STOREY’S BEACH — To ensure the ladies were not left out of the final weekend’s action, a traditional women’s slo-pitch tournament was held as part of the Indian Summer Classic.
The championship final produced the most thrilling finish of the tourney, as Sterrin Lazarowich dropped in a two-out bloop single in the bottom of the seventh to lift the Bandits to a 20-19 win over I’d Hit That.
The Bandits entered the inning trailing 19-15, and Bobbi Ball got it started by legging out an infield single with a lunge that left her with an injured quadriceps. With the bases loaded and nobody out, Kristen Ireton drove in a run with another infield single and Nikki Therrien belted a two-run single. Melissa Allen followed with a hit that chased home Ireton with the tying run.
Two outs later, Lazarowich dropped a ball into short left field, just beyond the reach of I’d Hit That shortstop Carla Wagner, and Therrien raced home waving her arms over her head as the Bandits bench erupted into cheers.
The Bandits didn’t get on the scoreboard until the bottom of the third inning, after I’d Hit That had amassed a 9-0 lead. Ireton’s two-run double capped a three-run inning, and the Bandits added five more in the fourth with Ball turning a misplayed ball deep in the outfield into an inside-the-park grand slam.
A seven-run outburst followed in the fifth as the Bandits eased in front 15-14. But I’d Hit That regained the lead with two runs in the sixth and, after holding the Bandits scoreless in the bottom half, ran the lead to 19-15 on an RBI double by Lisa Klatt, a sacrifice fly by Wagner and another RBI double by Rosie Dugas.
Dugas was named MVP and the Bandits’ Jessica Garrick was chosen Most Sportsmanlike.
The Dirty Jerseys placed third in the women’s tourney, with Bad placing fourth and Hardy Buoys Smokers fifth.