Newfoundland wins national fastpitch title

SALTWIRE NETWORK

The Galway Hitmen reclaimed the Canadian senior men’s fastpitch title last week in convincing fashion.

The Newfoundland team defeated B.C.’s Sooke Loggers 8-0 in the gold-medal game on Sunday to win its sixth national title in seven years.

Ryan Boland of the Hitmen belted a grand slam in the fifth inning to bring the seven-run mercy rule into effect and end the game. Boland was named playoff MVP.

The Hitmen were dominant at the tournament, posting a perfect 9-0 record and outscoring the opposition by a jaw-dropping 68-2 margin. The Loggers finished 7-3 with all three of their losses — one in the round robin and two in the playoffs — coming at the hands of the Hitmen.

The teams engaged two bench clearing incidents during their second meeting.

The defending champion East Hants Mastodons, who defeated the Hitmen in the 2017 gold-medal game, went 4-2 in the round robin, before losing back-to-back playoff games on Saturday — 2-0 to Sooke and 3-2 to the Saskatoon Angels.

Mastodons pitcher Justin Schofield was named round-robin MVP.

The Elmira Expos from Ontario won bronze.

Meanwhile, at the Canadian masters tournament, which was also played in St. Croix, the Saskatoon 222’s edged the Ontario’s Wellington Sox 2-0 in the final to claim gold. The Sydney Cardinals won bronze.