CORNER BROOK Lady Luck was wearing her black and gold dress on Tuesday night.
In a 2-2 game between the West Side Monarchs and First Choice Vision Junior Barons, the Monarchs were the beneficiaries of a little good fortune in the bottom of the seventh inning that gave them a 3-2 victory in the Corner Brook Molson Senior Baseball League game at Jubilee Field.
Monarchs' Aaron Sheppard, down 0-2 in the count, nailed the next pitch, sending it underneath the fence to be called a ground-rule double. Aaron Flood and Rob Park both went up and out quickly, leaving Jeff Gillam at the plate with two outs and Sheppard on second.
Junior Barons pitcher Travis Taylor decided to walk Gillam, but then things took a turn for the worse for the young club.
"They went to walk Gilly and I noticed the last ball went low and (Junior Barons catcher Daniel McCarthy) was going to fumble it, so I took off to third," Sheppard said. "When he went to throw me out, he over-threw it and I took off home.
"They just had that one mistake there, where he threw the ball away at third."
It was an error, no doubt, however it certainly could have been due to either physical or mental fatigue after the baby Barons were defeated in five games by the St. John's Caps in provincial junior baseball championship play over the weekend out east.
"They played five games the weekend, so no doubt they were tired," said Sheppard.
"They're a really good team, they've got a couple of strong arms there."
The win has the Monarchs in the thick of things in the league standings, which are currently topped by the Veitch's Ultramar Hawks at 4-3. The Barons are 4-4, with the Health and Performance Aces at 3-3.
The Monarchs are now 3-4 on the year.
"It was a close game," Sheppard said. "The league is so tight right now, so we're definitely happy with the win."
