Deuces trump aces in RRDFL All Star game

Ken Johnston

It appeared that four Aces were going to win the Rainy River District Fastball League All Star game Tuesday, in Stratton, but then the Deuces gave the Aces the Royal Flush.
Early on the RRDFL Aces appeared to be the team to beat. Starting pitcher, Murray Armstrong (Rainy River) dominated for the first three innings allowing only three hits and striking out five of the twelve batters he faced. His teammates also poured on the offense taking an early 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning.
Deuces starting pitcher, George Oltsher (Barwick), started the inning with two fly outs. Then Roger Allen (Red Gut Bay) hit a single. Oltsher then had to battle the always hot bat of his regular season teammate Kevin Gemmell (Bar.) Gemmell connected to hit a homerun into center field and score two.
In the third Jessie Tom (Big Island) lead off with a single. He was advanced to third by the next batter, Clayton Windigo (Red Gut) who hit a double to right field. With only one out Gemmell stepped up to the plate again and picked a single of Oltsher and an RBI scoring Tom. It was 3-0 Aces after three.
The Aces added another one in the bottom of the fourth with Guy Arpin (Stratton) and Windigo getting the RBI off new Deuces pitcher Sheldon Kelly (Red Gut) to go up 4-0.
The Deuces could not score off Aces reliever Harvey Flamand (Fort Frances).
The fifth was scoreless for both teams.
But a pitching change combined with at least three errors for the Aces saw the Deuces turn the tide in the top of the 6th. The Aces put Curtis Berg (Stratton) in and then seemed to fall apart defensively, fumbling and overthrowing the ball several times. It was pretty much a full house for the Deuces. Jim Chorney (RR), Marcel Pagee (FF), Randy Morriseau (Red Gut), Sheldon Kelly, J.J. Landry (Bar.) and Grant Swire (FF) all crossed the plate to take the lead 6-4.
In the bottom of the inning the Aces came up flat, unable to produce off Kelly.
In the top of the seventh it was 1,2,3 for Berg, holding the Deuces to a two point lead.
But in the bottom of the inning and the Aces last chance to play their cards better, they were shut down 1,2,3. Deuces flushed the Aces 6-4.