The steady drizzle that fell throughout the evening on Balf-Savin Field at CCSU only served to quicken the pace of an already slick turf surface—and that added speed may have made the difference in a game that turned into a track meet.

Elmer’s emerged with a six-inning 10-5 victory over the Tunxis Grill Indians thanks largely to its bold baserunning. Despite only managing five hits, six Elmer’s players stole a total of eight bases, adding several extra bases as throws scooted past fielders on the slippery turf. A sequence in the fifth inning that saw Russell LaFleur single, steal second, steal third, and score as the throw skipped into left field provided a microcosm of the contest.

Jay Crawford, all of 48 years young, even managed to steal second without so much as a broken hip, sliding smoothly on the turf for his first career swipe in the MTL.

Elmer’s struck with four of its 10 runs in the first, but the Indians would take advantage of five walks from Elmer’s starter Justin Swiderski to make the score 7-5 in the fifth. Swiderski recovered to strike out the final two batters he’d face, and Elmer’s rallied to score three runs in the bottom half of the inning to seal the victory. Alex Fretz pitched a clean sixth inning to close it out, as darkness prevailed after six.

Will Ramos led the Indians with two hits out of the leadoff spot, including a two-RBI single in the fifth. Left-hander TJ Hewitt pitched effectively in relief of knuckle balling Pat O’Sullivan, striking out the side in the fourth. The Indians declined to challenge Elmer’s catcher Mike Cook, with no attempted steals. Tunxis Grill falls to 3-6, while Elmer’s stands at 4-2-1.