Estevan hosted two provincial baseball tournaments over the weekend, with one team finishing well and the other unable to replicate their earlier successes.
The U11 team finished in second place, while the U15 Brewers were unable to hold onto an early lead in the tournament and were ultimately disqualified before the finals.
Assistant Coach, of the U15 Brewers Darcy Henry said it was a great weekend and that they knew it was going to be tough, starting the tournament off against the Sask. Five Giants.
The Brewers won the first game 14 to 4, putting them up against another heavy hitter, the Prince Albert Royals.
“That game was a back and forth, and we ended up losing 7 to 6. Which allowed them to get first in our pool,” explained Henry. “So that put us in a crossover game against the White Butte Broncos, which we won 8 to 6.”
On Sunday morning, the U15 Brewers were set to go head-to-head with their season-long rival, the Saskatoon Braves.
Prior to provincials, the U15 Brewers had 25 wins and 0 losses in the Regina Baseball League and playoffs.
“The Saskatoon Braves before the provincials were the only team to beat us all season,” said Henry.
The Braves won the semifinal game 12-1. They then went on to beat Prince Albert in the finals, coming in first in the provincials.
“We knew they were going to be tough, and we knew the road to the final was through them, and we just came up short. We gotta hand it to them, they’re a great team and well-deserved provincial champions.”
The baseball season has come to an end with five Brewers making their way to the Sask. Summer Games to represent the South East District.
Henry noted that the team showed growth throughout the season.
“The kids matured quite a bit. They came in, they had a couple of tough years, and we had a veteran group, and they took the reins and led the boys to a very great season.”
He noted that they were able to strengthen their gameplay. “They got stronger and faster, hit harder, and we just gelled together as a team and kept winning.” Adding that it was a very memorable season of baseball, and he will remember it fondly moving forward.
"I was very, very excited about the season in all age groups. Estevan had a very strong showing across all age groups in the province and Estevan baseballs in great hands moving forward and very excited to see what we can bring in years to come."