Written By JAKE COURTEPATTE

Teams are all square following the first weekend of the North Dufferin Baseball League championship series.

The Bolton Brewers and Ivy Leafs stand knotted at a win apiece in their best-of-seven series, with Bolton taking game one on Saturday in Lisle and Ivy winning on their home diamond on Sunday.

Trent Barwick went toe-for-toe with Ivy ace Brad Grieveson on the mound for game one, in a game marked almost solely as a pitcher's duel. It took just one hour and fifteen minutes for Barwick to earn the complete game shutout, while Bolton managed to cross just once on Grieveson's pitching in a 1 – 0 win.

Scoreless until the bottom of the fourth inning, Mike Wallace scored the game's only run after reaching on a double, and cashing in on a single from John Hutchinson. Bolton managed just one other hit in the contest, a single off the bat of Wallace.

Ivy's best chance at solving Barwick came in the top of the fifth, when a dribbler back to the mound led to a double play and three men left on base.

Game two on Sunday began with a similar gusto between those toeing the mound, with Bolton's Nick Pettinaro rivaling Ivy's Chris England in shutout ball right into the sixth inning.

Bolton knocked in the game's first run in the top half of the inning, though Ivy quickly countered in the bottom with three of their own.

Brett Chater hit his team-leading eighth long ball of the season in the top of the seventh, knotting the game at three.

Ivy once again mounted a charge in their half of the inning, cashing in on a single in a walk-off 4 – 3 victory.

Pettinaro was able to strike out five batters through his 5.2 innings of work on the mound for the Brewers, allowing three runs on four hits. Andrew White came in in relief for the last inning-plus, allowing one run on two hits while fanning one batter.

Play resumes this Saturday with a game three matinee returning to Ivy, before the series moves to Bolton's North Hill Park for the first time in game four on Sunday. Sunday's first pitch is set for 3p.m.

Game five will go the following Saturday, while if necessary, games six and seven will be played the final weekend of September.