| Game 31: Manitoba Prince 12 Edward Island 2 |
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SCOTT SCHMIDT This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it The Baseball Canada Cup’s sixth-place game at Jeffries Park on Sunday saw two teams which had entered the tourney with much loftier expectations. But unfortunately for Manitoba and Prince Edward Island, a medal opportunity wasn’t possible and the two clubs were simply playing for pride. The game was a rematch of Saturday’s final round robin game where P.E.I. blanked the Manitobans 5-0. Sunday’s result was much different as Manitoba bashed their way to a 12-2 victory and an even 3-3 record for the week. Playing .500 baseball was not what they had come to the Gas City to do, but they were happy to close things out on a high. “Definitely you don’t want to go home on a long bus ride dropping the last two after the way we played to start,” said head coach Ryan Anderson. “I mean it’s disappointing, knowing that we had a pretty strong group and we didn’t accomplish our goal of making the medal round. “We know we’re a good team and we’ll walk away with our heads held high.” Anderson was happy to see the talent level in the two pools this year was much more even than in the past, which should bode well for his province in the future. “It’s very encouraging for us knowing (provinces) like Ontario, the programs they have and the money that gets thrown into that, to know that a little blood, sweat, and tears on this team can get us to that level.” Throughout the week Manitoba had not enjoyed much consistency in any part of the game, but no issue was more glaring than the offence. In the team’s three wins, the sticks were explosive and produced a whopping 55 runs; during three defeats — two of which were shutouts — they only scored four. The bats were swinging smoothly on Sunday though, and P.E.I. wasn’t given too many chances to close the gap. “We had a chance to score in the second inning, and we didn’t,” said P.E.I. coach Allison Macdonald. “That was just it, and when they scored, I’m not saying we as coaches said it, but the players felt it. “There was no jump after that, that was our one chance. Even if we scored two runs we’d have had a shot at it.” P.E.I. also finishes the tournament at 3-3 and turned more than a few heads while they were at it. Macdonald says while the smaller teams can have a chance to win every now and then, the tourney’s “big three” will continue to dominate. “The numbers still dictate that those three provinces are going to win all the time,” admitted Macdonald. “We’re going to be able to come up with a good bunch of kids every third year, every second year or whatever, depending on the coaching they had in peewee and we’re going to be able to be competitive.” Manitoba catcher Jean-Guy Bilodeau, who will head back to Vauxhall Academy in the fall to continue his development, was happy to head home with a strong final memory — even if he only gets to stay for a week before he comes back to Alberta. “We wanted to come out and finish strong and show pride that we can still face adversity,” said Bilodeau. “I thought we had a real strong team and thought we’d do real well against these teams. “I thought we should’ve beat New Brunswick but it turns out the way it is.” |
