“Baseball is the great equalizer. It will make you humble because any team can beat any other team on any given day.”
It wasn’t the finish they were looking for, but head coach of the U18 AA Bonnyville Braves Jim Church said the team gave it their all while hosting the tier two provincial championship tournament.
From Friday, Aug. 2 to Sunday, Aug. 4, teams from Camrose, Stettler, and Parkland were at the Léon Paul Bougie Ballpark in town, all fighting to go home with the gold.
The Braves ended the weekend with a win and two losses.
“I think all the teams were competitive,” noted right fielder Landon Vasseur. “It could have been anybody’s game, anybody could have won every single game, which was interesting. No team overpowered each other, and it turned out to be a great weekend for ball.”
The Braves started the tournament off with a 6-2 loss against the Lacombe Dodgers, but they didn’t let that get the better of them. They bounced back with an 8-2 victory over the South Jasper Place Jays.
The host team wasn’t able to keep their momentum going, and fell to the Parkland Twins 8-2 to end their provincial run.
Church said the boys didn’t give up until the umpire’s final call.
“We had a player take a ball; it came off his helmet, into his lip, and split it wide open. He manned up and played the whole game there. We had relievers come in, throw strikes, and that’s what it’s all about. Just to keep playing right until the game is over, and don’t give up.”
After qualifying for the championship, the Braves jumped at the opportunity to bring the tournament to Bonnyville, a bid that proved successful.
“We’re proud of our facility, and we wanted to showcase the town, the Lakeland, the MD, and the lakes to the other teams. This is a first-class facility that we’re proud to showcase to teams from all over the province,” Church detailed. “There were nothing but compliments about the condition of the diamonds and the facility.”
Chris Church, tournament coordinator, added, “Coordinating was a little bit stressful. Thank goodness the weather cooperated for us… It’s a great experience for all of us, and we have a great crew of parents that helped us out. Without them, we couldn’t have done it.”
The Braves spent a lot of time travelling throughout the season and took advantage of the opportunity to let their players hit the field in front of their hometown fans.
“I had lots of family able to come out, and I think a lot of my teammates did too. It was really nice to have that,” expressed Vasseur.
Regardless of the outcome, Bonnyville’s head coach stressed the importance of not letting your emotions get the better of you.
“Show respect to the game, the umpires, your family, and yourself… Throwing a fit, being a spoiled brat, pouting, there’s no place for that in baseball. Represent the game, and respect the game.”
It was the Parkland Twins who walked away with the provincial gold medal. The Stettler Storm took the silver.
