After a first-place finish in the Corner Brook Molson Senior Baseball League regular season standings, it was clear the West Side Monarchs were never going to be an easy out in the playoffs.
They demonstrated that fact in spades during Game 5 of the best-of-seven final on Tuesday night at Jubilee Field.
In a game that went into three extra innings and twice saw the Veitch Wellness Aces with their proverbial boots on the collective throats of the gold and black, a Jeff Gillam single sent Tyler Gardner home for the walk-off win in the bottom of the 10th to force a Game 6.
The Aces now lead 3-2 and have another chance to close it out on Thursday night.
Gillam went 3-for-5 on the evening overall, with the one, crucial RBI to his credit. Travis Taylor was 2-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored.
Brian Bennett had two RBIs and scored once in a 2-for-5 outing at the plate, while Steve Hynes was 2-for-4 with two RBIs.
In what was a true pitching duel, Taylor lasted all 10 innings in the win, striking out six and walking three. The five runs allowed came off 12 hits.
Bennett did all he could in the losing cause, registering 10 strikeouts in 9.1 innings of action, with four walks. He surrendered five runs (two earned) on eight hits.
Hynes faced four batters in the bottom of the 10th, giving up the winning run on two hits, with two walks. Hynes also gave up the tying run to Matt Prosper, but that run was charged to Bennett since he was the one to put him on base.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 R H E
Aces 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 5 12 3
Monarchs 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 2 6 10 4
