OTTAWA – It was a case of “deja-vu all over again”, as the fun bunch finished the round robin 3-1 to advance to the league final just as they had done last year. With only as single blemish on their score-sheet—their loss to the Athletics in the round robin—they had earned a well-deserved shot at redemption and a chance to face them again in the final game of the tournament.

A the crack of dawn, steve “field marshal” saunders dragged jack “jackhammer” lawlor to Carlington park in order to work on his timing. It worked like a charm, as “jackhammer” pitched him a bucket of balls with the patience of a saint. Slowly “field marshal” sat back and waited for the ball to get closer. Dialed in, he launched ball after ball over the fence and into the stratosphere . “Thanks ‘jackhammer’, that felt great!”, “field marshal” exclaimed after he finished the last ball. Confident, they packed up and went home to prepare themselves mentally for the game at noon.

The Rebels hadn’t won a game, so expectations for them were low, but the fun bunch didn’t want to underestimate them as they needed to win the game to secure a spot in the final. With air-tight defense, the rebels had trouble scoring runs until the top of the last inning, when they managed a 3-run home run. The fun bunch, while scoring eight runs, left many opportunities on the table to cash in runners. They will have to improve their clutch hitting significantly when they face the Athletics—a much more offensive team.

Marking a turning point, both of the “bash brothers” hit a home run for the first multi-homer game of the tournament for the fun bunch. Defense was spectacular including a perfectly executed double-play—their first of the tournament—to end the game.