The Canadian senior men's fastpitch championship at the Central fields had a silver lining for the host Gahan House Bud Light Fawcetts.
The defending champion Kitchener Rivershark Twins defeated the Fawcetts 6-1 in Sunday afternoon's championship game in front of an overflow crowd of more than 2,000. It's the first time a P.E.I.-based team has reached the final and finished in the medals in the 46-year history of this event.
Kitchener ran the table in the 10-team tournament, going 9-0 in the round-robin and 3-0 in the playoffs, outscoring opponents 65-21.
Fawcetts starter Frank Cox, plagued by a wrist injury that limited him to just three appearances during the tournament, lasted until the third inning before giving way to Trevor Ethier, who had thrown a complete game in the Island squad's 3-2 victory over Three Cheers Pub of Newfoundland and Labrador earlier in the day. The pair combined to allow seven hits.
Paul Koert picked up the victory in relief of Don Scott, the duo scattering six hits. Koert racked up 10 strikeouts over five innings.
Kevin Schellenberg scored the Fawcetts run in the top of the third on a wild pitch. Ethier helped his cause offensively with a double and a single, and Chris Craig added two singles.
Rowan Lam tripled, singled and drove in two runs for Kitchener.
Three Cheers Pub took home the bronze medal. The Newfoundlanders eliminated the Owen Sound Selects of Ontario with a 6-1 victory in a morning contest.
Read Tuesday's edition of The Guardian for more details.
