The Lloydminster Prairie Pirates proved to be more than worthy hosts of the provincial 13U AA Tier 2 baseball championship, in which they finished second only to the champion Parkland Twins Blue.
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The Twins rallied from an early deficit and scored nine runs in the fifth inning on their way to a 13-7 victory in the gold-medal game Sunday night (Aug. 3) at the Driven Energy Legion ballpark.
“We worked hard in this final game, but unfortunately it doesn’t come through (with a Lloyd victory),” said Pirates coach Trent Kusch. “And that’s the sport of baseball — sometimes it goes your way and sometimes it doesn’t.
“We won six of seven innings (and otherwise) we win this ball game 7-4. But unfortunately, they put up a nine-spot in one inning, and that’s part of the game. We competed every single out. We could have given up one more run to get it into a mercy (finish in the fifth), but the boys decided to work hard and get that last out. We came back a little bit and put a little pressure on them.”
The Pirates scored three runs during a final push in the top of the seventh inning, and left a couple of runners on base as the Twins sealed the deal.
“As I told the boys after the game, it sucks working this hard and not getting rewarded, but that’s sport,” Kusch said. “That’s why we play, to go out there and compete with our friends and compete with people that really care for us and go show off what we’re capable of.”
MARATHON OPENER
The Pirates showed aplenty throughout the weekend, especially in grinding out a heat-soaked Friday afternoon game that stretched to the evening. Three and a half hours later, Lloyd prevailed 13-12 in nine innings against an equally resilient Hanna Wildcats squad.
Including a hard-fought 7-5 semifinal victory over the Consort Cubs
earlier Sunday, the Pirates posted a 2-2 overall record in the well-balanced
provincials.
“It was a great tournament,” said Kusch, repeating a common
sentiment heard around the Lloyd ballpark. “One thing it really showcased was there were six teams here and every team had a win, and every game was a
battle. There was a couple of extra-inning games, there was a one-run game, and there were no mercy games on the weekend.
“It was just teams going at it and playing hard all weekend at a top level. It was very impressive to watch, every single game. I watched a lot of baseball this weekend, and all six teams who were here had a shot to win. Some teams got a few bounces, some teams didn’t, but they were great baseball games played by great teams, coached by great coaches as well.”
John MacNeil – Meridian Source
HOSPITABLE HOSTS
During the closing ceremonies, Parkland coach Ryan Murphy thanked
tournament director Ashlee Foster and the many volunteers for staging such an entertaining and well-run event.
“Thank you very much to the city of Lloydminster and the Lloydminster Pirates,” Murphy said in an interview afterward. “Everything was first rate this weekend. I’ve been in lots of provincial tournaments, and this one was second to none. So, great job by everybody.”
While speaking about how proud he was of his team, Murphy was doused with a cooler of water over his head as the boys from Spruce Grove and
Stony Plain celebrated their championship.
“It’s the kids,” said Murphy, whose son Cooper closed the championship game on the mound. “They work hard all year for one goal, as a team. Even when things weren’t looking like it was going our way, the boys found a way to dig deep and found a little bit extra in the tank and got ’er done.”
It was an emotional and loud final, during which Murphy credited his
players for staying composed amid highs and lows.
“Sometimes they kept me in check a little bit, too,” he said with a smile. “They’re well-trained. I was getting pretty fired up at some points when things weren’t going our way. We had a couple of mental errors. But I had faith they could rebound and get it all done, and sure enough.”
‘VERY REWARDING’
Murphy was thankful he decided to return to coach one more season this year, after originally planning to step aside.
“Coaching is a very rewarding experience, and I wouldn’t trade this
memory for the world.”
Including a 9-5 win over the Lacombe Dodgers Blue in their semifinal, the Twins played back-to-back games Sunday to finish the tournament.
Parkland went 3-1 overall in provincials, including an 8-3 victory over Lloydminster and a 9-7 loss to Hanna.
In the consolation final, the St. Albert Cardinals Red defeated Hanna 7-6.
The championship game later Sunday pitted an older Parkland team, with eight second-year players and four rookies, against a youthful
Lloydminster club, with 10 first-year players and just two veterans (Khessler Foster and Sam Purser).
PROMISING FUTURE
The youth movement is an encouraging sign for the future of Border City baseball, especially at the 13U level. One week before the Pirates hosted the Tier 2 championship, the Lloydminster Twins won their 13U AA Tier 6
provincials, again with a predominantly first-year lineup.
Kusch credited each of his 12 Pirates for stepping up at various points during the weekend.
“We had so many players make so many plays at so many times,” he said Sunday, recounting a few of those highlights.
“I’ve got to shout out to our starter from this morning, Kobe Sankey. He threw an absolute gem. He threw five and two-thirds innings to get us (to the final). He gave up two runs to the first two batters of the game, and then he said, ‘No more,’ and he shut them down.
“Adam Tindall played 30 straight innings at shortstop all weekend. That’s something you don’t expect, as a coach, out of an 11-year-old, but he was willing to do that at an elite level.
“You had Sam Purser batting fourth and driving in lots of runs, and he caught so many innings. One through 12 on the roster made contributions.”
Among those turning points, second baseman Jace Bannerman enabled the Pirates to outlast Hanna in Friday’s extra-inning marathon. Bannerman owned the ninth inning, turning a double play on a line drive, and then making another catch for the final out.
‘GOOD SPORTSMANSHIP’
Earlier in that game, Bannerman and Tindall earned praise as they each gave an encouraging tap to an opposing player, Wildcats home-run slugger Levi Gall, as he hobbled around the bases despite an injury.
“Good sportsmanship there,” observed one of the Hanna fans who was watching from the sidelines.
“Yeah, I like that,” said another.
Such respect typified the example set by Kusch and the rest of the Pirates’ coaching staff during the provincial tournament and all season. They kept the game fun, even in heartbreaking moments like Sunday’s loss.
Kusch, also player-coach with the senior Lloydminster Twins of the North Saskatchewan River Baseball League, enjoys baseball so much that he headed to Seattle the morning after the 13U provincials to watch the Mariners in three Major League games. He teaches at Holy Rosary High School, where the sports lineup includes baseball and softball instruction.
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