The Rock Rangers used a sixth-inning rally to surge past the Rippers in the final of the Red Dog Slo-Pitch League Icebreaker Tournament Sunday.
Rock Rangers’ pitcher Derrick Godin sent a frozen rope deep to centre field for a home run, followed by James Lulua, who sent home two, for a four-run sixth inning to secure the win.
The Rock Rangers hot bats continued in the top of the seventh, where they added another seven runs in the winning effort.
The Rippers would mount a comeback in the bottom of seven scoring eight runs but it wasn’t enough. The Rock Rangers secured the championship with an 18-14 win.
Prior to the late innings both teams were neck and neck, resulting in an exciting conclusion to the game.
The Red Dog Slo-Pitch League Icebreaker Tournament began earlier in the week with pre-playoff games where the top eight of nine teams advanced to the weekend playoff rounds.
Sunday, with the field whittled down to eight, a first-game knockout format sent half the teams home early.
The Rippers knocked off the Fireballs in the quarterfinal, then beat the Booze Brothers, 14-13, after Nick Surette drove home Darren Sanford in the final inning.
The Rock Rangers path to the championship consisted of a decisive win over the Throw Togethers, followed by a 12-0 drubbing of BD II in the semi.
In the third-place game the Booze Brothers defeated BD II, 5-4, in extra innings to take the win.