As any team heading into a provincial championship will tell you, the ultimate goal is to be playing your best baseball when the games count the most.
For the Moose Jaw Canucks Grey during the Baseball Sask 11-and-under AA Tier 2B provincial championship at Bell Park this weekend, it’s pretty safe to say that’s exactly what happened.
The Canucks would outscore their opposition 73-14 through their five games over the weekend, including four games where they held the opposition to two runs or less while cracking double digits in every one of their contests.
And you would be completely correct if you think that translated nicely into a provincial championship gold medal on Sunday afternoon.
The Canucks rolled to a 15-2 mercy rule win over the Saskatoon Royal Mavericks in the title game, hours after pounding out a 16-1 win over the Moose Jaw Canucks Black in the semifinal.
“It was a long road, but we pulled it out and it was great to see the boys all pull together as a team,” said Canucks coach Cortney Lacelle. “There were no individual efforts here today, it was the whole team that played great and it was a whole team effort.”
Moose Jaw opened the weekend with an 11-1 win over the Saskatoon Cardinal Destroyers on Friday before hammering out a 19-9 win over the Regina Red Sox in their first game Saturday, the only contest where the opposition had any kind of offensive pushback.
A 12-1 win over the Saskatoon Timber A’s gave Moose Jaw first place in their pool, setting up their semifinal battle with the Canucks Black.
The Canucks Grey had put together a decent season with the exception of a five-game losing streak midway through things, but they got hot at just the right time, eventually finishing third in their league playoffs just prior to provincials.
Then it was a little bit of extra practice before the games this weekend, and voila.
“We took some extra BP and got the kids in the cages the last couple days here before provincials, and hey, I have to give it to my coaching staff,” Lacelle said. “They were a big help getting the boys hitting and then it was the kids doing it themselves, wanting to be here and to play.”
The Canucks wasted little time getting going in the final, putting up the maximum six runs with only one out in the first inning and tacking on another three in second to lead 9-2. Another six-spot in the third made it 15-2, invoking the mercy rule and bringing things to an early end.
Riley Hill scored three runs for Moose Jaw, while Fynn Ernest, Glenn Drummond, Beau Blacklaws and Will Eritz all crossed the plate twice.
“We’re quite happy with how all went, for sure,” Lacelle said. “There was no one player who did it for us, everyone was getting a hit when it was timely and taking their walks when they were getting them. No one was making selfish plays, it was a team effort and I’m very proud of the boys.”
Beth Sarauer and Hadley Hollick scored the runs for the Royal Mavericks, an all-girls team who had a stellar weekend of their own.
The Moose Jaw Canucks Black also had a solid showing, defeating the Saskatoon Blue Jay Thunder 14-1 in their opener Friday before falling 17-7 to the Weyburn Beavers and defeating the Royal Mavericks 11-10 to advance to the semifinal.
