The Moose Jaw All Stars were undoubtedly an easy team to write off as contenders after the way things went in their Canadian Little League Regional tournament opener exactly one week ago.
Ten errors in the field, a 15-5 loss to B.C.’s Vancouver Little Mountain and little of anything to really build on? Looks like a quick run through the round robin and seats in the stands for the playoffs.
But as head coach Troy Turner said way back when the team was first announced, this is a team that has been building toward this for years. And one tough loss wasn’t going to rattle them very much.
Now, six straight wins later, they’re once again about the face Little Mountain. This time for the Canadian championship and a spot in the Little League World Series in a week’s time.
And if you think it’s a far, far different look than what it was a week ago, you’d be absolutely correct -- to the point that even though B.C. nearly mercied the All Stars in their first meeting, they’ll be more than ready for a tough battle in the final.
“I don’t think it’s going to be a surprise for them whatever we do, all these kids know what they’re doing now,” Turner said on Thursday afternoon, just after B.C. snuck out a 3-2 win over host Rocky Mountain in their semifinal. “I’m sure those guys are going to be aware of how good we’ve been rolling and we just have to make sure we’re staying high and continuing to believe in ourselves.”
The All Stars put together another impressive all-around performance in their semifinal, scoring three runs in the top of the sixth and taking a 5-2 win over Alberta’s Calgary West.
And as has been the case all tournament, it was a full-on team effort with contributions from all over the field and up-and-down the line-up.
“Every kid basically had a chance to step up and rise to the occasion,” Turner said. “For Flanny [starter Dillon Flanagan] to pitch six complete on 67 pitches, that’s incredible. Then for Kaidan Gadd to come through the way he did, he made two big plays in the first and that game would have been a lot different if those plays didn’t happen at all.”
Gadd’s defensive stops were a symbol of how the team has been performing on the field ever since their opener. Moose Jaw has made only 11 errors since that game, including one in their final round robin contest and a perfect showing in the field in the semifinal.
The All Stars even enjoyed a bit of karma from the baseball gods, as the thing that buried them against B.C. -- bunt defence -- was the thing that got the final out in the semifinal against Alberta.
“Obviously Game 1 didn’t show it, but we’ve gotten stronger and stronger in the field ever since and there’s no better way to finish off,” Turner said. “And to finish this game off with a perfect play on a bunt, that just shows how far these kids have come.”
Of course, it would be remiss to skip the offence. Different bats have come through every day, and it was Gadd’s turn on Thursday, with his run-scoring single giving Moose Jaw the sixth-inning lead.
“When we had that big walk-off against Nova Scotia, CBC started rolling their cameras and the kids were all kind of starstruck and I told the guys ‘hey fellas, just because Luke [Turner] is on the top of the mountain today, it could be anybody else, we’re going to have other guys who are going to step up’ and I’m sure they took that to heart. There have been lots of kids stepping up at the right place.”
They’ll need to do so and then some against B.C.
Little Mountain pounded out double-digit run totals in all of their round robin games, with their fearsome offence giving opposing pitchers and defences fits.
But they haven’t faced Zaid Guillaume. And they will tomorrow.
Guillaume has been absolutely steller for the All Stars, making two appearances and pitching 5 ⅓ innings, scattering three hits, allowing no runs and striking out 11 in the process. An electric fastball touching the low 70s has been his greatest weapon, and Turner expects that won’t change on Friday morning.
“For us, the hitting has always been good and we’re expecting that won’t change, so it’ll come down to pitching and defence,” he said. “Zaid has struggled with his command and composure on the mound, but he’s come so far in just in this tournament, it’s been amazing to watch and a lot of fun to see happen firsthand… he’s been a lights-out rockstar for us and hopefully when he brings it tomorrow everything goes as well we expect it to go.”
You can watch the Moose Jaw All Stars take their shot at booking a spot in the Little League World Series at 11 a.m. across the CBC network and on CBC.ca.
