Sydney Sooners

Dartmouth and Kentville meeting in the playoffs and delivering with a great series are are as synonymous with the Nova Scotia Senior League as the Energizer Bunny is with annoying battery commercials. This year was no different. In a series that looked like it was over going into the bottom of the ninth of game three. The Wildcats scored 6 runs in the bottom of that inning and turned the series into one worthy of the Dartmouth/Kentville rivalry. Jason Bailey struck out twelve while issuing just two walks in pitching a complete game, to pick up his second win of the series. Kevin Nichols gave up just five hits but gave up nine walks and found himself down 5-1 after seven plus innings. The loss gave Nichols an 0-2 record for the playoffs. Darren Doucette's first of two two-run shots of the game came in the fifth innings to give Dartmouth a 3-1 lead. Doucette added a single and finished the game with five RBI. Kevin Daurie, who picked up his 50th career win this year, pitched two-thirds of an inning of perfect relief which may be his final appearance in the League. Daurie was 1-0 in the series. Dartmouth will now face Truro for NSSBL supremacy. This will mark the ninth year in a row that Dartmouth has made it to the finals. Dartmouth 001 020 123 - 9 11 1 Kentville 100 000 001 - 2 7 2 Jason Bailey (2-0) and Mark Weeks; Kevin Nichols (0-2), Kevin Daurie (8), Joel Fuller (8), Jeff Bishop (8) and Chris Salsman. HRs: Dart - Darren Doucette (5)

The Kentville Wildcats and Dartmouth Moosehead Dry series will go to game seven. In a series that saw the Dry take a 3-1 lead, the Wildcats have clawed their way back. Jason MacDougall, a call-up from the Hantsport Shamrocks opened the scoring with an RBI double in the first inning. Kentville added another pair of runs in the third thanks to a two-run shot by Todd Benjamin. Dartmouth managed to score a run in the fifth but that was all they were able to scratch out against Cats' Starting pitcher Alex Sabean. Sabean pitched a masterful game, scattering four hits through 8 1/3 innings. Kentville survived a scare in the bottom of the nineth. Dartmouth who had already scored once in the inning, had runners on second and third with one out when Ryan Doucette hit a sharp line drive that was that was snagged by third baseman Matt Pearl who managed to double off pinch-runner Chris Burns. Kentville 102 000 000 - 3 12 1 Dartmouth 000 010 001 - 2 5 0 Alex Sabean (1-0), Jeff Bishop (S,1)(9) and Chris Salsman; Trevor Zwaan (2-2) and Mark Weeks. HR: Kent - Todd Benjamin (1)

Kentville needed a win to stay alive and they did so in fine fashion crushing Dartmouth 14-4. Jeff Bishop went the distance striking out seven to pick up the win. The game was shortened to seven innings due to the ten-run rule. Luke Smith had a pair of singles, a double and five RBI and Chris Salsman had a single and homerun to go along with two RBI to pace Kentville's 18 hit attack. Dartmouth 030 001 0 - 4 7 2 Kentville 103 225 1 - 14 18 0 Chad Sawler (0-1), Jim Langer (6), TJ Harvey (7) and Mark Weeks; Jeff Bishop (1-0) and Luke Smith. HR: Kent- Chris Salsman (1)

Trevor Zwaan and Jason Bailey combined to shut-out Kentville, giving Dartmouth a 3-1 lead in the series. Mark Weeks had three singles and two RBI, while Nick Best added a triple, double and two RBI. Luke Smith had three singles and a double but Kentville could only muster three other hits in the game. Kentville 000 000 000 - 0 7 3 Dartmouth 000 111 50x - 8 13 0 Joel Fuller (0-2), Kevin Nichols (6) and Luke Smith; Trevor Zwaan (2-1), Jason Bailey (9) and Mark Weeks.

Jason Hoyt's two run blast in the bottom of the tenth inning gave Truro a berth into the Senior League Finals. Halifax opened the first inning scoring a run on a Jason Adams bases-loaded walk giving the Blues the only lead that they had during the series. That lead was short lived as Jamie Topshee scored in the bottom of the first on a wild pitch. Both Sheldon MacDonald and Craig Higgins bared down to hold each team scoreless until the bottom of the sixth when Kevin Matheson hit a double and was plated by Craig Higgins who just missed a homerun by a couple of feet but was held to a single by centre fielder Dave Cowan. Topshee scored the Bearcats' third run of the game in the bottom of the seventh on a Shawn Fuller single. Halifax loaded the bases in their half of the eighth. With two outs and two strikes on Ian Bower, Craig Higgins managed to get Bower to chase a pitch in the dirt. Catcher Jason Hoyt managed to block the ball in front of the plate but his throw to first was off the mark allowing Jay Turple and Craig Cooper to score and tie the game. In the bottom of the tenth, Billy MacKenzie doubled to lead off the inning. Jason Hoyt followed with a two-run shot to right centre that left little doubt that it was gone giving Truro the game and the series. Craig Higgins struck out 15 in going the distance to pick up the win, while Sheldon MacDonald was tagged with the loss while also throwing a complete game. Halifax 100 000 020 0 - 3 7 0 Truro 100 001 100 2 - 5 11 1 Sheldon MacDonald (0-2) and Craig Cooper; Craig Hingis (2-0) and Jason Hoyt. HR: Jason Hoyt (1)