SIMCOE RURAL FASTBALL LEAGUE FINALS – GAME 4

VASEY, ON

The Vasey Countrymen hosted the Minesing Mallards in Game 4 of the Simcoe Rural Fastball League Finals Thursday night.

Holding a 2-1 series lead, the Countrymen were hoping to finish off the series with a win.

Toeing the rubber for the Countrymen, Kirk Santala and for the Mallards, Stu Giffen.

Santala started strong, holding the Mallards off the scoresheet for the first three innings.  Vasey managed to dent the plate twice over the first three innings.  Leading off the top of the second, Brad Robinson drove a ball to centerfield that eluded the fielder and rolled to the fence.  Jamie Robinson then cashed in the first run with a sac fly to left.   Craig Robinson reached base on a fielder’s choice and was then plated by a Steve Eakely double.

Minesing would then strike for three runs in the top of the 4^th.  Graham McNabb reached on an infield single, moved to second on a wild pitch and then was plated by a squeaky double down the left field line by John McNabb.  McNabb would then be brought home by a Jamie Grant liner to right-centerfield that put Grant on third base.  Grant would also score on a wild pitch and send Minesing to the bottom of the 4^th with a 3-2 lead.

Vasey was quick to respond with one run in the bottom of the 4^th as Zach Martin would reach base with a double and then be plated by a Shawn Heitzner ground out to second base.

Neither team was able to score in the 5^th, which set the table for an entertaining sixth inning.

Minesing managed to get the lead-off batter on with a walk.  A passed ball moved the runner to second.  An infield hit and a throwing error allowed runners to reach the corners.  After moving to second on another passed ball, Minesing loaded the bases with another base on balls. Stu Giffen would then take a free pass on four straight balls, plating one run.  Darren Flemming then drove a pitch to centerfield to cash two more and Minesing went to the bottom half of the inning with a 6-3 lead.

Brad Robinson then stepped to the plate and belted a homerun to centerfield.  Three consecutive singles by Ben Ladouceur, Zach Martin and Shawn Heitzner loaded the bases for Craig Robinson.   Craig flared a single down the left field line to score two..  With two runners on, Steve Eakely hit a hard single to centerfield that again eluded the fielder and rolled to the fence.  Eakely turned on the jets and managed to scamper all the way around the table to cash three more runs. 

With the score now 9-6, Vasey brought in closer Brad Robinson to try to seal the victory.

But, the game plan didn’t unfold as desired for the Countrymen.  An error, a walk, a strikeout were then followed by two walks. Minesing had climbed to within two runs with the bases still loaded.  The Countrymen decided to stick with Robinson for the final two outs.  Robinson would prove to be the right choice as he picked up a strikeout and a ground out to finish the game and win the series with a 9-7 victory, sending the Vasey Fans home happy.

The Countrymen claimed the SRFL Crown for the 5^th time since 2004 (2004, 2010, 2011, 2014, and 2017)

 A special victory for the Countrymen as two weeks prior the field at Vasey Park has been named after their late teammate Peter Robinson “9’er”

 The Countrymen want to thank Minesing for a great series and great sportsmanship.  Thanks also to the umpires, fans and many kids who showed great support for our local game.

The SRFL would also like to congratulate local umpire Pat Crippen on his recent Level IV designation with Softball Canada.

 

Game 4 Stats