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By Ian Gustafson

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Red Deer Riggers win Sunburst League championship

Aug 18, 2025 | 12:58 PM

For the first time since 2017, the Red Deer Riggers are Sunburst Senior AAA Baseball League champions.

The Riggers defeated the Edmonton Cubs 10-5 on Sunday to win Game 5 in the best-of-five series.

Red Deer’s offence led the way including multiple hit performances from Jaret Chatwood, Tyler McWillie, Mason Love-Hollman, and Josh Edwards.

McWillie was also the starting pitcher for the Riggers who pitched five and two-third innings. He gave up five runs on seven hits and struck out three batters.

Jared Arnold pitched one and one-third innings where he allowed a single hit and struck out two batters.

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The Riggers took a 7-1 lead through the first five innings of the game but the Cubs didn’t go away quietly. Edmonton scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to inch closer but Red Deer answered in the top of the seventh with three runs of their own.

The Riggers entered Sunday trailing the Cubs in the series two games to one. They lost Game 1 in Red Deer 8-1 before tying the series in Game 2 with a 7-1 victory on the road last Tuesday.

In Game 3 on Wednesday, the Riggers struggled on offence and lost 3-1 in Red Deer.

This meant Red Deer was going to need to win both games in Edmonton on Sunday to be crowned champions. They did just that, beating the Cubs 7-2 in Game 4 before coming out on top in the deciding Game 5.

Pitcher Kai Poffenroth was named the finals MVP after recording two wins in the series and over 12 innings pitched.

The Riggers previously faced the Cubs in the 2021 league finals and lost the series. This time around, the Riggers gained the upper hand.

As a result, Red Deer will represent the province at the 2026 Men’s National Baseball Championships in Chatham, New Brunswick next August.