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The defending Dustball slo-pitch champions in the men's and women's A division continued their rein over the weekend.

The Yukon Gold Sistas edged the mixed Yukon-Alaska YK-AK club in the bottom of the seventh and final inning Sunday afternoon with a line shot down third to score the winning run and capture their fifth consecutive Dustball title at the Pepsi Softball Centre.

The P & M Recycling Guns stuffed more hardware on their mantle after busting loose with a six-run inning in the top of seven while holding the Rounders from Juneau to a single in the bottom, for their fourth consecutive title in the men's A division.

Whitehorse's Jat's Landscaping defeated Pro-Tec of Dawson Creek 17-11 to win the men's B division, after dropping the first contest to Pro-tec in the double-knockout round and coming up through the back door.

The men's C division was won by the Brew Jays of Whitehorse, after dominating the local Scared Hitless club by a score of 18-6 after five innings.

In the battle of two Whitehorse teams, Nuway Crushing handily defeated the Double Ds 34-10 to take the women's B title.

The Whitehorse Dental Donkeys earned top honours in the co-ed A division, going undefeated through the knockout round and finally defeating the Athletics of Whitehorse 10-8 in Sunday's final.

Mr. DJ of Whitehorse also remained undefeated through six games in the co-ed B division, taking home all the booty by defeating Juneau's Best 16-11.

In co-ed C action, the local club of Dave's Cleaning sought and got some payback after losing to Whitehorse's KK Mutts in the knockout round, but bouncing back for the championship with a dominant 16-6 performance over the Mutts Sunday morning.

The Rabbit Creek Thumpers remained undefeated in four games through the knockout round in co-ed D, ending the weekend with a championship 21-13 victory over the formidable Kubota Hoes.

Playing in the co-ed D division during regular season play, the Thumpers were up against the Hoes, normally a C division team.

Thumpers coach Creed Swan said his club had the advantage of seeing and defeating Kubota in the knockout round, forcing the Hoes to fight their way back up through the loser's bracket.

"We came into this game with a plan,鈥� Swan said in an interview after distributing the ball bags and championship sweat shirts given to each winning team.

"We wanted to hit it on the ground, and keep it away from certain players.

"We were looking for extra bases to keep the force off, and we did it.鈥�

For the Yukon Gold Sistas, a return to the podium was never certain, not until Leanne Brassard smacked a bases-loaded single down the third base line to knock in the winning run in the bottom of seven.

"The most we were up was by three, and the most they were up was by three,鈥� Sistas Terri Cairns recalled of the see-sew seven innings.

"They are a tremendous team,鈥� she said of YK-AK, a club made up of both Yukon and Alaskan women. "They are big hitters.

"But we have really come together this weekend.鈥�

Cairns said each of the Sistas pulled their weight and played with intensity, testing the arms of their opponents continuously, sliding when they had to slide, and staying gritty.

"When they go up on us, we just went up and started hitting,鈥� added Sistas Diane Stewart.

Cairns said having won the knockout round provided the Sistas with an advantage.

"We came in with last bats, we were the home team, and the pressure was on

迟丑别尘.鈥�

While it looked like a lock on another championship for the P & M Guns, it didn't stay that way as the

Rounders clawed themselves back into contention late in game.

The Guns led 5-0 after the first inning, and jumped to a nine run lead by the end of four.

Slowly, but surely, however, the Rounders picked away at the lead while holding the Guns scoreless through the fifth and sixth innings, to move to within one, with the Guns leading 14-13 going into the final inning.

For the club from Juneau who knocked the Guns down to the losers bracket with a victory Saturday afternoon in an extra inning, the Whitehorse veterans proved to be too much to handle in the seventh.

The Guns scored six in the top, and held the Rounders to a single in the bottom, to record a 20-14 victory.

"We went out in the first with big bats and I think that set the tone for the rest of the game,鈥� said Michael Tuton, Guns coach and first baseman.

Tuton pointed out the Guns got themselves into trouble with the home run rule against the Rounders Saturday afternoon. (Teams can never be more than two home runs ahead of the other team, and anything over the fence after two is an automatic out.)

The Guns recorded seven homerun outs Saturday, he noted.

"The teams who hit the ball on the ground get to Sunday,鈥� said Tuton, who pulled a ball out of the dirt in the fourth inning to record the Guns only double play of the game. "We had to make that adjustment.鈥�

"... We just kept putting the ball on the ground and putting the up runs the old fashion way.鈥�

For Tanya Sage of Mr. DJ, it was a spectacular weekend of ball.

"We went undefeated, that is undefeated,鈥� said a bubbling Sage shortly after the Sunday morning championship win.

"I just have to point that out, because I am so proud of 迟丑别尘.鈥�