From the Prince George Citizen
Monday, August 28, 2006

Host team avoids early two-loss hole

by JASON PETERS, Citizen staff

Korrey Gareau showed precisely why he is considered one of the best pitchers in the world.

Sunday night at Spruce City Stadium, the Prince George Black Bears hurler tossed a three-hitter against the Saskatoon Aspen Interior Black Sox to lead the Bears to a 5-4 win. Gareau ended the game with 10 strikeouts, none bigger than his final one. With the tying run standing on third base in the form of Sean Whitten, Gareau fanned Darrell Joy to end the ball game. With the victory, the Black Bears evened their record at the Canadian senior men’s fastpitch championship at 1-1.

Gareau and Joy — who are both on Team Canada’s 35-player list — are also teammates on The Farm Tavern, based in Madison, Wis. Gareau said he had a pretty good idea of how to work to Joy.

“(I threw) a drop ball and then struck him out with a rise ball,” said the 33-year-old Gareau, one of the Black Bears’ key pickup players for the tournament. “He was thinking drop ball and I came up with a rise ball.”

The victory was huge for the Bears, who could not afford to fall to 0-2 on opening day. Earlier Sunday, they blew a lead and lost 9-6 to the Charlottetown Razzy’s Roadhouse Fawcetts.

“We let the first one slip on us, and my duty was to try and get it back even again,” Gareau said.

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