The Sask Five Giants came close, but ended up settling for the silver medal in the 11UAAA Saskatoon Minor Baseball League championship game on Tuesday, August 17.
The Cardinals Energized edged the Giants 8-7 in the bottom of a pressure-packed final inning.
“Both teams showed up to play today,” said Giants head coach T.C. Collins after the dust had settled. “It was a great game, and I can’t say enough about our team.
“They’re an amazing group of kids; very young, very talented. They worked really hard all season and we’re very proud of them.”
Collins said the key to their successful season was the chemistry between the players.
“The biggest improvement was when they really came together as a team,” he said. “Once that happened we started winning games. That’s when it all really took off.”
Collins said the core of the team are first-year players, which bodes well for next year.
“They’re a really young team,” he said. “We have four kids moving up, but we also have seven players that will play another season at this age level.”
The final score in the August 17 championship game was indicative of how competitive it was. The teams were tied 1-1 at the end of first inning; the Cardinals took a 4-1 lead in the bottom of the third, only to see the Giants respond with a six-run rally in the top of the fourth to go up 7-4.
But the Cardinals answered with one more run in the bottom of the fourth and two more in the fifth to tie the game heading into the final inning. They cemented their victory with a final run in the last inning with only one out.
Collins said while the loss in the gold medal game was disappointing for his players, he’s confident they’ll bounce back this coming weekend during the provincial championship tournament at Kilburn Park in Saskatoon.
“The season’s not over yet,” said Collins. “The boys will bounce back, bigger and better than ever. After every loss this season, we came back and won the next game easily, so we’re looking forward to the weekend.”
The Giants’ first game in the provincial championship tournament is Friday, August 20 at 11:30 a.m., with their second game later that day at 4:30 p.m. The full tournament schedule is on the Baseball Saskatchewan website.