Legion, Big Island battle for top spot

Rainy River Legion extended its record to a league-best 8-1 mark with a come-from-behind victory over Barwick in Rainy River District Fastball League action last Thursday.
Trailing 5-3 after six innings, the Legion scored a pair of runs in the top of the seventh to send the game to extra innings, when they knocked in two more to eke out a 7-5 win.
Big Island (4-2-1) did their part to keep pace, downing Big Grassy 8-6 on Thursday. Big Island’s game that had been scheduled for June 18 against Hyatt’s Construc-tion was moved to tonight (June 26).
In other action last week, captain Percy Legarde sparked two rallies in the second and fourth innings to help Hyatt’s Construction down Sight and Sound 7-5.
The loss was just the second for Sight and Sound (3-2-2), which has showed improvement from their 1-5 stumble last season. Hyatt’s improved to 3-2-1—good for fourth overall in the RRDFL.
The Pinewood Bears (4-3) finally broke their two-week tie with Barwick (4-4) in the middle of the pack after beating the Bulldogs by default.
The other three scheduled games last week were postponed by the weather or other commitments. A total of 12 league games have been postponed so far.
Perhaps the biggest news so far this season is the Bulldogs’ presence near the cellar. The six-time defending RRDFL champs are 3-3 after failing to field enough players against the Bears.
They were 10-1 at this time last season.
Stratton, second in the league behind the Bulldogs at this time last year, is behind them with a 1-5 record, followed by winless Big Grassy (0-8).
Of reported games, Don Gall (Legion) continues to lead the home run derby with five, followed by teammate Guy Arpin, and Barwick’s Travis Derkson and Kevin Gemmell, each with three.
Murray Armstrong (Legion) leads all pitchers with a 5-1 record, just ahead of Big Island’s Will Handorgan (4-0). George Oltsher (Barwick Knights) is next at 3-2, followed by Leroy Wilson (Sight and Sound) at 2-1.
In related news, a contingent of RRDFL players will head to Dryden this weekend for its annual tournament.
The team will be made up of Armstrong, Gall, and Kenny Gess (Legion), Kyle Langlais, Justin Wagner and Lonnie Nielson (Pinewood), and Don Copenace, Warren Voth, and Grant Swire (Bulldogs).
Barwick will be the site of the league’s next tournament July 6-7.