Staff
Opposition hitters had a devil of a time getting anywhere against the only Angel on the field.
Pitcher Rylee Redford was the only member of the Fort Frances Angels in the Rainy River District Women’s Fastball League all-star game last Wednesday at Manitou Rapids.
But she represented her team in outstanding fashion–crafting a complete-game four-hitter that included 11 strikeouts to lead Team Windigo past Team Patey by a 7-2 score.
Redford didn’t give up a hit until the fourth inning while her teammates eventually got around to providing some offensive support with three runs in the fourth and four more in the fifth off Team Patey starter Darcy Smith (Northwest Bay Beavers).
Team Patey tried a late rally by loading the bases in the seventh with one out.
But Redford dug in her cleats and wouldn’t be denied–rearing back for some extra heat to blow fastballs by captain Stacy Patey (Fort Frances Her-icanes) and Summer Leonard (Manitou T-Birdies) to end the game.
The RRDWFL playoffs, meanwhile, got underway Monday evening, which saw the home teams in full control in all three games.
Redford had nine strikeouts but wasn’t nearly as effective in her post-season opener as the eighth-ranked Emo Renegades dumped the ninth-seeded Angels 22-10 in five innings.
After neither team scored in the first inning, the game turned into an slugfest in the second, which ended with the Angels leading 8-7.
But Emo roared back with five runs in the third to go up 12-8.
They added two in the fourth, then finished with eight more in the fifth.
The game was called at the end of the frame due to it extending beyond the two-hour mark.
Mykenzie Borger got the win for the Renegades, who won their first playoff game after going 5-0 during the second half of the season.
The seventh-seeded Couchiching Lady Raiders rode the bat and arm of Stephanie Racine to a 21-9 victory over the 10th-ranked T-Birdies.
Racine not only pitched her team to the win, she also lived up to her hype as the league’s home run champ this season (five) by blasting her first four-bagger of the playoffs against Manitou starter Bev Cochrane.
The night’s other game saw the sxith-ranked Dawson Tigers rout 11th-seeded Sabaskong Tebinaak 24-6.
Tanis Tom homered to aid the Tigers’ cause while Alicia Anderson won the pitching matchup over Candi Kelly.
Action resumes tonight at 7 p.m., with the top five teams that had a first-round bye getting in their initial playoff contests.
The top-ranked and defending champion Her-icanes will host the Renegades at VanJura yet again in the post-season after the two teams faced off twice in last year’s playoffs.
The fourth-rankwed Fort Frances Mud Dogs and fifth-seeded Northwest Bay square off at the St. Francis Sports Field, Couchiching visits the second-seeded Red Gut Babes while Dawson faces the third-ranked Big Grassy Lynx.
