The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

'20 -- PORT PERRY STAR -- Tuesday, Sept. 25, 1984 Sports Tough loss for Legion in OASA final Despite a gritty five run come-back, a bone weary Port Perry Legion team came up just short in a bid to capture the all-Ontario Intermediate C pennant at a tournament played over the weekend in Meaford, Ontario. Legion had to settle for the runner-up spot behind Garden River who won the final 6-5 after scoring the winn- ing run in the bottom of the 7th inning. It was a disappointing end to the tournament for the Legion squad who had lost the opening game to Garden River and then had to win five in a row to stay alive in the double knock-out for the right to meet the same Garden River team in the final. In the final game, it looked as if Port Perry The disappointment of defeat registered on their faces, members of Port Perry Legion fastball team accept awards as run- ners up in the all-Ontario Intermediate C championship played over the weekend in Meaford. Legion lost 6-5 to Garden River in the final. (See story) A J ' nN 'iif Legion Captain Rob Evans and manager Doug Scott accept the finalists pennant after a tough loss in the all-Ontario final. At right is Jim Nelson of the OASA. was headed for trouble early as Garden River took advantage of a couple of errors in the bottom of the first and pushed three runs across the plate. Garden River upped the score to 5-0 in the bottom of the fourth and with pitcher Darren Zack still throwing smoke, the writing seemed to be on the wall for Port Legion. However, the Legion players decided to make a game of it in the top of the 5th inning and stag- ed a one-out rally that resulted in five runs and a tie game. : Pitcher Lawrie Will- iams started things going with a walk and he scored when Bill St. John tagged a triple down the right field line. Colin Wackett then pushed out a single to score St. John and DH Rick Evans followed that with a triple to score Wackett and make it 5-3. Still with just one gone, Rob Evans lofted a high fly just over second base that dropp- ed and Rick Evans scampered home to narow the count to 5-4. Dave Dickson's triple scored the tying run, but the next two Legion batters went down in order to end the rally. In the top of the 7th, Legion threatened to take the lead with runners on first and second and one out, but a fly ball and a strike out brought Garden River to the plate in bottom of the 7th inning with the score tied. Legion pitchers Law- rie Williams and John Annis, who were show- ing the strain of seven games in two days, were unable to contain Garden River. With the bases loaded and nobody out, a hit through the infield scor- ed the winning run to give Garden River the victory. The winning team from near Sault Ste. Marie was led by an outstanding pitcher on the mound. Darren Zack showed almost unbel- ievable stamina as he threw all the games for his team, fielded with agility and hit with power The only loss he took in the entire tournament was at the hands of Legion in the semi-final, a game the Port Perry team had to win to stay alive in the double knock-out. Rob Evans tagged Zack in the bottom of the first with a two-out solo shot over the fence in left centre. Legion pinch runner Brian Smith scored once more in the 5th on an infield hit by Rick Evans to give Port Perry the 2-0 win. Lawrie Williams gave up seven hits and struck out seven to get the win. Rob Evans had a fine game for Legion. Along with his game winning homer, the Port Legion short-stop made several solid plays in the field, despite a very sore left shoulder that will require surgery this week. Legion opened the tournament on Saturday in game one with a tough 4-3 loss to Garden River that went 11 innings. At one point in this game, Legion had taken a 3-0 lead. From that game on it w 1s win or go home for Legion and the team put together a string of five victories to make it to the final which was played under the lights Sunday evening. . § We, Legion drubbed Engleheart 14-3, defeat- ed the host Meaford team 6-2, and then blanked Linwood, Petrolia and Garden River by scores of 6-0, 3-0 and 2-0 to set up the exciting final. The game Sunday against Linwood had one of the strangest plays seen on a fastball field in a long time. With Legion ahead 3-0 and a runner on third, Tim Thompson lined a smash deep into left field that would have been a home run in any park. The ball hit a light standard about 12 feet up, then dropped down behind a protective steel barrier around the bottom of the standard. The standard was flush against the home run fence of the adjac- ent diamond and Thompson and the entire Legion team felt he had hit one out of the park. However, after a long discussion among the umpires and an official with OASA, Thompson was sent to third base. They ruled it a single and then two bases for a blocked ball, the one that had disappeared inside the light stand- ard. It was a strange play, to say the least. At the conclusion of the tournament, a dis- appointed Legion team was presented with the runner up pennant by Jack Cook Jr. of Port Perry, a vice president with OASA. Legion will have to put that disappointment to one side this week as the team heads into its own league champion: ship final agains Oshawa. This will be ¢ best of five affair. Photos and story by John B. McClelland The ""high-fives" proved a little premature for Tim Thom son after he hit what everyone thought was a sure home run in Legion's 4-0 win over Linwood in all-Ontario play Sunday. However, Thomp- son was sent back to third base on what was (See story) a very strange play.