The year-end Kaien Island Slo-Pitch League tournament took place this past weekend, with each team vying to establish bragging rights for the offseason.
The “B” League tournament saw the Harbour Machining Brew Jays come out on top after an exciting series against the Ray-Mont Machines. After opening with a win on Thursday night followed by a pair of victories on Saturday, the Brew Jays had secured a place in the final. A 17-12 victory by the Machines set up an all-deciding second game.
Ray-Mont looked as though they may take the crown after leading 7-6 through five innings, but the bats woke up for the Brew Jays in the later frames as they rallied for a 14-9 victory.
“We’re a new group as of last season, lots of new players, and we’ve come really far since then,” Shelby Sullivan of the Brew Jays said after the win. “We’re very much a family team.”
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In the “A” League it was the SeaSport Sluggers who won their long awaited crown following an undefeated tournament and a victory over Frank’s Auto Vipers in the final. It was some sweet revenge, as the Vipers had downed the Sluggers in last year’s final 10-4.
| The SeaSport Sluggers won their first ever championship after defeating Frank's Auto Vipers in a rematch of last year's "A" League final. (Dylan Palmer photo) |
“We started off in ‘B’ League and made it to ‘A’ League finally, and this is the first time we’ve ever taken it home,” Dylan Palmer, manager of the team, said following the game.
Palmer credited the women on the team for stepping up to the plate. “They were making all the right catches and they were hitting well. That’s a big difference for us.”
Palmer also singled out Karrie MacKereth for her enthusiastic cheering of the Sluggers from the dugout.
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Alex Kurial | Sports Reporter
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