The Sask Five Giants manufactured a comeback win in a game that went into extra innings to become Baseball Saskatoon 15U AA Division B League Champions.
Sask Five erased a 5-0 deficit to defeat the Saskatoon Blue Jay River Bandits 6-5 in the league championship final, which was played in Saskatoon at Nutana Kiwanis Park on August 26.
“We had a really great year and the boys pulled through,” said Sask Five Giants coach Dave Perrin. “We we’re down but the boys never stopped trying and we managed to pull it out.”
The Giants were trailing 5-4 entering the bottom of seventh inning, and faced an uphill battle when the River Bandits retired the first two batters.
Lukas Viden came up big for the Giants, hitting a two out single and after stealing second base, he scored on a ground ball that was misplayed by a River Bandit fielder, to tie the game which forced extra innings.
The River Bandits had a great chance to take the lead in the top of the eighth, as runners were automatically placed on first and second base to start the inning. After a ball got away from the Sask Five catcher both runners advanced a base, putting even more pressure on the Giants.
However, what little momentum that Saskatoon had was put to a halt when Troy Nelson caught a line drive in shallow left field, throwing a bullet on a line to second base, to get the force out for the double-play, as the runner strayed to far from the bag.
“For him to make that (play) it was the ‘TSN turning point’ for sure. It changed the momentum in our favour and then the strike out to get the third guy was huge,” Perrin said.
The Giants also started their half of the inning with runners on first and second; and the leadoff batter Jackson Dean didn’t waste any time, jumping on the first pitch to score the winning run.
“I told Jackson before the at bat, ‘if the first pitch is a strike, hammer it and the way we go.’ And sure enough he managed to get a base hit and the rest is history,” Perrin said.
The Sask Five Giants were resilient after trailing early, scoring one run in both the third and fourth innings while plating two runs in the fifth.
“The message was ‘lets chip away, lets get one (run) here, two there, and just keep on going and pretty soon we’re going to be ahead.’ They’ve been behind before and they stayed positive and just kept battling,” Perrin said.
The relief pitching was also a key factor in the win. Jackson Dean came onto the mound in the third inning with the bases loaded and two out. Even though three runs came into score, he didn’t allow the River Bandits to cross the plate for the rest of the game.
“He played great for us all season long, and he was a leader on the field, Perrin said. “I can’t say enough about the kid, he was absolutely fantastic, and he pitched a gem for us.”
A comeback win is nothing new for Sask Five, as the Giants overcame a 4-0 deficit against the very same Blue Jay River Bandits during a 6-4 win on August 24, to clinch their spot in the championship final. Despite the River Bandits losing that game, they advanced to the final after a win over the Blue Jay Warriors, since the playoff bracket was a four-team, double-knockout format.
It was a successful summer for Sask Five in this condensed season; not only did the Giants go undefeated in the playoffs but they finished the regular season with a 11-3 record and first place in their respective division.
“It’s been a great season, too bad it’s over, but this is a great way to end it for sure,” Perrin said.