麻豆社区

The conclusion of the Whitehorse Co-ed Slo-pitch League's rescheduled opening tournament did not go as planned Saturday afternoon.

The tournament for Div. 1, 3 and 5 teams was originally rained out on June 1, and finally concluded this weekend.

When the dust settled on the Div. 1 final, Frank's Auto Detailing emerged victorious 13-10 over the Whitehorse Dental Donkeys.

James Semaschuk hit a three-run homer in the first to give Frank's Auto a lead they wouldn't relinquish. The game was called in the fifth inning however, after umpire Roddy Dale ejected two players following arguments on calls 鈥� including an infield fly and a close call on the basepaths.

"There were a few calls that they feel were not right, but they were by the rules,鈥� said Frank's Auto captain Bubba Demchuk. "They were the right calls. It's tough when it's not going your way. It's small-town ball. We're not going to make it to the pros. Let's just suck it up, play some ball and have some fun.鈥�

Dental Donkeys second baseman Laura Whitty said her team was missing players due to the Midnight Sun Golf Tournament held locally. She said umpire miscommunication was the cause of the player ejection.

"We could only field 10 for this game, so as soon as our player got ejected, that was the end,鈥� she explained.

Whitty said a Frank's Auto player turned towards second after reaching first base, but was still called safe when tagged. She also took issue with the fact that Frank's Auto chose to play non-roster players, despite a slew of regulars on the bench.

"It's pretty frustrating,鈥� she said. "You've got 12 players on the bench. If you have enough people, you shouldn't be picking them from other teams.鈥�

Demchuk said his team did pick up a couple of players for the weekend from Complete Concrete Athletics' roster.

These players had been added for the original tournament, he explained, as Complete Concrete didn't field a team and many of his Frank's Auto teammates were unable to play in early June.

"Because it was another weekend, we had the majority of our players show up now, so we had a full bench,鈥� he explained.

Meanwhile, the Div. 5 final was won by the Yukon Denture Clinic Dust Devils after the G&R Pawn Stars submitted an illegal lineup card.

An illegal lineup submission is a coach's responsibility, said league president and umpire Melanie Brais.

Ejections, on the other hand, are given for unsportsmanlike conduct.

"We're all there for the game,鈥� she said. "Umpires aren't perfect by any means, but none of us are. What I do want everyone to remember is that it's about the game. It's about sportsmanship.鈥�

Having Frank Roy 鈥� the sponsor of the winning team 鈥� help umpire the Div. 1 final can be viewed as a conflict of interest, but teams are able to protest games if they feel the outcome of the game is one-sided.

The fact is, the league does not have enough umpires to staff every game, and that is a downside to small-town ball, Brais said.

"On a whole, I think people had fun,鈥� she said of the weekend on the diamonds. "Once we got into the finals, things got a little heated. I think people lost perspective. I've never seen it like it was on the weekend.鈥�

In other championship action Saturday night, the KK Mutts prevailed over the Yukon Inn Wild to win the Div. 3A tournament, while Sandor's Sluggers beat the Yukon Brewing Growlers to take the Div. 3B crown.

The Star has learned that altercations occurred in the Div. 3 finals as well, but calls to team representatives were not returned before press time. Final scores were not reported.