It was close but no cigar for two local teams at the Western Canadian Championships over the weekend in Swift Current.
Both the Bantam AA Muenster Red Sox and the Pee Wee AA Humboldt Dodgers lost in the final of their respective divisions.
On the opening day of the tournament the Red Sox won their first two games, 12-6 over Swift Current and 8-4 over the Olds Spitfires. They wrapped up pool play the next day with a 4-3 win over Victoria.
Aug. 18 saw Muenster match up with Oak River and win 11-1, putting the Red Sox into the final where they would face that same Oak River team. Unfortunately for the local boys the result was very different in the final, with Oak River coming out on top by a score of 11-2.
The Pee Wee AA Dodgers followed a different path, starting poorly before rebounding but ultimately falling short in the final.
They opened the tournament on Aug. 16 with a 6-2 loss to the Winkler Diamond Dogs. The bad start continued with a 13-10 defeat at the hands of the team from Burnaby, the eventual champions. With a record of 0-2 after the first day the Dodgers needed to turn it around in a big way and they did.
On the second day, Aug. 17, the Dodgers won both of their games, 7-5 over the East Central Bulls and 10-0 over Swift Current. Those strong performances were enough to get Humboldt into the championship game on Aug. 18 against Burnaby. Unfortunately for the Dodgers they were unable to control Burnaby's bats and lost 13-3, finishing in second place.
"Overall our season was a success," said coach Mark Marianchuk. "It would've been nice to win but silver is nothing to be ashamed of."
Marianchuk said the team started the tournament a little tight and dropped those first two games, but settled into a nice groove afterwards. He made special mention of pitchers Walker Happ, picked up from Weyburn, and Drew Bauml, who pitched in the win over Swift Current that sent the Dodgers into a three-way tiebreaker.
Humboldt won the tiebreaker and earned the right to play Burnaby. After taking a 3-1 lead into the bottom of the third inning, the Dodgers' lead slipped away as Burnaby's bats came alive.
"They erupted in the bottom of the third," Marianchuk said. "Their bats really got going and our pitchers pitched well but anything in the strike zone they hit really hard."
Losing in the final is always a tough way to go out, but Marianchuk said it was a strong season overall and the boys should be proud of their efforts.
