It took extra innings in the finals of the rain-soaked Lakeland League championship tournament, but eventually the bantam Bonnyville Braves were crowned league champions on June 18 in St. Paul.
“It was great!” said Braves coach Garth Campbell. “The boys had fun all year … and when they got that winning run in (the finals) they all ran out onto the field. They were stoked.”
The Braves came into the championship tournament as one of the top-ranked teams in the league, with a 9-2 record during the regular season.
The boys carried that momentum into the tournament, winning all three games, including the championship final over Goodfish Lake 8-7, in a dramatic eight-inning affair.
The final game started out poorly for Bonnyville, with the Braves going down 6-2 heading into the bottom of the sixth and final inning.
Prior to the final game, tournament organizers and coaches had agreed it would end after six innings. This was due to the one-day schedule, which the tournament adopted after days of rain soaked the fields leading up to the weekend, forcing volunteers to work even harder just to ensure the tournament could take place Sunday.
However, the Braves players did not let the final end in six innings.
“We rallied in the bottom of the sixth,” Campbell explained. “All the boys had their hats flipped over – they had their rally caps on. They were having a great time.”
The Braves were right to be feeling good, as they batted around in the bottom of the sixth inning, eventually knocking in four runs to tie it up, sending the game to extra innings.
Neither team scored in the seventh. Then Bonnyville was dealt a blow in the eighth, when Goodfish Lake led off the top of the inning with a home run.
But the Braves again battled back in the bottom of the inning. They scored two runs on a walk-off hit, winning the league championship.
“It was such a good game all the way through. Both teams really came out to play,” Campbell said.
“We go out to have fun. That's what house ball is all about.”
Campbell said both he and co-coach Darwin Zalaski had a “really good group of athletes” to work with this season.
But despite varying skill levels, the coaches give each player equal time on the field, while playing them at multiple positions throughout the year.
“We try to teach all the boys new skills or help them with the skills they need to improve on. We just go out and play the games and have fun, win or lose, regardless,” explained Campbell.
“And when it came to the final tournament, the boys wanted to win … They played to win.”
