CHAMPIONSHIP TICKET PUNCHED, AXEMEN FINALLY DOWN RED LIONS IN PLAYOFFS

The Axemen are returning to the NCABL Championship Final after finally defeating the Westlock Red Lions in a game three, in their third attempt in three seasons. First year Axemen and 2014 NCABL Most Promising Junior P Joe Pasychnyk would pitch extremely well for the Axemen earning the complete game win, his record tying 8th win of the season and moving to 8-2 on the season. 

Win - Joe Pasychynk (8-2)

Loss - Sheldon Weber

The Axemen would be spoiled with pitching for the Semi-Final series against the Westlock Red Lions, as a fully rested seven game winning Joe Pasychynk would take on P Sheldon Weber in game three. Weber would end up throwing four innings in game two of the series earlier in the afternoon as the Axemen would chase game two starter Kris Johnson after only three innings of work. 

It was the Red Lions that quickly set the tone in game three, much to the amusement of the remaining Westlock fans after a long and hot day in the sun for the doubleheader. 1B Stu Schroeder would hit a two run home run over the left field wall with CF Nathan Brown on base to quickly make it a 2-0 Red Lions lead. The inning looked like it would continue to be a tough one for Pasychnyk as C TJ Oliwa would reach on a single, get caught in a run down but somehow get back to first safely only to be thrown out at first later in the inning on a 9-3 double play off the bat of LF Ryan Teske. Wandering too far off of first or forgetting how many outs there were would kill the early momentum as RF Kris Johnson of the Axemen would nail a diving Oliwa at first to end the inning. With the team fired up, the Axemen offence went to work against Weber. 

LF Cal Zimmer would lead off another game with a walk, get moved into scoring position by a sacrifice bunt from 3B Steve Enright before scoring on a RBI double by SS Chance Wheatley. Wheatley would then score as Weber would try to pick him off at second base only to throw the ball into the outfield. An earrant throw from the Red Lions outfield would sail into the Axemen dugout as Wheatley slide into thid base allowing the first year Axemen and Most Promising Junior of the year in the NCABL to score easily from third to tie the game at 2-2.

The Axemen would be back to score another pair of runs and give Pasychnyk the 4-2 lead in the bottom of the second inning. After a strikeout to 1B Brett Harke to lead off the inning, Weber would hit C John Kelndorfer before RF Kris Johnson would move him to third on a double down the right field line. With runners at second and third, CF Jordan Riopel would connect on a deep fly ball to over the head of CF Nathan Brown to score both Kelndorfer and Johnson to make it 4-2 Axemen. 

An error to 3B Steve Enright in the top of the third inning would put an unearned run on the board for the Red Lions making it 4-3 on 1B Stu Schroeder's second hit and third RBI in the first three innings of the game. Pasychnyk would surrender the lead to the Red Lions in the fourth inning as a one out walk to 2B Adam Sawatzky and a two out single to RF Pat Rains gave CF Nathan Brown a two RBI single with the bases loaded to swing the game to 5-4 Red Lions lead. Not getting down on themselves despite what happened in game two the Axemen hitters went back at Weber in the fourth, finally chasing him from the game after pitching 7.33 innings over two back to back games. The young right hander looked fatigued as C John Kelndorfer and RF Kris Johnson would reach via a single and walk respectively ahead of a SS Jordan Brand error to load the bases off the bat of LF Cal Zimmer. 3B Steve Enright would collect the game tying RBI single through the right side of the Westlock infield to end the night for Weber. Weber would give up eight runs, six of which were earned off of six hits to take the loss for the Red Lions.

P Sean Beaudoin, who the Axemen lost a decisive game three to in 2013, would have the game blown open against him as DH Braedon Majeski would hit a two out, two RBI single into left field to make it a 7-5 game and 2B Ryan Petryshyn would make it 8-5 on a RBI single of his own one batter later. The Axemen would score two more against Beaudoin in the fifth inning when 3B Steve Enright would hit a two RBI triple over the head of CF Nathan Brown to finish the scoring for the Axemen and leave the game at 10-5. 

While the offence was hitting Red Lion pitching hard, Pasychnyk settled in during the fifth inning to close out the remaining three innings to earn the series clinching win. Pasychynk would keep the Red Lion hitters off balance allowing only three singles and not allowing a Westlock runner to reach third base. The game would end as the Red Lions had runners on first and second with two out for PH Kris Johnson. Johson would jump all over a Pasychnyk offering taking a line drive deep into centre field, but Axemen CF Jordan Riopel would track the ball and make a leaping catching to take away extra bases and to end the Red Lions season, sending the Axemen to the NCABL Championship Final. 

The Axemen will now take on the 2014 pennant winning Edmonton Blackhawks, who swept the Stony Plain Mets by scores of 1-0 and 4-0 as Regan Hoet and Matt Kukovica shut down the NCABL's highest scoring offence. The teams will square off at Footz Field on Saturday August 23 at 1:30pm and 4:30pm for games one and two with game three happening on Sunday August 24 at 2:00pm. Admission to the games is $5 for Saturday and $3 for Sunday with children 10 years and younger getting in for free. 

NCABL fans can also check out this weeks edition of Circling the Bases on the NCABL website for a recap of the weekend's semi-final series by Earl Thompson. 

2B - Wheatley (7), Johnson (3), Riopel (3)

3B - S.Enright (1)

TB - S.Enright (4), Wheatley (2), Majeski (2), Johnson (2), Riopel (2), Petryshyn (1), Kelndorfer (1), Harke (1)

RBI - S.Enright 3 (5), Majeski 2 (7), Riopel 2 (11), Wheatley (14), Petryshyn (21)

SAC - S.Enright (1)

HBP - Kelndorfer (4) by Weber, Riopel (2) by Beaudoin

Fielding E - S.Enright

Ground Outs-Fly Outs - Pasychynk (8-6)

HR - Schroeder (one out, one on)

TB - Schroeder (5), Brand (1), Brown (1), Oliwa (1), Teske (1), Watamaniuk (1), Rains (1)

Fielding E - Brand (2), Weber (1), Rains (1), Oliwa (1)

Ground Outs-Fly Outs - Weber (3-3), Beaudoin (2-3), Watamaniuk (2-1)

Inherited Runners-Scored - Beaudoin (3-3)