Week two of the Sunshine Coast Fastpitch League had the Bears playing the Barons and the Raiders facing Lon’s Gun Show.
In a thrilling showdown, the Bears and Barons faced off with Justin Samson on the mound for the Bears and Josh Gray pitching for the Barons. The Barons jumped to an early lead, scoring three runs in the first inning and adding two more in the second. The Bears’ Eli Dill was a constant presence on the bases, scoring their first run in the bottom of the second inning.
The Bears slowly chipped away at the Barons’ lead, with Greg M. hitting a crucial double to bring in two more runs. By the bottom of the sixth inning, the Bears trailed 5-4. Scotty Gilkes led off with a walk, setting the stage for a dramatic comeback. With the bases loaded and one out, a sacrifice fly by Patty and a timely hit by Eli Dill scored three runs, giving the Bears the lead. The Barons managed to score one more run in the seventh inning but it wasn’t enough. The Bears triumphed with an 8-6 victory.
The Raiders and Lon’s Gun Show played on Wednesday night with Bill Stockwell showing his ageless stamina pitching the entire game again for the Raiders and Mike Sopow took the mound again for Lon’s Gun Show. The first inning was scoreless, hinting at a potential pitcher’s duel. However, the Raiders capitalized on a few Gun Show miscues, sparking a two-out rally in the second inning that scored them four runs.
Tyler Graham, Mike Holmes, Kyle Hamilton, and Grady Benner continuously challenged Sopow all night, with Tyler’s impressive opposite-field double highlighting a part of the Raider’s batting order that constantly put runners into scoring position. Lon’s Gun Show was able to keep the game close with timely hitting, including Dallas Colpitts’ double off the fence and another liner looked like it was destined to go over the fence, but just came up a little short. Nolan Lewarne also looked like he was going to contribute with a pivotal hit, but was robbed by Ayden’s remarkable catch that showcased his range and athleticism
It was Chris Hanchar who came through again for Lon’s Gun Show with another game-winning hit. With bases loaded Chris hit a triple that contributed to an eight-run sixth inning. Despite a valiant attempt to rally in the seventh, the Raiders fell short, especially missing the presence of Therin Hemstalk, who had to leave early for more pressing matters. The final score was 12-9 in favor of Lon’s Gun Show.
