With no playoffs, no prize money, and no chance to catch the first place Sarnia Braves, the Maple City Brewers entered Sunday's doubleheader with nothing but bragging rights on the line.

"We wanted to win two today," said Brewer's player-manager Dave Smith. "But we're happy with the way we played. It's a great tuneup for OBAs."

The Brewers threw their ace, Dave Carey, in game 1 and he didn't disappoint; yielding just one unearned run on two hits and three walks, in a 4-1 win.

In game two, the Braves tossed their ace and he held the Brewers hitless through the first five innings, before the Brewer bats exploded for five runs in the final two innings, but it was too little too late as Maple City was down 8-0, and finally succumbed 9-5.

Brewer second baseman Joel Smith had some thoughts on the state of the Western Counties league, "It's a shame, really, that they decided to not hold playoffs or award prize money. Port Lambton had a good squad, and Sarnia was really strong; it would have been really competitive playoffs."

Maple City started off strong in game 1. After Carey retired the side in the top of the first, the Brewers jumped all over the Sarnia hurler.

With two outs, the Sarnia third baseman misplayed a groundball off the bat of Ryan Cattrysse (RF) allowing him to reach base. Brandyn Broadwood (DH) and David Corrente (C) both singled to load the bases, and Joey Hewak (3B) followed with a 2 run single that gave the Brewers a 2-0 lead.

Both teams went quietly in the second, as both pitchers settled in, but Maple City got the bats going again in the third.

Broadwood led off the bottom of the third with a walk, and moved to second on a passed ball. With one out Hewak would again come up clutch with a sharp single to left centre that plated Broadwood increasing the lead to 3-0.

In the bottom of the fifth, David Corrente - in his last at bat of the season - destroyed a 2-0 fastball and sent it over the wall in left field for a solo homerun; his third homerun in just 13 at-bats.

Meanwhile, Dave Carey was in control, striking out the side in the fifth, and retiring the side in order in the sixth.

The seventh inning started out ominously, a walk and hit-by-pitch put runners at first and second with nobody out, but Carey induced a groundball to shortstop Matt Knights who flipped to Joel Smith who finished off a nifty 6-4-3 double play to essentially end the threat. Two batters later Carey would strike out former Brewer Greg Kemble to end the game and seal a 4-1 victory for the home side. Full box score available.

Game 2 was not as tidy for the home side. Playing as the visitors in their home park, the Brewers got down 8-0 after five innings. Jason Shaw, pitching for the first time in almost a month, didn't have his best stuff, allowing seven runs (six earned) in 3 and a third innings. Matt Rylett came on in relief and finished the game.

The Brewers were held hitless until the sixth when their bats finally exploded. They scored four runs on six hits, Brandyn Broadwood (C) coming up with a big 2 run double that hit off the fence in centre. It seemed like Maple City might make a game of it, but Broadwood was thrown out at third base trying to stretch his double into a triple, and the Brewers would finish the inning down 8-4.

The Braves added a single run in the bottom of the sixth putting them up by five, but again the Brewers mounted a rally in the seventh.

Brock Henderson singled to start the inning, and scored on an Alan Oldershaw flyball which the right fielder dropped. Joel Smith singled to put runners on first and second with one out, down 9-5. However, that was as close as the Brewers would get and they would settle for a split with the WCBL champions. Full box score available.