Truro Bearcats

Ryan Doucette's two-out two-run double in the bottom of the ninth capped Dartmouth's miraculous seven-run comeback and gave the Dry their ninth senior league title in the past twelve years. With Truro ahead 13-7 going into the bottom of the ninth Ryan Doucette led off the inning by being hit by a pitch. He came around to score on Joel Irvine's bases-loaded walk. Brad Miller drove in two runs with a one-out single. Down to their final out, trailing 13-10, Dartmouth had a bit of luck that was reminiscent of their playoffs against Truro last year where Jason Irvine reached on an error by Kevin Matheson with two outs in the seventh and Clinton Thomas reached on a bad hop RBI single. That set the stage for Ryan Doucette to drive in the tying and go ahead runs with a double and the Dry to a come from behind 4-2 victory. With two outs, Joel Irvine scored when a Jason Bailey hard-hit grounder jumped over Shawn Fuller's glove at first base. Mark Weeks hit a ground ball to Kevin Matheson which looked to end the game, until Matheson double-clutched the ball allowing Weeks to beat out the throw. This brought Ryan Doucette to the plate for the second time in the inning with the game winning double. Jason Bailey went the distance to pick up his fourth win of the playoffs and second of the finals, while Jeff Fielding also went the distance taking the loss. Billy MacKenzie led the way at the plate for Truro and looked to be the game star with two doubles, a homerun and six RBI before the fateful ninth. Craig Higgins also had a double and three singles. Truro 205 001 014 - 13 14 1 Dartmouth 402 000 017 - 14 12 6 Jeff Fielding (1-2) and John Saunders; Jason Bailey (4-0) and Mark Weeks. HRs: Tru - Billy MacKenzie (1) Dart - Mark Weeks (1), Greg West (2) Joel Irvine (1)

The mystique of the Dartmouth Moosehead Dry continues. With their team finishing the regular season below .500 for the first time in over a decade, the Dry are just one win away from regaining their senior league crown since 1998. Dartmouth, aided by four Bearcat errors, scored sixteen runs, en route to a 16-4 debacle of Truro. Dartmouth's biggest break of the series came through knocking starting pitcher Pat MacIntyre out of the box in the first inning. He was relieved by Craig Higgins who pitched almost five innings of relief, leaving him, most likely, unavailable as a starter unless the series goes to a game six. The move was a gamble as Truro did not want to be down 3-0 in the series and looked like the right move as the Bearcats pulled to within one run going into the top of the fourth. In the fourth, Dartmouth scored five runs and never looked back. Chad Sawler went the distance scattering nine hits in picking up the win. Darren Doucette had a three run shot and two singles while brother Ryan Doucette had three singles and two RBI. Joel Irvine added a two-run double. For Truro, Higgins had a double and two singles, while Kevin Matheson laced a single and a double. Game four is set for tonight at Beazley in Dartmouth at 7:30pm and could see a possible rematch of the game two starter Jason Bailey (3-0) and Jeff Fielding (1-0) who locked up in the game that wouldn't end. Dartmouth 400 512 4xx - 16 10 2 Truro 012 000 1xx - 4 9 4 Chad Sawler (1-1) and Mark Weeks; Pat MacIntyre (1-1), Craig Higgins (1), George Chapman (6) and Jason Hoyt. HR: Darren Doucette (6)

Kentville and Yarmouth hooked up earlier this year to play a 17 inning tilt that was easily the longest game in innings this year. Thanks to fog and rain, Dartmouth and Truro hooked up for what is probably the longest game by time in the history of the Senior League that was not interupted by other games. The game which began on Sunday at 7:30pm, ended Thursday night at 7:55pm - 96 hours and 25 minutes later. The game was suspended in the bottom of the eighth inning with Truro leading 4-3, after Brad Miller a Brad Miller fly ball became lost in the fog and turned into a triple. Truro had scored the go-ahead run in the top of the inning on a ball that centre-fielder Joel Irvine had lost in the fog. If that controversy was not enough for the game, what ensued once the game was resumed was. Jason Bailey batting with no outs and Miller at third base, picking up the game from the point where it was left on Sunday, was awarded first base on a questionable call of catcher's interference while trying to squeeze the run home. Miller was awarded a free pass home on the play tying the score at four. Mark Weeks promptly added a double of the left field wall to give Dartmouth 5-4 lead. The controvesy arose on the play when the catcher appeared to hit the bat after the batter had made contact with the ball, not before. Trevor Zwaan went to work in the nineth and retired the side in order to pick up the save. Jason Bailey, who pitched the first eight innings, earned his third win of the playoffs. Truro 201 000 010 - 4 4 3 Dartmouth 200 010 02x - 5 9 1 Jeff Fielding, Craig Higgins (2-2) and John Saunders, Jason Hoyt (6); Jason Bailey (3-0), Trevor Zwaan (S,1)(9) and Mark Weeks.

The Dry came out hitting and the Bearcats didn't as Dartmouth blanked Truro 10-0 to take the series opener. Trevor Zwaan, who faced the minimum 21 batters, pitched the second no-hitter of the year in a game shortened to seven innings due to the 10-run mercy rule. Ironically, Craig Higgins who took the loss, threw the other no-hitter. JP Wood was the only batter to reach base against Zwaan by being hit in the elbow by a pitch but was erased on a double play. Greg West led the way for Dartmouth at the plate with a single, double, homerun and five RBI. Brad Miller added a single, double and 2 RBI. Higgins was touched for seven earned runs on nine hits. Truro also showed signs of treating the Dry's power hitter Darren Doucette in the same manner in which they did in last year's playoffs. The former St. Louis Cardinals farm hand was intentionally walked twice. Dartmouth 401 023 0 - 10 12 0 Truro 000 000 0 - 0 0 3 Trevor Zwaan (3-2) and Mark Weeks, Craig Higgins (2-1), George Chapman (6) and Jason Hoyt. HR: Dart - Greg West (1)

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)