Elisabeth Heslop
The Sound & Sound Wolves face a must-win game tonight at Big Island if they hope to stay alive in the Rainy River District Fastball League playoffs.
The Wolves fell 3-2 to host Barwick on Tuesday night to mar their previously unbeaten record in the post-season.
“Barwick was just a real tight game defensively by both teams,” noted Wolves’ manager Derek McKinnon.
McKinnon said the Blue Knights opened the scoring with a run, but the Wolves surged ahead with a two-run inning in the second.
Barwick tied the score in the third, which held up until the bottom of the seventh when they got a runner on second base after two outs.
“Then there was a little fly ball and it just got in behind the guy,” McKinnon recounted.
“He got turned around and it popped out of his glove, and they scored the guy from second base.”
Tuesday’s win ensured Barwick a berth in the league final—even if they lose tonight against Big Grassy.
The Wolves, on the other hand, will have to fight to make it to the final.
A loss tonight and they’re out. But if the Wolves win, they’ll then face the winner of tonight’s Barwick/Big Grassy game on Aug. 25.
If Barwick wins, that game will be for the league crown.
But if Big Grassy wins tonight, Sight & Sound will face them in the semi-final on Aug. 25—with that winner then meeting the Blue Knights in the final on Aug. 27.
McKinnon said they have a simple strategy against Big Island tonight.
“We just gotta put up some more runs. Get the bats going early and put up some more runs,” he remarked.
“It seems like if we can get a few runs early . . . I think we just wait around too late in the game before we really get things going sometimes,” he admitted.
