Last weekend the Sunshine Coast Men's Fastball League capped off a terrific season with the playoff tournament at Brothers Park in Gibsons.
The Rain'er Shine Pirates came from behind in the final to beat the defending champs, Lon's Gun Show, 12-6 on Sunday afternoon.
The seesaw battle saw the leagues two top pitchers, Mike Sopow and Jim Peers, battle it out for seven innings.
For the Gun Show, the combination of Sopow, Steve Stevenson and Nate Deboer led the way offensively, driving in four of the six runs.
The Pirates rallied late in the sixth when Peers knocked in two runs with a single, a Drew Johnson two-run home run, and finished with a Nolan Lewarne two out bases clearing triple.
The game was rather sloppy, but highlights in the field included a line drive double play from Robbie Turlock, a 6-3 double play from Andrew Baron and a rocket throw home from Johnson to save the tying run from scoring in the sixth.
In other action, Custom Carpet beat the IGA/Light-house Brewers in semifinal number one, but fell short to the Pirates in the second semifinal to finish in third place.
Aaron Hately smacked two home runs deep to left field in the win, and the combination of Jeremy Rowland and Matt Fawcus proved to be too strong on the mound for the Brewers' hitters.
Brad Kohuch had a strong tournament for the Brewers, also knocking two home runs over the fence. For the Pirates, Brad Scott had the hitting performance of the year, going three for four with three no-doubt home runs, including the walk off mercy win to send the Pirates to the final.
In the Beer Cup final, the RJS Blue Jays beat the Relics 11-1 backed by veteran pitcher Steve Partchridge. Rookie pitcher Dave Moran carried the Jays all year from the mound and had a very strong tournament in only his first year on the bump.
The league would like to thank the umpiring crew and fans for contributing to a very successful year-end tournament. Although the league is lacking players and always welcomes newcomers, the league looks promising for the future as many young pitchers continue to work every year.
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