After their first game against each other on April 24 physical education teachers Patrick Russell and Andrew Kinney continue their friendly fire as the baseball coaches of two rival teams: Melican Middle School and Trottier Middle School.

Through a powerful game with many turning points, Trottier ended up beating Melican 15-9 in a game at that came down to the final innings.

“[Trottier] scored six runs in the first inning, but Melican wasn’t going down without a fight,” Russell said. “They battled back and tied it up.”

Considering the two rivals share an office, Kinney believes that the rowdiness of the department added to the excitement of the game.

“We got the whole department engaged in the chatter going on,” Kinney said. “A lot of people knew about it and they were egging us on a little bit and talking trash, so it was cool to add excitement to the season.”

Through all the excitement, both Kinney and Russell assured that it is all fun and games and that the heated baseball rivalry stays on the field.

“We’re not really going to get mad at each other,” Russell said. “I have seen that happen with people before, but we’re not going to let it come between us.”

“At the end of the day it’s all fun and for the kids,” Kinney added.

However, on their second and final game on May 10th, Melican won with an exciting walk off finish, beating Trottier 2-1 in the bottom of the seventh inning.

“The boys worked really hard,” Assistant Melican Coach Casey Leonard said, “I was proud of all they accomplished during the game. It was icing on the cake for the end of the season.”

Being their final game of the season, Melican and Trottier are 1-1. Coaches Kinney and Russell will carry the rivalry to next season, and truly find out which team is on top.