PORT HARDY—Sunday’s finale of the annual Filomi Days wood bat slo-pitch tournament saw the Blue Sox hold off Port Alice to claim the top spot with a 7-3 victory.
Solid fielding was the order of the day in the traditionally low-scoring format, and both sides closed the door in the early stages.
The Port Hardy outfit broke the deadlock with a three-run third inning haul, and an Ethan Shaw triple to right field brought in two more in the fifth to give the Blue Sox a relatively comfortable lead.
Port Alice staged something of a comeback in the late going, two runs in the penultimate inning adding to a single in the fourth to keep the pressure on at 5-3 going into the seventh.
The Sox drove home two more at the top of the inning before shutting the door on the visitors to take the win.
Blue Sox’s left fielder Shaw got the Most Sportsmanlike Male award for his performance, while Port Alice first baseman Katie Senciw took the Most Sportsmanlike Female.
Earlier, The Bush Cats topped the ‘B’ Division with a win over Ump Yours. The Cats’ James Crawford got the Most Sportsmanlike Male award, with Ump Yours’ Linda Charlie getting the nod for Most Sportsmanlike Female.
The ball diamonds get a respite next weekend before the start of the Men’s Fastpitch and Women’s Slo-pitch leagues the week of July 28.