Cunningham powers champs

A Driftpile Titans’ batter pulls his bat away from a high, hard one during at attempted bunt at Driftpile May 20. The Titans lost the game 10-9 to the Grouard 86’ers.

Chris Clegg
South Peace News

Bruce Cunningham blasted two home runs to power the defending champion Grouard 86’ers to a 10-9 win at Driftpile May 20 in the High Prairie Men’s Fastball League opener for both clubs. Cunningham hit a pair of two-run dingers, the first in the third inning, the second in the fifth. Cunningham’s heroics put a damper on Terrance Thunder’s effort for the Titans. He cleared the bases with a three-run triple in the fourth and blasted a three-run homer in the fifth for a six RBI evening. He also came up in the bottom of the seventh with a chance to win the game with a man on base but hit into a fielder’s choice. Grouard never trailed in the game. They scored twice in the first inning and added four more runs in the third to take a 6-1 lead. However, the Titans clawed back with four runs in the fourth highlighted by the RBI triple from Thunder. Cunningham’s homer in the fifth gave Grouard an 8-5 lead until Thunder tied the game in the bottom of the fifth. A steady rain fell during the last three innings of the game. In the sixth, Grouard scored an unearned run when Randy Courtoreille reached first base on a fielder’s choice. He went to third on an error, then scored on a wild pitch. Durran Okemow tied the game 9-9 in the sixth when he singled in Jari Ladouceur, who led off the inning with a double. Grouard scored the winning run in the seventh. Cunningham was hit by a pitch and advanced on a single off Ralph Courtoreille’s bat. He scored on an error. Grouard used three pitchers with Ralph Courtoreille pitching the last two innings for the win. Shab Giroux went the distance and suffered the loss. In other opening night action, the visiting Gift Lake Juniors defeated the Whitefish Lake Haws 8-6.

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