Cross-border challenge slated Tuesday

After settling for a tie last year, the Town of Fort Frances is aiming to regain the annual Canada Day slo-pitch challenge trophy from International Falls in a game slated here Tuesday (July 2).
Game time for the 15th-annual showdown is 6 p.m. at the south diamond at the St. Francis Sportsfield.
“We’ve got the team lined up and we’re ready to play ball,” CAO Bill Naturkach said this morning.
“They got to keep the trophy last year but with the dollar going the way it is, I expect we’ll get it back,” he added.
Mayor Glenn Witherspoon was equally confident.
“Hopefully, the strategy we’ve been developing over the past 11-and-a-half months—bending over when the ball comes—will work,” he remarked.
“[Falls Mayor] Harry Swendsen and his crew are always up for an challenge and that’s what we’ll give them,” added Mayor Witherspoon. “We’re about to become sister cities, but we’re not about to kiss our sisters.”
As far the town’s roster goes, Naturkach was keeping tight-lipped.
“It’s of the utmost highest security. Even if you applied under the Freedom of Information Act, you couldn’t find out,” he remarked. “We’re trying to put our best team forward here.”
But Mayor Witherspoon was a little more boastful. “We’ve recruited some excellent players from the graveyard crew. Hopefully, they can dig right in,” he noted.
As host, Naturkach added Fort Frances is being as courteous as always.
“We’ve done everything to bring the Falls team here—we’ve even built a new Customs facility. Let’s just hope they can make it through with that trophy,” he quipped.
The two teams tied 12-12 last year after seven innings. Fort Frances’ overall record in the challenge is 2-11-1.