The Carlyle Cardinals have once again secured the top spot of the Saskota men's Baseball League, with a win last night to cap off the Jack Harbourne Memorial Tournament.
The Cardinals scored three times in the sixth inning to defeat the Southeast Diamondbacks 4-2, coming back in their final at-bat to win the match.
Brent McLean, the manager for the team and the player who put the Cardinals in the lead with a two-run home run, talks about the match.
"It was a really good game. Well played by both teams. It was tight right down to the end, and luckily we came out on top."
This makes it the sixth straight finals win for the Carlyle Cardinals, who have established something of a dynasty in the southeast. Mclean called their streak absolutely unreal.
There was some worry about being dethroned this year, as the Diamondbacks had claimed the top spot over the regular season, putting the Cardinals in second place. With the regular season performance, McLean knew his team needed to be on top of their game to take the title.
"We knew they were a good team. They had beaten us earlier in the year. We had beaten them once too, so we were one-on-one. It was a bit of a rubber match. But we knew we were set up pretty well for the final game. We had one of our really good pitchers ready to go. So we knew we were in good shape."
While the Southeast has seen its victor crowned, the Cardinals are preparing to move on to bigger arenas in less than a week.
"We have to head to Saskatoon for Provincials, which starts Friday afternoon. It's gonna be fun. It'll be tough in there, but hopefully we'll have a good showing. Then two weeks after that, we are actually heading to Westlock, Alberta, for Westerns."
McLean thanked all the fans, volunteers, and umpires who helped to make the season possible.