Rankin Inlet Freaks crowned Slo-Pitch National champions

James Merritt said you could make a movie out of how the championship game ended.

The Rankin Inlet Freaks outfielder recalled it was the bottom of the final inning of the Canadian co-ed softball Slo-Pitch National tournament in Winnipeg on Aug. 6. The Freaks were up by one run against the Churchill Bandits, who were up to bat.

There was one out. The Bandits tying run was on third base, the winning run was at second and the team’s biggest hitter was at the plate.

He hit the ball deep to left field, where Freaks outfielder Seamas Ayaruak made the catch, but the runner on third was now sprinting to home plate to try and tie the game.

“I thought there was no chance we were going to get the out at home,” Merritt said.

But Ayaruak threw the ball straight to home and got the out. Merritt said the umpire told him it was the best throw he’d seen in 20 years.

It’s also the throw that made the Freaks the first Nunavut team to win the co-ed Slo-Pitch National softball tournament, which ran Aug. 4 to 6. The game’s final score: 10-9.

Merritt later told Ayaruak, “on my deathbed I’m going to remember that throw.”

The Freaks had travelled down to Winnipeg for the national softball tournament, which is hosted by Slo-Pitch National.

After the final play, the Freaks ran onto the field celebrating and hugging each other. Once the win was confirmed, the Freaks threw their gloves and hats in the air.

The Freaks, who have been participating in the tournament for more than 10 years, faced some adversity in getting to the semifinal round, according to Merritt.

They faced the Churchill Bandits, the team the Freaks would eventually beat in the final. But in the semifinal matchup, the Bandits blew out the Freaks.

That meant the Bandits went straight to the final, while the Freaks would have to win the losers’ bracket to make it back to the finals for a rematch.

“I told the team, ‘I want another shot at [the Bandits]’,” Merritt said.

The championship was a long buildup for the Freaks, who had been playing together since they were kids.

“This was our dream,” Merritt said.

On top of getting that second chance and winning, the Freaks got great feedback from people at the tournament.

Kent Kamenz, Slo-Pitch National’s regional director for Manitoba and Northwest Ontario, was at the championship game and saw the win.

“I turned to one of my co-ordinators and said, ‘That’s the best part of slo-pitch, right there,’” he said.