Four baseball teams based out of Unity Minor Ball headed to provincial championships over the July 18 weekend. Two came home with provincial titles.
The Mosquito boys' team headed to Muenster in the A2 category. The team included some veterans and some newcomers, a mixture of Unity players along with one Wilkie player. The combination of experience and determination resulted in an undefeated weekend, earning them the provincial title. Unity downed the hometown Muenster team 8-0 in the gold medal final.
"The kids played amazing baseball and rose to every challenge," said coach Dan Feser. "Every single player contributed. Like all championship teams, we had a lot of heroes over the weekend and this team worked incredibly hard.
Assistant coach Dave Weber added that it was a satisfying victory, especially going undefeated through the round robin.
"The kids demonstrated they were the class of the tournament," stated Weber. "In the final game, every aspect of their game was in evidence: superior pitching, solid defence and great offensive contributions up and down the lineup. Moreover, the kids were a class act on and off the field. We are very proud of our team."
The Peewee AA team, whom held tryouts and formed early in the season, played together all year. The team had some boys whom won a couple of provincial titles in the past. The team included Unity players with the addition of one Cut Knife player. Their season went very well winning many of their games and tournaments, which put them in good position for the provincial championship held in Weyburn. The team played very well, winning every game to get them to the provincial championship.
Not all games were easy ones. The round robin game against Humboldt was won by one run. The semifinal game against Swift Current was a nail biter. The team was up 12-9 until Swift Current knocked three runs home to tie the score at 12-12, sending the games to extra innings. Easton McLean stepped to the plate with two out and crushed a grand slam home run to win the game and send Unity to finals.
In a rematch against Humboldt, a team Unity had their toughest game against, the Cardinals were not to be denied and won the provincial title with a decided 14-2 victory. Head coach Regan L'Hereux said his team was determined to win on the weekend.
"They battled through some highs and lows, maintained composure when we were up or down," said L'Hereux. "In the end, all the hard work they went through this year paid off for all of them and it all worked out in the end. It was a true team weekend as we used 11 pitchers and every kid chipped in both offensively and defensively."
Assistant coach Pat Sperle added, "Our semifinal game could have been a game that builds character, but I would have to say this game for our team exposed their character. We heard many positive comments with regards to our team's actions both on and off the field and heard other teams even rooting for us."
The win also earns the Cardinals a berth into Western Canadian Peewee AA championships being held in Swift Current Aug. 15-17.
The Peewee A2 team travelled to Macklin on their quest for a provincial championship. Their roster included Unity players, two players from Kerrobert and one from Wilkie. The team formed in early June and had only several weeks to practise outside of their league play and gel as a squad. The team appeared to be the underdogs at provincials, but they over-delivered as they earned their way to the playoffs on Sunday.
Despite playing a favourite in the Alameda A's, the team was not deterred. Alameda decidedly won all of their games during the weekend by wide margins. Unity started fast, leading 5-0 to start to surprise their opponents. Alameda began chipping away at the lead after some changes in the lineup. In the end, this fine-tuned ball club handed Unity a loss in the semifinals. However, in the same manner this team played all weekend, the Cardinals left the field with a smile and the sportsmanship they were led on and known for all season.
The Bantam boys endured a rainy weekend of provincial play in Meadow Lake. Friday's play was completely suspended due to rain and resumed again under off and on rainy skies on Saturday. After winning their first game, the team was unable to capitalize against their opponents. They lost their next two games, putting them in a position where they had to hope a team lost to advance to the playoffs. The stars did not align and Unity returned home in fourth place.
Other than the Peewee AAs heading to the Western championships, the minor ball season in Unity has wrapped up. The season resulted in four provincial championship titles won by Unity ball teams and one by the junior women's softball team.
