Yankees take top slo-pitch title
Eight teams turn out for season playoffs
Sarah Ladik
Northern News Services
Thursday, August 25, 2016
INUVIK
The Inuvik slo-pitch league's season ended last weekend with the top team having to defeat its rival twice to claim the championship.
Stefan Allen rounds third base and heads for home past Barry Jacobson in the second to last game of the playoffs Aug. 21. - Sarah Ladik/NNSL photo
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Rocky's Yankees won the title Aug. 21 after a weekend of playoffs, defeating Americo in the double finals, first 20-14 and then 15-9.
"We went undefeated in the round robin, but they beat us in the finals," said Americo player and league president Barry Jacobson, explaining that the format of the playoffs meant that a team had to lose twice to be knocked out. "Kyle Kuptana played awesome. I think he scored three or four home runs in the last two games alone."
Beyond being pleased with how the weekend went, Jacobson said he was glad to see all eight teams from the regular season turn out for the playoffs. Last year, a team dropped out at the last minute.
"It's usually our last event before the Dawson tournament during the September long weekend," he said. "It just went really well."
Trucks lined the streets for the finals games Aug. 21, honking in support of their favourite teams as other spectators filled the bleachers to watch. Jacobson said attendance was high all weekend and that both players and fans were respectful,
"We saw some really good sportsmanship," he said. "Everybody came in playing really well."
He also noted some changes in the league over the course of the summer, saying there has been a lot of good ball played.
"A lot of people came out I haven't really seen play before," he said. "I saw people really improve overall during the season, and we had some great teams out there."
The league games may be done, but the season isn't quite over. Besides the upcoming tournament in Dawson to which some teams travel over the long weekend, Jacobson said the annual wrap-up banquet is tentatively set for the second half of September. There will be awards, a nice dinner, and it's a good chance to look back on the season together, he said. The organizers will be giving out tickets to team captains, who will then distribute them to the players.
"It's been a great season," said Jacobson. "We should celebrate that."
