TERRY FOX, ONTARIO- In a game played in oppressive +40°C heat, the SweatSox narrowly escaped with a 5-4 win over the short-handed Sandbaggers Sunday night at Kinsmen Field. The victory improves the SweatSox to 7-5 on the season, while the Sandbaggers drop to 1-10 in what was the first-ever matchup between the two teams.
Despite only fielding eight players, the Sandbaggers came out strong, taking an early 2-0 lead after the first inning, and holding a 3-1 advantage through four and a half. The SweatSox, historically allergic to heat — and to teams named “Heat” — looked anything but in control.
“It felt like we were playing on the surface of the sun,” said infielder Larry Pawelek. “Maybe we should hit the cages. Or a driving range. Or anything that isn’t this.”
The turning point came in the bottom of the 8th. With the score tied 4-4 and an 9th inning looming, Andrew Hierlihy drew a leadoff walk, his 3rd walk of the game. Steve Brown, making his 2025 season debut, laid down a textbook sacrifice bunt, moving Hierlihy into scoring position.
“I’m just glad Craig wasn’t here to poo-poo the small ball plan,” laughed Brown post-game. “I probably wouldn’t have done it if he was.”
Moments later, back-to-back wild pitches brought Hierlihy home, securing a walk-off win — and one the SweatSox, by their own admission, probably didn’t deserve.
“Look, they had eight guys,” said Pawelek. “We had ten plus a bench, and we still needed wild pitches to get it done.”
Eric White turned in his most complete outing of the season, allowing just 2 earned runs on 7 hits, striking out 8, hitting one batter, and—remarkably—issuing no walks. The effort earned him his fourth win of the year, as he dug deep to keep the SweatSox alive in a game that always felt on edge.
“I’m happy I got the train back on the tracks,” said White. “But I gotta stop smiling so much out there. Need to lock in better for the playoff push.”
His effort was particularly motivated by a dazzling — and painful — defensive moment by his longtime manager in the 5th inning. Cory Bond fully extended to make a diving catch in center field, going airborne to rob the Sandbaggers of a potential rally.
“Seeing Cory lay it all out like that lit a fire under me,” White said. “That’s the kind of sacrifice you pitch 8 innings for. Or 10, if they needed me to.”
Unfortunately, that sacrifice comes with a cost. Bond is expected to be out 4-6 with multiple injuries sustained on the play.
“He looked like a superhero out there,” joked base umpire Jean Lazure. “But I still want to know why Cory wasn’t able to make that catch back in the 2008 quarterfinals, after his fellow outfielders Bill Freeman and Kent Johnston made similar catches that very same inning…”
Offensively, the SweatSox were inefficient at best. The team managed only five hits against an eight-man defense: a double, two decent singles, and two dribblers that were generously ruled hits.
Mike Pignat was named Offensive Player of the Game after going 1-for-2 with 2 RBI, including a double in the third to open our scoring. He was also hit by a pitch in the first inning.
“Where’s my beer?” he asked. “First base, second base, the dugout — I kept looking, but nothing. Unacceptable.”
Jaspreet Sanghra and Shaun Keay contributed no-doubt singles, while Nick Henderson and Josh Ramage each recorded infield hits.
“Shoutout to our scorebook,” said Ramage. “Scorekeeping consistency matters. And today, that consistency worked in our favour.”
While the bats were mostly silent, the SweatSox flashed the leather. Middle infielders Henderson and Sanghra combined for 9 assists, 4 putouts, and — most impressively — zero errors.
“Full credit to Cory,” said Henderson. “He came in with a sharp gameplan, and Jaspreet and I were able to execute it to perfection.”
On the other side, Sandbaggers starter Nick Bangs turned in a gutsy two-way performance. On the mound, he went 4 innings, allowing 3 runs on 3 hits, walking 4, and striking out just 1, but it was a biggie: Eric White. At the plate, Bangs was 3-for-4, including a triple over a mysteriously shallow-playing Steve Brown.
Corwin Patrick also stood out, going 2-for-3 with an RBI and providing 3.1 innings of solid relief.
Right fielder Brandon Roy — who had to cover two positions — was in perfect spots all night, robbing the SweatSox of what little offense they managed to generate, with 3 big catches.
“I liked what I saw from the guys who showed up,” said Sandbaggers manager William Mackey. “If we cut down on those wild pitches, we’ll be in pretty good shape moving forward.”
The SweatSox are back in action Tuesday night at Brewer Park, where they’ll face the Coyotes at 6:10 PM.
If the forecast calls for less than 40 degrees, expect the full team — and maybe even some actual hits — to show up.
Final SweatSox vs Sandbaggers Notes/Thoughts:
- Andrew keeps deconstructed regular Coca-Cola on his kitchen counter.
- Thanks to the Sandbaggers for having their bases on standby if we needed them.
- When Trevor’s away, Cory has to get the field ready to play.
- The grace period for early games is 30 minutes, this offseason Cory and Keeping may propose it drops to 0.
- It’s not my (Shaun Keay) job to tell the umps our substitutions. I’m a web guy, not a people person.
- Base umpire Jean Lazure was sad his old teammate Geoff Nolan wasn’t in attendance.
- Walk, Sac Bunt, Wild Pitch, Wild Pitch – doesn’t quite have the same ring as the 2013 Walk, Single, Walk, Slam superfecta.
- It was a big day for Bangs, tough day for Out.
- Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day, also known as “La Fête nationale du Québec,” is Quebec’s national holiday, celebrated annually on June 24th. It honors Saint John the Baptist, the province’s patron saint, and celebrates Quebec’s French-Canadian culture, heritage, and identity.
- The SweatSox are making smart choices with their calories.
- Carter and I, Shaun Keay, are new BFF’s.
- Trevor doesn’t pitch because there’s no catcher’s glove that can contain him.
- Where are Larry’s pants?
- Cows have way better hearing than goats.
- So why was Steve playing so shallow?
- Trevor is going to run back to Tremblant to pick up his car. Like actually run there. Right now. He’s already gone. He’s already there. And he’s already driving back.
- How does Larry find a goat in tall grass? Attractive.
- Hamstring injury or not, you always have to protect a pitcher’s ERA.
- A cupcake is only as good as the person serving it to you.
- If Mike makes any sudden (or subtle) move, he needs a beer.
- Nothing beats VHS porn.
- You can’t see when someone leaves the chat, only when they come back.
- When Trevor pees on the side of an arena, the ice melts inside.
- Andrew sniped Steve’s jersey, and then made Steve drive him home. Double loss for Steve.
- Dicky Lovelady!!!