STELLARTON - The Pictou County Albions capped off a solid season in the Nova Scotia Intermediate Baseball League with a crowning jewel by capturing the Baseball Nova Scotia Intermediate AAA championships with a 14-6 victory over the Dooly's Coors Light Blues Monday.
Both clubs, who will meet again in next weekend's NSIBL championship tournament at Hantsport, were hoping for the victory to cap off solid seasons.
The Blues called on Amherst Midget Red Sox affiliate pitcher Nick Remington to start the final hoping his youth and a lack of knowledge by the Albions' hitters of him would keep them off balance.
He met the challenge and worked into the fifth inning before Pictou finally got to him and he was removed for Tony Legere.
The lead seesawed back and forth until the Albions broke open the game with a big fifth inning.
Leon Landry doubled and singled to pace the Blues while Matt Noiles added two singles and Neal MacDonald, Jeff Hoeg, Shane Sexton, Dave Slade and catcher Devin Ferguson all added singles.
Ferguson was forced from the game in the middle innings after a collision at the plate dislocated his thumb.
"Not many people though we had a chance in this tournament, but the guys took their game to another level and fought like mad all weekend,'' Barry 'Sparky' Anderson, manager of the Blues said.
"We were bruised, battered and broken, but we played with guts and moxie to defeat three good teams,'' he added.
Anderson said he is proud of the team for displaying a lot of grit and character, not only this weekend, but throughout the season.
The Albions and Blues met in the first game of the event with Pictou coming out with an 11-3 victory. Jeff Hoeg started for Dooly's and was tagged with the loss while Glenn Marks came on in relief.
They combined to allow 11 runs on 15 hits, fanned one and walked two.
Darren Collins had two singles and Noiles doubled for the Blues. MacDonald, Landry and Sexton added singles.
It only took five-innings for the Blues to dispose of the Windsor Knights by a 13-3 margin in game two.
Matt Keddy went the distance spinning a three hitter, allowing three earned runs, fanned five and walked three for the victory.
Hoeg and Sexton with two singles each and Marks and MacDonald with doubles, paced the Dooly's attack. Corey Blenkhorn, Landry and Ferguson added singles.
In the third game, the Blues nearly blew a 6-0 lead en route to a 7-6 victory over the Bridgewater Bulldogs.
Matt Keddy earned the victory in relief of starter Shane Sexton as they combined to give up six runs on 10-hits, fanned five and walked three.
MacDonald led the way at the plate with two doubles and a single and Landry added three hits. Ferguson with two hits and Noiles, Hoeg and Sexton with singles rounded out the attack.
In the fourth game, MacDonald hit a solo home run in the top of the seventh lifting the Blues to a 7-6 victory over Eastern Passage Sharks.
Hoeg picked up the win in relief of Legere. They combined to allow six runs on 10-hits, fanned eight, walked six and hit one batter.
Landry doubled with two singles and Hoeg and Marks each doubled and singled for Dooly's. Collins added two hits and Matt Noiles hit a two-run home run to tie the game at 6-6.
Dooly's will be in Hantsport this weekend to participate in the NSIBL championships.
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