There was little on the line in the last game of the regular season for the North Battleford Beavers against the Unity Cardinals Friday night.
It ended up a roller coaster affair, with the Beavers up, then down, then up again with a 10-8 final score.
Unity scored the first run, but a five-run second inning for the Beavers helped them with an early 6-2 lead over the Cardinals. A fifth-inning meltdown resulted in six Unity runs.
The Cardinals mounted their rally as they loaded the bases on four straight walks by the Beavers, scoring a run as a result.
Ryan Gregoire, who started for the Beavers, returned to the pitching mound, but the Cardinals kept the pressure on, adding another RBI.
There was controversy as Phil McGee argued he was a hit batsman, which would have scored another bases loaded run, but umpire David George ruled otherwise. In the end he took a walk which scored the fifth run. An error on a missed throw to second added two more to put Unity in front 7-6.
McGee later came home after a missed tag at first base to make it 8-6.
But the Beavers had one last rally up their sleeve.
In the bottom of the fifth, Gregoire's sacrifice fly cut the margin to 8-7. Then in the sixth, a stolen base and an error moved Dion Tederoff to third, and then he came home to tie the game on Bryce Gatzke's bunt.
Kyle Gregoire then scored after another error and Blair Geering hit one up the middle to bring another run home to make it 10-8.
Ryan Shepherd retired the side in the seventh to be the winning pitcher of record for the Beavers.
The Beavers finish the regular season at 4-9, not good enough for the North Saskatchewan River league playoffs. Now the Beavers have some time on their hands until provincials begin. Those are to be held at Beaver Lions Stadium Aug. 7, 8 and 9.
Other scores from around the league last week: On Tuesday, Unity beat Wilkie 6-4 and St. Walburg beat Standard Hill 14-13. On Wednesday, Border City beat Mervin 14-0, Meadow Lake beat the Midwest Expos 6-2 and Wilkie beat Macklin 3-2. And on Thursday, Lloydminster Twins beat Standard Hill 6-2. The standings have Border City on top of the Smithson division at 12-1, Wilkie first in the Colliar at 8-5, and Standard Hill on top of the Smith division at 8-5 as well.
