The Yellowknife Slopitch Association's 2017 season is officially over with the league's champions crowned on Aug. 31 and Sept. 1.
James McCarthy/NNSL photo
The Top of the World Wham Dingers captured the A competitive division title. Their 13-2 win over the Elks Stars of Destiny topped off a perfect season in town – zero losses in 25 games.
“We've had slow starts in the past and we didn't want that to happen to us in that last game,” said Spencer Lyman of the Dingers. “We hadn't played them since the start of the season but we didn't want to get into a slugfest with them. They had a strong lineup that game and we wanted to get it done with, fast.”
The Dingers have only lost a single game in two consecutive seasons of play – zero this year and one in 2016. Lyman figures the success comes down to the strong female contingent on the roster.
“Our guys are good but if you take a look at our women, they're really strong,” he said. “I would say out of the top 10 women in the city, we have about half of them with us.”
The A division was split into competitive and recreational divisions. Over on the recreational side, the DT Electric Licker Pigs finally climbed the competitive mountain to become the 2017 A rec champions.
They went up against the unbeaten Inglorious Batters in the final. It was a tight game with both teams having plenty of chances but neither able to blow things open. DT Electric found its stride in the fifth inning, managing to rough up the Batters to score four runs and then coast home to victory.
DT Electric's Debbie Dang has been part of the team for many years and was excited after the game ended.
“I don't even know the score right now,” she said. “I'm just so happy. We've lost so many times and we've been so close and now we're champions.”
For the record, DT Electric won 8-4.
In the B division, the Clutch Proformers downed the JTFN Polar Bears 12-8. And in the C Division, the Legion Sluggers defeated Breaking Bats to take home the trophy.