Hockey may be the sport in Canada’s heart, but slo-pitch is firmly rooted in Whitehorse.

With 52 teams playing in the co-ed league this year, the fields around town are getting some miles logged.

As the season winds down, teams are fighting to stay on the winning side of the bracket.

Tuesday night saw Division 1 “winning side” teams hit the field. Jats Landscaping met Castle Rock Enterprise on Takhini 3 as Whitehorse Dental Donkeys and Complete Concrete Athletics faced-off on Takhini 4.

Cheers could be heard from nearby Pepsi Softball Centre as Division 4B teams met.

Each team in the league has now played at least one game, as some teams had byes into the second bracket.

While games are played for athletic pursuit, there is also a social factor.

Arlo O’Riordan, who plays for the Whitehorse Dental Donkeys, said that it’s an important [part of the week, being able to take some time off from home life to swing at the ball and run some bases.

“You get a little break and get away,” he said. “I think it’s something that we all look forward to throughout the week.”

The core members of his team have been playing together for more than 10 years.

In the smallest division, division 1, the six teams meet each other often.

“We only have so many teams that we play so you see a lot of the same faces,” O’Riordan said. “The atmosphere is good.”

And that’s no matter if you’re playing at the grass-maintained diamonds of the Pepsi Softball Centre, or the pebble littered dirt of the Takhini diamonds.

The atmosphere was especially good at Takhini 4 on Tuesday night as O’Riordan hit his first grand slam of his co-ed slo-pitch career.

“I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face, he said. “I still can’t.”

Games continue tonight at various diamonds around town. Start times are at either 6:45 p.m. or 8:15 p.m.

Finals will be played on July 27 and 28.