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The Borealis Heat scorched the YYW Hawks for the Upper Division softball title in the Softball Yukon season-opening tournament of the year.

The game took place Sunday afternoon at the Pepsi Softball Centre.

The Hawks mounted a late comeback but came up short, losing 25-19.

The Heat got off to a hot start, leading 5-2 after two innings.

The Hawks responded in the top of the third with two runs to tighten up the game, 5-4.

The Heat answered right back with three runs to take an 8-4 lead into the fourth.

The Hawks cashed in two runs in the fourth to again pull close to the Heat, 8-6.

The Heat responded with three more runs in the bottom of the inning, making it 11-6 Heat after four.

Cam Ryles hit an inside-the-park home run in the inning.

The Hawks stormed back with six runs in the top of the fifth to take the lead, 12-11.

However, Borealis came right back with the maximum seven runs to retake the lead, 18-12 after five.

The Hawks scored three in the sixth, but Borealis, on the strength of another inside-the-park two-run home run by Ryles, made it 25-15 after six.

The Heat then closed out the Hawks in the top of the sixth to take the title.

The Star spoke with Heat coach Cliff Cave after the victory.

鈥淚t feels great. We weren鈥檛 sure if we were gonna have a team and everybody came together and played really well. Our young kids played great. Cam Ryles, I think he had seven (inside the park) home runs. Just a young kid 鈥� played fantastic.

鈥淥ur young girls hit the ball really, really well. Honestly, girls, they鈥檙e the difference in co-ed.鈥�

Cave said the key to winning was familiarity.

鈥淲e鈥檝e been a team forever. We know each other really well. That鈥檚 a big part of it for us. We had a lot of fun, which is big, too.鈥�

Cave added, 鈥淲e help each other out, out there, we talk a lot, have fun.鈥�

Cave said Line Jensen played really well.

鈥淏rian Power, our pitcher, played great.鈥�

鈥淚t was awesome. It was a ton of fun.鈥�

Cave added a thanks to Borealis. 鈥淭hey鈥檝e been really good to us. And Softball Yukon for putting it together.鈥�

The Hawks Brett Skookum said, 鈥淚t was good. It was fun. It鈥檚 always a close game against them.鈥�

Skookum said they were missing some players from Carmacks on Sunday because of a funeral in that community.

鈥淏ut I think we played good overall today.鈥�

Skookum said teamwork was the key in getting to the finals.

鈥淚 think we played good as a team.鈥�

Meanwhile, in the Lower Division final, the Whiskey Jack Barbarians defeated the Silverbacks 16-11 to claim the crown. The Barbarians exacted their revenge after a loss to the Silverbacks earlier in the tournament.

On the women鈥檚 side, Team Grey defeated Team Green to take the title.