dirtyard Classic was not a blowout series. It was not predictable. It was not clean.
It was three extremely different games played by two wildly different rosters, and it ultimately came down to three consecutive hitters in the third inning of Game 3.

The Match-up

On one side: the 8 Balls, led by
Reid Werner (2025 MVP) and
Alex Gurtcheff (2025 Most Improved, Yellow Slugger Runner-Up).

On the other: the Short Shorts, featuring
Brendan Dudas (2025 Yellow Slugger) and
Myc Witty (2025 Mike Speek Pitcher of the Year).
This was star power at the top of both lineups. And it played out that way.

Game 1 – The MVP Takes Control
The opener belonged to Reid Werner.
Seven innings.
Five hits allowed.
Three walks.
Eighteen strikeouts.
Complete game shutout.

The Short Shorts put runners on base, but never scored. Werner elevated when he needed to and escaped every threat.
For six innings the game was scoreless. In the seventh, the 8 Balls finally broke through:

• Alex Gurtcheff delivered the go-ahead RBI
• John Mitchell added insurance

Final: 8 Balls 2, Short Shorts 0
At that point, it felt like the series might tilt permanently toward the MVP.

Game 2 – The Avalanche
Game 2 swung violently the other direction.
The Short Shorts scored seven runs in the first inning and never fully looked back.
They finished with 16 runs on just five hits, drawing 18 walks and forcing the 8 Balls into constant high-leverage stress.
Brendan Dudas provided the loudest swing of the game with a grand slam off the first pitch he saw from Alex Gurtcheff. Connor Young scored five runs. Traffic never stopped.

The 8 Balls fought back:

• Reid Werner homered
• Alex Gurtcheff went 3-for-5 with 4 RBI
• The 8 Balls totaled 11 runs on 7 hits

But the early deficit proved too steep.
Final: Short Shorts 16, 8 Balls 11
The series was even. Momentum was not.

Game 3 – One Pitch, Then Three Swings
Game 3 opened with a jolt.
On the very first pitch of the game, Reid Werner launched a fastball over the wall.
It was stunning not just because of the moment, but because Myc Witty had never allowed a fast-pitch home run before.
8 Balls 1–0.
For two innings, the 8 Balls carried that edge.
Then the third inning happened.
Brendan Dudas led off with a solo home run.
Tie game.
Myc Witty followed with a single.
Connor Young crushed a two-run homer.
Home run.
Single.
Home run.
Three consecutive batters flipped the championship from 1–0 to 3–1.
From there, Witty shut the door.
After surrendering the first-pitch homer, the Pitcher of the Year delivered:

• 5 innings
• 4 hits
• 1 earned run
• 13 strikeouts
• 0 walks

Reid Werner was outstanding again in defeat — 10 strikeouts, 0 walks in Game 3 — but the two third-inning swings proved decisive.
The 8 Balls never found another breakthrough.
Final: Short Shorts 3, 8 Balls 1

The Series in Numbers
Reid Werner (8 Balls)

• 2 starts
• 11 innings
• 28 strikeouts
• Game 1 shutout
• First-pitch home run in Game 3

Myc Witty (Short Shorts)

• 13 strikeouts in the deciding game
• 0 walks in Game 3
• Closed the series with command

Brendan Dudas

• Homers in Games 2 and 3
• Tied Game 3 with the leadoff blast

Connor Young

• 5 runs scored in Game 2
• Go-ahead two-run homer in Game 3

Why People Will Remember It
Game 1 was dominance.
Game 2 was chaos.
Game 3 was execution.
The 8 Balls had the MVP and two elite pitching performances.
The Short Shorts had resilience, patience, and the decisive third inning that turned a 1–0 deficit into a championship.

When people look back on the 2025 Dirtyard Classic, they won’t just remember who won.
They’ll remember the first pitch of Game 3.
And the three swings that answered it.

2025 Dirtyard Classic Champions
​Short Shorts – Series Win 2–1