With the Rambler Park Fastball League championship up for grabs in a winner-take-all showdown at Lyle Helland Ball Diamond, the two teams combined for eight home runs before the Canadians settled it once and for all, taking an 8-7 win to record their second-straight league title.
“We had a bit of an up and down season, with COVID guys finally got to go on holidays and stuff so we were missing guys at times, but we all came together at the right time,” said Canadians designated player Dustin Thiel. “We have a great team and came through when it mattered.”
Few players in league history have ‘come through’ more than Thiel did on Thursday night.
After grounding out in the second inning, Thiel would proceed to hit home runs in his next three at bats, finishing the night 3-for-4 with three runs scored and five runs batted in.
And to top it all off, his final round tripper came in the top of the seventh inning with the game tied 7-7 and would stand as the championship-winning hit.
“I’ve hit two in a game before, but I’ve never hit three, so this was probably the game of my life,” Thiel said. “And if you’re going to have it, tonight’s the night to have it, right?
"Al (Muhle) over there is a great pitcher but he gave me a couple good pitches to hit and I was able to put good swings on them.”
The Giants were able to get on the board first when Brad Flanagan hit the first home run of the game in the bottom of the second.
That 2-0 lead wouldn’t last long, though. Brad Reaney cracked a two- run shot of his own for the Canadians the next inning to tie the game, and two batters later Thiel hit his first round tripper to put the Canadians up 4-2.
The home run parade didn’t stop there.
It was Joe McDonald’s turn for a two-run shot in the bottom of the third, and after Kevin Knelson hit his second double in as many innings, Kurtis Brown hit a -- you guessed it -- two-run home run to put the Giants up 8-4.
Bryce Crosbie hit the sixth home run of the game in the top of the fourth to get one back for the Canadians and Thiel launched his second two-run shot two innings later to tie the game 7-7.
The Canadians had a chance to do further damage in the fifth, but Muhle escaped a bases-loaded jam to keep things tied up.
There things remained until the top of the seventh, setting the stage for Thiel’s heroics.
“That was nice, coming up in the top of the seventh and clutching up for the boys was great,” he said before adding that the overall team offence was a major key. “The whole team put up great at bats, having runners on base and capitalizing like we did, it’s a lot of kudos to the other guys to get on base and give me the opportunity.”
Blake Dixon started for the Canadians and allowed 10 hits over the first five innings, including the fourth and fifth when he retired the side in order. Xavier Tremblay took over in the sixth and shut the Giants down over the final two innings.
Muhle went the distance for the Giants, allowing eight runs on 10 hits and striking out seven.
