Angels complete championship sweep
Angels finish the job, sweeping the Rockies to claim SportsKlub’s first Orillia Slo-Pitch championship
The SportsKlub Orillia Slo-Pitch championship came down to one play at the plate.
The Wagner Lawn Care Angels completed a best-of-three series sweep of the Studabakers Beachside Rockies on Sunday, escaping with an 11-10 victory after the potential tying run was cut down at home on the final play of the game.
Rockies veteran slugger Tucker McSwain came to the plate as the final chance to score the potential tying run, Jan Veitch, who was standing on second. He ripped a looper into shallow left field, where Owen McCool was playing in. He made the relay throw to Devin Coombs, who threw a dart from the edge of left field to Paige Hawker at home plate. She recorded the final putout before Veitch could cross home plate, preserving the one-run victory and officially closing out the Fall Classic championship series.
It was a fitting ending to the closest game of the series, with the Rockies pushing the Angels all the way to their final defensive play before they finally secured the title.
McSwain was the final batter of the last two championship finals, securing the winning hit and RBI in 2025 for the Rockies.
The Rockies produced offence throughout their lineup. Waylon Clay drove in a team-high five runs, while Veitch added two RBIs and McSwain knocked in two more. McSwain collected three hits, as did Clay and Jessie Eyers.
The Angels had just enough offence to stay in front. Jeff Carey continued his strong summer at the plate with three hits and three RBIs, while several Angels recorded multi-hit performances as they piled up 11 runs.
The victory capped a championship run for the Angels after they entered the Fall Classic against a Rockies team that had emerged as their closest challenger during the summer.
For Studabakers Beachside, the season ended one run short of forcing the series to continue, but not before delivering its best push of the championship matchup.
Mets SPLIT THIRD-PLACE SERIES
The CMF Automotive Mets also picked up a victory Sunday, defeating the NKD Deer Muskies 14-11 in the third-place series.
The Mets spread their scoring throughout the lineup, with Blair Mangan crossing the plate three times and Tyler Evans scoring three runs of his own. Hayden Woodbeck and Curtis Storer each scored twice as CMF Automotive reached 14 runs.
On the Muskies side, Paul Laforet had a productive day at the plate with three hits and scored three times, while Jamie Ball collected three hits. Jesse Bremner also had four hits as NKD Deer generated plenty of offence despite coming up three runs short.
The 25 combined runs made it another high-scoring SportsKlub matchup and continued a summer in which both teams have had plenty of opportunities to produce at the plate.
Sunday's games bring SportsKlub's first Orillia Slo-Pitch season another step closer to the finish line after a summer built around exactly what the program was created for: getting people together each week, playing ball and making sure everyone gets their moment.
Although the championship has been decided, SportsKlub Orillia Slo-Pitch will return to Tudhope Park for one final Sunday on Sept. 20.
Instead of keeping the usual rosters together, players will be mixed into new groups for a pair of fun games, giving everyone a chance to play alongside people they may not have spent much time with during the season.
The idea is less about the scoreboard and more about what SportsKlub was built for: meeting people, making new friends and potentially forming connections with future teammates before everyone comes back next season.
NKD Deer and CMF Automotive players will hit the field at 10 a.m., followed by players from Studabakers Beachside and Wagner Lawn Care at 11 a.m.
One more Sunday at the ballpark. See you then!
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