The Moose Jaw All Stars will be playing for pride in their final game of the 2023 Canadian Little League Championship.
The All Stars were eliminated from contention by a 16-0 loss to defending champion B.C. Little Mountain on Sunday evening before dropping a 3-1 decision to North Regina in action Monday afternoon.
As a result, the Prarie representatives hold a 0-5 record heading into their final game of the round robin against Alberta’s Calgary West on Tuesday in Regina.
It was a rough one for the All Stars against Little Mountain, as B.C. put up 14 runs in the first inning and added two more in the second before the teams played a scoreless third and the mercy rule was invoked.
Little Mountain made All Stars starter Tucker Knoop pay for every tiny mistake he made, as they scored 12 of their runs on five hits and five walks and a pair of hit batsmen. Burke Bechard finished off the opening inning and allowed four runs on five hits over the remaining 2 ⅓ innings.
All told, B.C. had 10 hits, and Moose Jaw was far better in the field, committing a single error after making 10 in their previous game against Sydney.
Things were just as difficult on the other side of the diamond, as two pitchers combined to throw a no-hitter. Bechard was the only Moose Jaw batter to get on base, as he reached on an error to lead off the first inning.
Little Mountain headed into play Tuesday having scored 66 runs and allowed only one.
The All Stars loss to Regina -- a team they had taken multiple mercy rule wins over during playoffs -- was a sign of how things just aren’t going Moose Jaw’s way this week.
The All Stars took a 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth inning, but they had their chances to put together an even bigger edge: Moose Jaw had runners at second and third in the first before Regina escaped the inning, and the tournament hosts would get a pickoff at third to escape the third inning.
Regina tied the game in the bottom of the fourth and then took the lead with a pair of runs in the fifth. The All Stars got the tying run to the plate in the top of the sixth, but that’s as close as they’d get.
Moose Jaw had only five hits, with Alex Schmelgesky scoring their lone run on a single by Will Funston.
Schmelgesky also got the start on the mound and allowed three runs on four hits in 4 ⅔, Keith Perry finished things off.
Moose Jaw will wrap up their Canadian Little League Championship on Tuesday afternoon against Calgary West, who sat at 2-2 heading into play Monday and have a shot at a playoff spot.
