Lucas Punkari
With a squad featuring some of the best players from the Rainy River District Fastball League, the Sight & Sound Wolves proved they can match up with many of the top fastball teams in North American.
Competing at the NAFA World Series last week in Topeka, Kan., the Fort Frances-based team wound up with a seventh-place finish in the ‘A’ division.
“We have been there for 10 years straight as a team, and this was our most successful trip to NAFA ever,” enthused Duane Carlson, who regularly plays third base for the Wolves in RRDFL play and served as the team’s manager for the weekend.
“In fact, the only team that beat us during the weekend was the team that would eventually go on to win the entire tournament,” he noted.
The squad that ended up proving to be too much for the Wolves to handle were the Santa Rosa Fastpitch from California, who earned a 9-2 win in the quarter-finals Saturday night en route to capturing the ‘A’ crown the following afternoon.
“We didn’t end up scoring a run until the very end of the game,” Carlson recalled.
“They led off the game with a home run and you could already feel the momentum swing over to their side,” he noted.
“And I believe it was actually a 5-0 lead for them in the third inning when we pulled Murray Armstrong from the game.”
The Wolves had opened the tournament with a strong showing Thursday afternoon, easily dispatching the Marquette Fence (Michigan) 8-1.
“They were a very fun team to play against,” Carlson noted.
“Every team that is here is very competitive, and our bats really came through in that win,” he added.
Kevin Gemmell led the way offensively by going 2-for-3 at the plate.
That winning feeling for the Wolves was short-lived, though, as they fell 12-4 to Santa Rosa on Friday morning, which dropped them down to the ‘A’ losers’ bracket.
“They [Santa Rosa] were an unbelievable hitting team and a very tough lineup to try and pitch to,” Carlson said.
“We hung in there for about three innings. And then in the fourth, their bats finally caught up with our pitching and they were able to break it open.
“I think they got four home runs when all was said and done,” he added.
But the Wolves bounced right back Saturday morning, starting their run in the losers’ bracket with a 13-4 romp over Herzog FP (Missouri).
“We came out with the bats blazing and it was an offensive show for us,” Carlson said.
“Every single person in the lineup got a hit, and we did what we did for every game during the weekend, which was being able to capitalize with having runners in scoring position with less that two outs.
“That is really the recipe for any success down there,” he stressed.
One of the top producers in that win was Travis Tom, who collected five RBIs on his way to eventually earning a spot in the tournament’s All-World team.
“It’s almost unheard of for someone, as an 18-year-old, to make it onto the All-World team, so we were all really excited and happy for him,” Carlson enthused.
The Wolves then continued their winning ways with a dramatic, come-from-behind 7-4 win over the Saginaw River Dawgs (Michigan) in the early afternoon, scoring four runs in the seventh inning to stay alive in the tournament.
“That was a very exciting game where the guys came through with some huge clutch hits,” Carlson recalled.
“We had a big three-run homer by John Desaulniers that got our bats rolling, and they [Saginaw] had the wind knocked out of their sails a little bit.
“They made a pitching change soon after that, but we ended up just lighting him up,” he added.
With momentum on their side, Sight & Sound then beat the Colton Dirtbags (California) 6-2, which set the stage for their rematch against Santa Rosa later that night.
“Bob Andy threw a gem for us that game,” Carlson noted
“He was hitting his spots and from a defensive point of view, he gave us a chance to win that game.
“It was struggle at the plate at first for us, but Bob actually ended up breaking the ice by hitting a home-run in the third inning,” he added.
In addition to reaching the quarter-finals and Tom’s All-World selection, Desaulniers also was honoured during the tournament as he was inducted into the NAFA ‘A’ Hall of Fame for his performance as a pitcher over the years.
“The only problem with that, though, is that now he’s considered an ‘A-major’ pitcher, so he has to hit for us now,” Carlson joked.
For Carlson, the fact the Wolves had their best-ever showing at the World Series was a big deal.
But what he’ll take away most from the weekend was how well everyone got along despite being an all-star lineup.
“You would think that having all of the power hitters and top guys from the league would lead to some big egos, but that was all checked at the door,” he stressed.
“This was a team of 14 friends who went out there playing hard and having fun, and that’s what made it a real honour to be a part of.
“We’re all excited to get ready to head down to Des Moines [Iowa] next year and play in it once again,” Carlson added.
