In their second back-and-forth, edge-of-your-seat game of the home season, the Cincinnati Rollergirls Black Sheep fell to Steel City Roller Derby’s Steel Hurtin’ by just four points on April 6, while the Violent Lambs emerged victorious over Steel City’s Steel Beamers.

In the first jam of the sanctioned game between the No. 88-ranked Black Sheep and No. 89 Steel Hurtin’, who hadn’t faced off in eight years, blockers from both teams clamped down on defense to keep both jammers from escaping the pack for over a minute. That proved to be a sign of a tough game for both team’s jammers, whose frequent trips to the penalty box led to multiple lead changes.

At halftime, CRG led 79-68, and the second half saw more power jams and lead changes. Toward the end, it looked like CRG might pull the victory with a thrilling 16-0 jam by Royal T, who had spent most of the game in the pivot position. But a smart time out call by Steel City’s bench forced another jam, and a 12-0 jam by Steel Hurtin’s Geleskie gave the win to the Steel Hurtin’, 166-162.

Violent Lambs vs. Steel Beamers
CRG's Gnarly Manson jams for the Violent Lambs.

In the B team game, the Violent Lambs consistently maintained the lead, but the Steel Beamers were never far behind. The Lambs led 101-70 at halftime and won by about the same margin, 175-146.

In stark contrast to bench-clearing brawl at the Cincinnati Reds vs. Pittsburgh Pirates game the next day, this game was marked by handshakes on the jammer line, dancing during time-outs and a group photo at the end — all signs of two teams that don’t want to wait another eight years to play each other again.

Top scorers

Black Sheep: Jas Hubbard (63), Nuk’em (51)
Steel Hurtin’: Brannan (41), Geleskie (40)
Violent Lambs: Mae Murder (60), Loko (49)
Steel Beamers: Bubble Wrath (41), Firestarter (39)

MVPs

Black Sheep: Jas Hubbard (jammer), Royal T (blocker)
Steel Hurtin’: Brannan (jammer), Stark Raven (blocker)
Violent Lambs: Loko (jammer), Jillian Dollaz (blocker)
Steel Beamers: Bubble Wrath (jammer), Alivia Martin (blocker)

Next game

CRG takes on Baltimore’s Charm City Roller Girls in a double-header at Schmidt Memorial Fieldhouse on Saturday, April 27, the team’s annual Star Wars Night. For tickets and more information, click here.