“We really enjoyed it,” said Ginny Espenshade “There were a lot of close games and a lot of good sportsmanship.”

The two top teams in the 10-team league finished the regular season with identical 14-2 records, but the Oilers beat the Angler Keepers in their only matchup to win the regular season tie breaker.

On Sunday, the Oilers continued their winning ways and advanced to the final game by beating the Angler Keepers 13-11 on a two-run homer by Heath Smith in the bottom of the seventh inning.

The loss sent the Angler Keepers to the loser’s bracket in the double-elimination tournament where they faced a determined Nads team.

Knowing they would have to win three straight to repeat as city champs, the Angler Keepers called on an experience in the Firecracker Tournament in Kenai, where they had several come-from-behind victories.

“In Kenai we played nine games in two days,” Espenshade said. “I think it helped tremendously with our confidence.”

In a back-and-forth affair, the Angler Keepers beat the Nads 20-15 and carried that momentum to an 11-5 win over the Oilers in game one. That victory set up a winner-takes-all championship game Sunday night.

The Oilers jumped out to a commanding 5-0 lead in the second inning during a two-out rally that included a home run by Doug Koch.

That lead held into the bottom of the fourth inning, but in slow-pitch softball, leads generally don’t last for long.

The Angler Keeper bats came alive, sparked by an RBI double by Dan Miotke that give the Angler Keepers their first points of the game. By the time the inning was over, the team had scored seven runs on a series of hits to take the lead.

Miotke added to the lead in the top of the fifth with a two-run homer over the left field fence, and Bob Shavelson knocked in two more to give the Angler Keepers an 11-5 advantage.

The Oilers mounted a comeback in the seventh inning as the team scored on homers by Smith and a three run shot by Koch. But the rally fell short, giving the Angler Keepers the 13-11 win and their second title in two years.

The top two, possibly three teams in the Homer tournament will be invited to go to the state tournament in Anchorage, giving the Oilers and Angler Keepers another shot at a title this year. And despite the loss, the Oilers pitcher, Smith, said the tournament was a lot of fun this year.

“It’s obviously a little bit of a disappointment, but it was a great tournament, a lot of good ball,” said Smith. “We have a great team, great chemistry, we played well, even though we didn’t get the title. We look forward to the challenge of competing at state.”