The Estevan Tower Wolves senior baseball team’s comeback effort against the Carlyle Cardinals fell short in a tiebreaker game at the Jack Harbourne Memorial Tournament last Sunday at Kenosee Cubs’ Field, while the Cubs comeback stood up in a semifinal victory over the Oxbow Chiefs.
Both teams were vying to make the Saskota Baseball League (SBL) championship final, which was held a day later in Carlyle. The Cardinals would take the SBL championship with a 8-2 victory over the Cubs.
Estevan (2-1) found themselves in the tiebreaker game against Carlyle after giving up 15 defensive runs allowed in a 7-1 July 24 loss to Oxbow, a 18-8 win a day later over Carlyle and a 14-9 besting of the Lampman Pirates shortly before the tiebreaker match. Since Carlyle (2-1) gave up 22 runs in their three games of pool A play over the three days and Oxbow (2-1) only allowed 12, the game was set between the SBL first ranked Cardinals and fifth-place Tower Wolves.
“They are always one of the best teams in the league,” said Justin Fieber, who pitched seven strong innings in the loss. “They seem to always finish first. It would have been a huge win.”
Down 4-0 heading into the top of the sixth and final inning of the tiebreaker game, the Tower Wolves bats came alive. With the top of the order up to bat, three players reached base on two walks and a drive to right field on Cardinals pitcher Andrew Malone, who was strong throughout the game, setting up a bases loaded situation with zero outs.
Tower Wolves first baseman Clark Munroe scorched a single to left field scoring two runs to bring Estevan within two before a shot to centre by Fieber would bring two more across the plate and tie the games at fours.
A nail-biter of a bottom of the sixth followed where Carlyle always seemed to press, but despite having runners on first and second couldn’t bring anyone home. Estevan couldn’t get anything done in the top of the seventh inning, which gave Carlyle another shot at reaching playoff action.
It was “baseball fundamentals,” said Fieber, on Estevan’s problems in the extra inning. “They had good bunts and it’s hard to defend that. Sometimes the baseball gods are in your favour and sometimes they’re not and we flirted with disaster. You do that for too many innings in a row they’re going to get you eventually.”
After the Cardinals and Tower Wolves left the field, Oxbow (2-1) and Kenosee (2-1) walked on for the first semi-final of the Jack Harbourne Memorial Tournament.
“We played really well,” said Chiefs manager Joe Dixon. “It just didn’t work out in our favour. The guys were hitting well (and) pitching well. The other team found the holes.”
After storming out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first, the Chiefs couldn’t seem to get anything past the Cubs defence.
A third inning errant throw by Kenosee catcher Jason Shife on an attempt to nab James Cameron stealing second ended up in centre field allowing Cameron to take third. Then a throw by Cubs centre fielder Damon Kyle that found its way into the third baseline bleachers gave Cameron the walk home, which proved the only offence the Chiefs would muster for the rest of the game.
The Cubs saved their best inning for the fifth. The first four batters to walk up to the plate eventually rounded the bases giving the Cubs a 4-3 lead they would hold through the final inning.
“They found holes,” said Dixon. “A few hits fall in. It’s the way baseball works. We played great. I just wish we could have squeezed that last one out there and made it to the final.”
