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 p.m., 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 first inning and three in the second 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 RBIs, including bringing the speedy Keelan Hondro home twice.
The Brewers got on the board with a run in the bottom of the second 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 third.
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, 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 fourth and 5fifth themselves to go up 10-9 after five. But the Cruisers came out in the sixth inning to max out the run count in turn, sending their first five batters of the inning to base. The Brewers got a run back in the sixth, but after three more Cruisers runs in the seventh, including a clutch two RBI single by Robert Clayton with two outs, the Cruisers took a commanding 17-11 lead into the bottom of the seventh.
With the sun starting to set, one of the most improbable scenes of the year began to play out on the diamond. 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 four. 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 with two out. It was Connor McLeod, who had already been thrown into the fire this game, 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 game at 17.
By this point, it simply seemed the comeback was meant to be, and the very next at bat, it was. 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.
- Reporting from Kat, Cheri, George, & Alex
- Scores & Standings will return next week
