Despite a name change and another year’s experience, the Cereal Killers still couldn’t beat their slo-pitch nemesis Sunday afternoon.

After building up an early 8-0 lead, the Killers crumbled late as Bailey’s Pub eventually won their second straight Div. 4A opening tournament title at the Pepsi Softball Centre.

After a bases-loaded walk to Lynn Pollard tied the game 15-15 in the bottom of the eighth inning, an infield single by Cliff Charbonneau drove in Emily Hoefs on a close play at the plate to give Bailey’s a 16-15 walkoff win.

“The Cereal Killers had a very good start and got up on us, but everyone was still confident that we could win it,” Bailey’s pitcher Nick Estrada told the Star. “We were finally able to tie it in the last inning.”

Bailey’s scored three runs in the third, added four more in the fourth, eventually knotting things up and sending the game into extras.

The game was a rematch of last year’s opening tournament when Bailey’s beat Sam N Andy’s Bandidos (now the Cereal Killers) 18-5.

Bailey’s went on to drop the closing tournament final to the Acme Tune Squad – a team now playing Div. 2 as the Rockhard Rebels.

“They seem to be the one team we can’t beat,” said Killers captain Kirk Gilbert.

“They seem to have us downpat somehow. Bailey’s just played a really good tournament.”

After downing the Medicine Chest Sliders Friday night, Bailey’s beat the Killers 20-9 in their second game, sending the Killers to the bottom bracket in the double-knockout tournament.

The Killers went on to beat Yukon Yamaha, the Pepsi Seniors, Northwestel and the For Hire Plumbing Ballwackers Saturday, before downing the Kubota Hoes Sunday morning to earn a much-anticipated rematch with Bailey’s in the final.

Currently unbeaten in regular season play, Northwestel is the top team in Div. 4B this season, and moved up to Div. 4A for the tournament.

“It was a long tournament, and all in all, we’re really happy,” Gilbert said of his team’s long road. “As long as we win in the end, that’s what matters.”

He said it was team defence that earned the Killers a second straight trip to the finals.

“That’s not our strong suit,” Gilbert noted. “Usually, we’re a big hitting team. But this tournament, we were all defence.”

Bailey’s took the easier route to the championship game, defeating the Ballwackers and Hoes Saturday to earn a berth in the big game.

Estrada and Chris Pollard led the way in the final game with three runs a piece. Meanwhile, Coady Bustin crossed the plate three times to lead the Killers.

Other members of Bailey’s Pub include: Nikki Belanger, Amy Davignon, John Drummond, Ammon Hoefs, Byron Klippert, Amanda Malek, Amy Vermeulen and Steph Wilson.

Despite their winning pedigree, Bailey’s endured a rough start to the season, winning just two of their six games so far.

In fact, the Killers even got the better of Bailey’s 20-13 in the second game of the new season.

“Most of the teams who were beating them in the regular season, Bailey’s was able to beat in the playoffs here,” Gilbert said. “Of course, that’s all that really counts and matters.”

“We are definitely one of the teams that is just out there to have a good time,” said Estrada. “Once the tournament started, everyone was playing so well and everything was just clicking for us.”

Other teams competing in the Whitehorse Co-Ed Slo-Pitch League’s Div. 4A tournament were Challenger Geomatics and the Wiebe Design and Construction Warriors.