RR wins first game

Ken Johnston

It is playoff season in the Rainy River District as fastball teams vie for the RRDFL crown.
They began last Thursday with four games being played. League champs, Sight and Sound from Fort Frances played 8th place Sabaskong and won 6-1.
2nd place Rainy River hosted 7th place Big Grassy and won 9-5.
3rd place Barwick hosted Big Island but the game was postponed until Sunday when Barwick won 10-4.
4th place Stratton hosted International Falls and won 6-4.
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Big Grassy drew first blood in the top of the first scoring one run. But RR answered back with Joel Ashworth getting a lead off single and then stealing two bases. Two batters later Don Gall hit a triple to bring Ashworth in and then Jim Chorney hit a sacrifice fly to score Gall. It was 2-1 after one.
Big Grassy tied it up in the 2nd with a home run.
In the bottom of the 3rd Joel Ashworth hit a triple on an error. He was again hit in by Gall. RR lead 3-2 after three.
RR pitcher Murray Armstrong put the middle of the BG line up out three up three down in the top of the 4th. In the bottom of the inning RR widened their lead when Marty Armstrong hit a single and then stole second. His brother Murray then hit a homerun and scored two more for RR. They lead 5-2 after four.
Murray Armstrong was again at the top of his game in the 5th stranding one runner, getting a strike out and flying out the other two. In the bottom Matt Ashworth and Gall both reached and were later brought in by a two run double by Rick Tymkin.
In the top of the 6th, BG threatened by picking up two runs to close RR’s lead to 7-4. But in the bottom of the inning RR answered with runs by Joel Ashworth and Matt Bartlett.
A lead off homer by BG was all they would get in the top of the seventh before RR would shut them down to win 9-5.
Tonight games are as follows: Stratton at Sight and Sound, Barwick at RR, Sabaskong at I. Falls (loser eliminated), Big Grassy at Big Island (loser eliminated). All games begin at 6:30 p.m. except in Fort Frances which are at 8 p.m.
There will also be games on Thursday, locations depending upon who wins tonight.