After dominating the field in the round-robin, the Estevan Sherritt Coal Haulers needed one more run when the chips were down, and they didn't get it.
The Haulers fell 14-13 to the Regina Buffalos in the final of the annual Legasse AAA baseball tournament in Regina on Sunday.
"We hit the ball really well and they hit the ball well. They had a really good hitting team. It didn't seem to matter what pitcher we threw in, they hit it off us, and the same for us against them," said Haulers head coach Kent Phillips.
After rallying from a big deficit earlier in the game, the Haulers found themselves down by one with two outs in the seventh. Phillips sent a runner home from second on a base hit and he was thrown out at the plate.
"I was banking on it having to be a perfect throw and it was," said Phillips.
The Haulers had gone 3-0 in the round-robin, outscoring opponents 36-7. The Buffalos, meanwhile, posted a 2-1 record, with a run differential of plus-11.
To reach the final, the Haulers grinded out a 3-2 victory over Winnipeg South in the semis. The winning run scored on a passed ball with two outs in the seventh.
Carson Perkins and Josh Brown saw time on the mound in that game.
In the other semifinal, the Buffalos edged Swift Current 6-5.
Estevan began the tournament on Friday night with a 4-3 win over the Regina White Sox. That was their only close game in round-robin play.
On Saturday morning, the Haulers pounded the Moose Jaw Mallards 15-0, and they followed that up Saturday afternoon with a 17-4 whitewashing over the Weyburn Beavers.
Kyler Phillips threw a complete game against the Mallards, while Brett MacMurchy turned in a strong start against Weyburn.
In Baseball Regina bantam AAA action, the Haulers were scheduled to visit Weyburn last night. They will also be busy this weekend, playing a doubleheader in Yorkton on Saturday and one in Melville on Sunday.
The Haulers' next home games come on June 1, when they host the Buffalos for a doubleheader.
