The Oyen Orioles U11 baseball team just fell short of a championship at this past weekend's Baseball Alberta Division 1 Tier 3 provincial tournament, putting an end to provincial play across the border for the summer, and capping off what was a strong year for O's ball.
The U11 team finished top of their league in the regular season, and their strong play allowed them to move into the first division ahead of provincials being drawn. At the provincial tournament the Orioles earned a spot in the championship final, where they fell down early but battled back from three runs down to tie it late, only to lose in the bottom half to end their season.
The U11 team was a fun group to follow for the baseball loving residents of Oyen. A few members of the Oyen Eagles senior team are coaches, and a big shoutout from one of the parents on social media went towards Zac Zinc.
"Special shout out and huge rave to Zac Zinc for all his hours spent working with the boys," read the comment on the Oyen Minor Ball Facebook page. "Zac you are one of the good ones."
In the leadup to provincials the U11 team played games at home, also in St. Albert, Edmonton, and across the Saskatchewan border in Kindersley for exhibitions. The first weekend of August wrapped up the calendar for Baseball Alberta provincials, as you can find more on the summer's action HERE.
Softball season was also strong in Oyen as the U17 Orioles competed at provincials in Marwayne. Another three local softball players competed in the U15 age group with the Consort Cubs in Wainwright.
This past weekend's action basically puts an end to minor ball in Oyen for the year, but the community won't have to wait long for a return to the diamond with the Badlands Badgers typical fall schedule starting in September.