Ouch. That loss had to hurt

The Cruisers and Brewers each took to the Snug Cove Field last Friday for what turned out to be an explosive affair While they took their time actually starting the game, shortly before 7 things finally did get underway, and it turned out to be well worth the wait

It was a fast start for the Cruisers as they plated two runs in the 1st and three in the 2nd to open up a quick 5-0 lead To the surprise of few, Erik Hunter-James was the driving force at bat with three of those RBI, including bringing the speedy Keelan Hondro home twice

The Brewers got on the board with a run in the bottom of the 2nd, and combined with the momentum of finally keeping the Cruisers off the board next inning, they completely flipped the script during their turn to bat in the 3rd Justin Wheatley got the party started with a triple and was brought home the next at-bat by his Brewer teammate and fellow rec hockey star Randy Poulin A double from James Strang, who also locks things down in the rec hockey crease, two batters later scored two to bring his team within one. And finally Iishan Cruz smacked a single to score Brad Rypien and give the Brewers a full five-run inning to take a 6-5 lead.

The game continued to flip back and forth, starting the very next inning as the Cruisers sent all nine batters to the plate while scoring four runs to restore their lead The Brewers scored a pair of their own runs in the 4th and 5th themselves to go up 10-9 after 5 But the Cruisers came out in the 6th and said we can max out the run count, too, sending their first five batters of the inning to base The Brewers got a run back in the 6th but after three more Cruisers runs in the 7th, including a clutch two RBI single by Clayton with two outs, the Cruisers took a commanding 17-11 lead into the bottom of the 7th

With the sun starting to set, one of the most improbable scenes of the year began to play out on the diamond Robert Clayton was first up and reached on a walk, sparking some hope in the home dugout Wheatley and Poulin both made it aboard next, and by the time Rypien stepped up three batters later the score had been cut to 4 He promptly turned that into a two-run deficit with a triple, bringing the tying run to the plate.

A walk and an out brought the winning run to bat, but with two out. It was Connor McLeod, who had already been thrown into the fire this game by being sent out to pitch for the first time McLeod had gotten some key outs to limit the Cruisers damage though, and bolstered by his efforts, delivered his biggest impact of the night by smashing a double into the outfield which brought home two teammates and tied the

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Robert and were three of the driving forces behind the Brewers‘ memorable win last week Clayton hit the game-winning RBI in his second at bat of the 7th, and also scored the first run of the comeback inning Strang went an impressive 4/5, driving in 5 RBI and crossing home plate three times himself And McLeod saved his best bat for last, his lone hit of the game setting him up to be the winning run during the next at bat by Clayton. game at 17

By this point it simply seemed the comeback was meant to be, and the very next at bat it was Robert Clayton stepped into the batter’s box, and it took the man who had started the rally just two pitches to send the ball to the outfield wall A stunned Cruisers side could only watch as McLeod easily came home, capping off a seven-run inning and giving the Brewers an incredible 18-17 win The crowd certainly got their time’s worth out of this one, erupting in cheers of shock, joy, and a bit of relief at the conclusion of the marathon 2 5 hour game

Reportingby Kat, Cheri, George, &Alex Scores & Standings return next week

Photos by Alex Kurial

Both participants and spectators enjoyed the change in venue to Bowfest Field. Logger Show events included axe throwing, pole climbing, stock saw, double buck and choker race, where particapants run to a log, thorw it over in any way they can and then run back to the finish line Mia Savage provided a fun break in the competition when she played the saw and people tried to harmonize although the competition was serious, the caraderie was sincere Some of the competitors included team members from the UBC Thunderjacks