For the third straight year the SESBL Championship would be decided by familiar foes as the rivalry between the Yorkton Yankees and Willowbrook Royals continued for another season with both teams finishing successful regular seasons before outlasting the rest of the teams in the local senior baseball league to meet in the league final.
Perhaps it should have came as no surprise as both in the regular season and in the postseason the Yanks and Royals have been a cut above the league, finishing atop the standings as well as the league final.
After the Yankees finished the 2012 and 2013 seasons as champions, the Willowbrook Royals would finish the 2014 regular season in first place with the best overall record in the league at 6-2. That record would beat the Yankees 5-2 mark as Yorkton would play seven games during the regular season, finishing 5-2. In the playoffs the Royals would dispatch of the Russell Bulls before laying waste to the Swan River Reds while the Yankees path to the final included the Melville Bison and Langenburg Indians to set up what would be a chance at redemption for the Royals as well as a chance for a three peat for the Yorkton ballclub in a battle of two local teams with tons of Yorkton Minor Baseball roots.
For the Royals they would go into the series hoping to continue to represent the small rural village outside of the city of Yorkton, continuing a proud baseball tradition for the Willowbrook ballclub that has maintained its traditions even with a small population. Filling a roster mainly built on local ballplayers, the Royals went into the series hoping that this would be the year they won the SESBL title over the two time defending champions.
As for Yorkton, the Yankees would have the back to back league titles on the line as well as history on their sides with two straight championship series wins over the Royals giving the Yorkton team confidence. Something that played a factor early in the best of five series in a tight Game One battle. In a close pitcher's duel between Willowbrook ace Tyson Nesbitt and Yorkton's Logan Calanchie both teams had shutouts going into the seventh inning before the Yankees scored a run in the bottom of the seventh inning to take Game One by a slim margin of 1-0 after impressive efforts from both starting pitchers.
Mark Pelham would be the walkoff hero with the game's lone RBI, driving in the solo run in a seven inning game that would set the tone of close action and quality pitching as well as sound defensive play ruling the majority of the series between two championship caliber teams representing the quality of local senior baseball the Parkland has to offer.
Unfortunately for Willowbrook as well as for the starter Nesbitt, the Royals would lose despite getting five hits on Yorkton as opposed to just one hit for the Yankees in Game One as the defending champions pounced on their lone opportunity at the perfect time to steal a win.
However unlike in the previous two years in the championship, a Yankees win to start the series would not be a sign of things to come as the Royals would bounce back in Game Two with Willowbrook coming out with a bang at home to begin the pivotal game to avoid falling behind 2-0 in the series.
Taking advantage of fielding miscues, Willowbrook would score four runs in the first three innings of play. Going up 2-0 in the bottom of the first before adding insurance runs in the second and third innings to get out in front as opposed to Game One where five Willowbrook hits yielded no runs. Making the most of opportunities in the second meeting, Willowbrook would hold off the Yankees to earn a 4-3 win off of a save by Tanner Nesbitt to even up the series.
The game would also feature controversy as Yankees outfielder Kurt Karcha was ejected for running over a Royals infielder at second base, striking his opponent with his forearm and earning an ejection as well as causing a skirmish between the two rivals who both saw tempers flare from time to time in an intense series.
Game Three of the series would be higher scoring as after tight affairs in the opening pair of games, the bats of both the Royals and Yankees got hot to put up a combined 13 runs in the rubber match of the series. Willowbrook's bats ended up getting the job done, scoring eight runs in the best offensive performance of the series by either team in a huge 8-5 victory to set up Game Four in Willowbrook with a chance for the community to win the league title at their home ballpark for the first time in over 30 years according to the city's baseball history.
With Tyson Nesbitt making another start after a dominant Game One performance, Willowbrook entered the game with the attitude that this was the night that the series would be decided and would be facing a Yankees team that would be coming off a crushing loss to Carlyle in the Provincial Championship over the weekend. All signs pointing to the Royals having their best chance of a senior league title being decided at the Willowbrook ballpark with their ace on the mound and a motivated team looking to end the series at home.
That momentum was shifted early as despite another strong pitching performance from Tyson Nesbitt on the mound early, the Yankees would find a way to manufacture an early run to go up 1-0 and put the Royals on their heels. Not to be discouraged, the Royals would answer back by getting a leadoff hit in the middle innings before cashing in the runner with some good fundamentals to tie up the ballgame.
With their starter pitching another gem, this time it would be the Royals who would enter the final inning of the game at bat with a chance to walkoff and with Game Two closer Tanner Nesbitt leading off the youngest of a group of brothers on the Royals would help out his starting pitcher and older brother by working a leadoff walk to start the inning.
Going all out for the walkoff win in the bottom of the seventh, the Royals would advance the base-runner on a steal that would pay off as the throw to second from the Yankees catcher would be late. Following a sacrifice bunt to move the winning run to third with one out, a hit to the outfield would score the winning run on a walkoff win in a 2-1 final to give the small local community a moment that made the Willowbrook Royals ballclub the happiest baseball team in the province on Tuesday night.
Winning pitcher Tyson Nesbitt, who allowed very few hits and fewer runs in his starts during the series mentioned that the local pride in the ballclub from players who farm and lived in the area made the win special.
"Having a group of players that have always played for the Royals or are from the area that sticks together is what makes this so special for us," mentioned Tyson. "Most of the players on this team are farmers who hop off the tractor an hour or so before the game and come out to the ballpark where we help with maintain the grass, the bleachers, the infield so it is a real local effort of the whole of Willowbrook that brings us together."
Nesbitt mentioned that playing with friends as well as family keeps the Royals bond tight.
"Most of the players on this team have played for Willowbrook most of their baseball careers from minor baseball and with the senior team we get to keep playing baseball together," said Nesbitt. "Getting to win a championship after losing the last two seasons in the final as well as winning a championship game in Willowbrook with friends and family is something that is pretty amazing."
The Royals also noted that they will be hoping to pool together funds to help improve the local ball diamonds in Willowbrook to ensure that baseball is preserved in town for years to come.
Yorkton Yankees player/manager Mark Jacobs gave credit to the Royals for winning the series, lamenting that after losing the provincial final to Carlyle that the season did not end the way that the successful senior outfit would have liked after winning the SESBL title for two straight seasons.
"You can't win the league every year," lamented Jacobs. "It was disappointing to lose the provincial final and the league final to end our season, but it was a fun year playing with all of the teammates on the ballclub and we had a good year even if we didn't quite get the last couple of wins."
Jacobs added that they will hopefully be back next year to compete.
"It is never fun to lose and we have had success over the last few years so hopefully that can continue so we can get a chance at winning the title come next season with most of the guys returning."
