Throughout the Canadian Little League Regional championship, the Moose Jaw All Stars could boast one of the most effective battery combinations in the tournament.
It didn’t matter who was pitching or who was catching, the All Stars were able to get outs at the plate regardless of the situation.
Unfortunately for the local crew, that all changed in the championship final against B.C.’s Little Mountain.
Walks, wild pitches and passed balls led to B.C. building a 7-0 lead, and they’d go on to a 9-4 victory at Rose Diamond in Calgary.
The loss was a tough end to a miraculous run for the local squad, including a pair of walk-off wins and a 5-1 record through the round robin, captivating baseball fans in Moose Jaw as they cheered on the local crew from afar.
Little Mountain will now represent Canada at the Little League World Series beginning next week in Williamsport, Penn.
The All Stars got off to a good enough start in the opening inning, quickly getting the first two outs, but starting pitcher Zaid Guillaume hit the next batter and walked a pair to get into a two-out jam. B.C. made a line-up change to bring in one of their hottest hitters, but Guillaume would need only three pitches to get the strikeout and end the threat.
Moose Jaw got a runner into scoring position in their half of the first after Cohen Symak was hit by a pitch and moved to second on a Neal Kohl sacrifice fly, but Little Mountain would escape without giving up a run.
B.C. used a single to center field, walk and infield single to load the bases with none out in the top of the second, and after Guillaume got a strikeout, a trickler back to the pitcher led to the game’s first run. A trio of wild pitches brought in three more Little Mountain scores, and just like that, B.C. had a 4-0 lead.
The All Stars got lead-off hitter Emery Schoenroth on in the bottom of the second, but a Kaiden Gadd ground ball to the pitcher led to a 1-3-5 double play to escape any kind of a potential jam.
A hit-by-pitch in the top of the third marked the end of Guillaume’s day, having pitched two innings and allowed four runs on four walks, three hits and striking out a pair.
Jackson Boyle took over on the mound, and a wild pitch, stolen base, and sacrifice fly would bring home B.C.’s fifth run.
Things didn’t get any better from there -- two walks and a hit by pitch loaded the bases again, and two passed balls led to B.C. bringing home two more runs to take a 7-0 lead through three innings.
Moose Jaw got something going in the bottom of the third, as Guillaume hit a lead-off single, Dillon Flanagan singled to center field and Pratte was hit by a pitch to load the bases. That brought up Neal Kohl, and he did what he’s done all tournament, sending a fly ball over the centre fielder’s head to bring home a pair of runs. Luke Turner came up next, and promptly hit a single to left, bringing home Moose Jaw’s third run.
Emery Schoenroth came on to pitch in the fourth but couldn’t stop the bleeding, as Little Mountain scored two more runs on a trio of base hits for a 9-3 lead.
A Kohl double in the bottom of the fifth gave Moose Jaw a bit of life, but B.C. would escape the inning without allowing another baserunner.
Moose Jaw held B.C. scoreless in the top of the sixth, largely thanks to a slick bit of fielding by Kohl, as he hauled in a fly ball in centre field and then gunned down the runner at home.
Moose Jaw got a rally going in their last at bat, loading the bases before Trey Stanhope singled home Gadd, but Kohl would strike out to end the threat and the game.
Kohl finished the game 2-for-3 with two RBI to lead the offence.
Boyle allowed two runs on two walks in his inning, Schoenroth two runs on eight hits through three innings of work.
