The Year-Ender Bender © is the Burford Men’s Slo-Pitch league’s playoff tournament kicked off Wednesday, Sept. 5th.

It was a back-and-forth affair to start out on Diamond A between the #Crunchers (below) and Bre Haul.

This game was between third and sixth seeds, so it looked to be a close game. Picking things up in the sixth inning, with the score knotted at 13, the #Crunchers had a huge inning capped by a grand slam by Steve Heeney. By then, Matt Jones already had two homers for the #Crunchers. Things stayed interesting.

After a monstrous start where they scored eight runs in the second inning (and 13 by the third), the Bre Haul Truckers stalled, scoring just four runs over their next six innings. And that was not nearly enough. The #Crunchers were much more consistent, scoring at least three runs in six of eight innings, and they win, 28-17. In the win, Mike Heeney and Jones both scored a game-high four runs for the #Crunchers.

In the late game, in the fourth-fifth matchup, Ackland’s tangled with Tota Farms.

Ackland’s got off on the right foot in the game, achieving ten batter innings in both the first two innings (they scored an astounding nine in the second). Gary Sparks smacked a three-run homerun. “Well that’s not the way we wanted to start,” said Tota’s Rob Lowes.Ackland’s was strong at the bat and Tota’s never really got into the hitting swing of things until late. It got to the point, after a three-inning nap in the run column, where fans were thinking Tota Farms may have elected to take this less-heralded, less-traveled “relegation route” in the tournament.

Just then, Tota’s recalled how to score in the seventh inning (Jonny S. Chambers and Tommy Smith). Helping Tota’s attempted comeback, Ackland’s went totally dormant after the third inning. In the eighth, Tota’s recalled they had homeruns left in the bank, so they started using them up. After scoring seven consecutive runs, including Dan Moore’s third of the game, they had closed the gap right up to two of Ackland’s.

In the final and ninth inning, Tota’s first batter, Rob Lowes, scored! As the tying run, Rhino Horn made it to scoring position, however Tota’s could not get climb to the top of the mountain surmounted by Ackland’s (17 after the third inning) and Tota Farms falls, 17-16.

“We were dead for the [middle] four innings,” said Lowes.

The Burfprd Men’s Slo-Pitch League 2018 Year-Ender Bender tournament final.
Submitted photo by Jon Chambers

Action in the Year-Ender Bender © resumes Friday night! Those winners will play for a bye into the final Saturday morning.

The bigger Diamond B serves as the winners’ diamond, while the short Diamond A will feature games from the relegation and consolation rounds. The latter includes Tota Farms and Davis Fuels at 6:45 Friday as well as Bre Haul and Burford Auto at 8:15.

Should be an exciting weekend of baseball action!