It's probably safe to say that the players, coaches and parents were the only people who thought the Southeast Legacy Twins were capable of doing what they did at provincials.
The Twins stunned Saskatchewan midget AAA observers on the weekend, making it all the way to the provincial final in Regina before falling 8-4 to the Regina Wolfpack.
The Wolfpack (23-8) led the Saskatchewan Premier Baseball League this year, while the Twins (13-16) tied for sixth. Despite that, the Twins were leading as late as the sixth inning.
"The third-year veterans just picked up the team, and especially this final weekend, they played some of the best ball they've ever played, I think. It was very rewarding and you could tell they were very satisfied with how they played," said Twins head coach Dave Odgers.
Despite the loss, the Twins now advance to the Western Canadian championship in Winnipeg from Aug. 22-25.
Playing in their second game of the day after a harrowing win over the Saskatoon Giants in the semis, the Twins hung tight with the Wolfpack for most of the final, taking a 4-3 lead into the sixth inning.
Regina tied the game in the sixth when Jordan Hart scored on an error. But it was the top of the seventh when they seized control for good, piling up four runs.
"They came out and got a couple of base hits, and unfortunately we had a couple of errors that cost us big time. We were unable to come back with any runs to counter," said Odgers. "The Wolfpack kinda did have our number all season, but the score doesn't show how close that game was. Unfortunately, I think maybe some nerves and tight grips got the best of us in the seventh, and it just didn't happen."
The inning began when Kade Erickson crossed the plate on a fielder's choice by Ben Komonosky. Carson Bogdan then came home on an error. The Wolfpack drove the final nail into the coffin later in the inning, when some sloppy play by the Twins resulted in Cole Warken and Tanner Ring both scoring.
The play began with the Twins getting an out at third, but it quickly went awry.
"We had a potential double play and they'd have only scored two, but we had an overthrow to first, then we tried to get him at third, missed him at third," said Odgers. "It was unfortunate, just a bad play of events there and I felt bad for the kids because it definitely wasn't (reflective of) the effort they had all weekend."
The Twins weren't able to get much going in the bottom of the seventh and that was it.
Twins starter Brandon Hutt was taken out after two innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on four hits, two walks and a strikeout. John Gaab came on for the rest of the game, shutting down the Wolfpack until things went wrong in the seventh. Gaab allowed five runs (two earned) on six hits, a strikeout and a walk.
"He came in and started throwing a gem," Odgers said of Gaab.
Estevan Bruins prospect Carter Folk started for the Wolfpack, allowing four runs on five hits, four strikeouts and three walks in three and two-thirds. Michael Betteridge came on in relief and shut down the Twins in three and a third, striking out five and walking two.
At the plate, Colton Gingras hit 2-for-3 with an RBI for the Twins, while Austin Orsted was 1-for-3 with two RBI.
The Wolfpack got contributions at the plate from everyone, with Erickson, Komonosky and Alex Galloway each getting two hits, and Ring and Jeremy Sylvester each driving in two runs.
The Twins edged the Saskatoon Giants 7-6 earlier in the day to reach the final.
Saskatoon tacked on single runs in the first, fourth and fifth innings to take a 3-0 lead, but the Twins responded with a five-spot in the sixth. They scored two more in the top of the seventh to take a 7-3 lead, only to give up three in the bottom of the inning.
"I think they realized at that point they were about to go to the provincial final, and a little bit of jitters came up," said Odgers.
The Twins managed to stop the bleeding thanks to catcher Jolan Lingelbach throwing out a would-be stealer, followed by Thomas Gore striking out to end the game.
Austin Orsted threw a complete game against the Giants, allowing six runs (four earned) on 12 hits and nine strikeouts.
Giants starter Kolten Olynek pitched five and a third, allowing five runs (zero earned) on eight hits, six strikeouts and three walks. Takoda Taylor came in to finish the sixth inning, allowing two runs on three hits in the process. Erik Climenhaga pitched a clean seventh, with a strikeout and a walk.
Lingelbach led the Twins at the plate, hitting 3-for-5 with two RBI and a run. Tanner Odgers, Ketter Hoium and Garret Fitzpatrick each batted 2-for-3.
Climenhaga hit 2-for-4 for the Giants, driving in four runs and scoring one, while Brett Resch was 3-for-4 with three runs.
The Twins got to the playoffs by posting a 2-1 round-robin record. They began with a 4-3 win over the Moose Jaw Devons on Friday, then fell 2-1 to the Regina Athletics on Saturday afternoon. That evening, they clobbered the Saskatoon Diamondbacks 10-0 in five innings in a critical game.
"The last game was a must-win. You could tell in their faces they were ready to go when we got to the diamond," said Odgers. "After that victory, we knew we were rolling and we knew we had a big game in the playoffs against the Giants."
Odgers was named team MVP for that game, hitting 4-for-4 with four RBI and a run. He had to battle starter Jimmy Giroux for that honour, though. Giroux threw five shutout innings, allowing just two hits on four strikeouts and three walks.
Although not many expected the Twins to make the provincial final, Odgers said the players simply repaid the faith of the coaching staff.
"We did surprise a lot of people. But it wasn't really any surprise to us coaches. We've seen these kids play for a number of years, a few of them, and they have been doing nothing but improving all year," said Odgers, noting that with strong pitching and defensively play, "we knew if our bats got hot that we could compete with anyone in the league. That was exactly what happened on the weekend.
"Coming into the season, it was a struggle just to know if the Legacy Twins would have a team, and then to make it to the provincial final was a huge accomplishment."
Although Odgers said he has no illusions about winning at Westerns, he believes the Twins can give other teams a run.
"Considering we're peaking right now, I think if we have some good practices and get in a good exhibition game or two, I don't see why we can't compete with those other teams. We were two or three outs from going to nationals. (Do we have) expectations are far as winning the thing, no, but I think we can be competitive in every game."
The players will get this week off before holding a practice on the weekend.
"Emotionally and physically, they're pretty drained," Odgers said.
