It was everything a baseball game should be.
At times there was good pitching, great defensive and offensive plays and the game was close.
The only thing anyone might want to change, at least if you are a Barrhead player or fan, is the score.
On Sunday, July 26, the Barrhead Bantam AA Orioles lost the provincial gold medal game to Beaumont by a score of 6 to 5 in Calgary.
Doug Hanlan, coach of the Orioles, said the team knew going into the game that it was going to be a battle.
“We knew they were a good team. In the regular season we played them twice. We beat them once and they destroyed us in one game,” he said.
Adding to Barrhead’s challenge, Hanlan said, was the fact Beaumont’s best pitcher was scheduled to start the game.
But the Orioles were ready. In the games leading up to the gold medal game, the Orioles had proven they were a team to be reckoned with.
Going into the gold medal match the team was undefeated and Hanlan said they were playing their best baseball of the season, including what Hanlan described as the best game of baseball he has ever been part of as a coach or a player.
In the opening game of the tournament, the Orioles played against Heisler on Friday, July 24. After seven innings the score was tied. In peewee, bantam and midget baseball games are only seven innings, unless the score is tied.
However, Hanlan said because the game started late, due to a delay in the opening ceremony, it was getting dark. After a meeting with the coaches and the game officials it was decided they would pick up the game where they left off, in extra innings, first thing in the morning.
When the game resumed at 8 a.m. the next day, the two teams exchanged one run each in the eighth inning. In the top of the ninth inning Heisler scored three runs.
“We were getting pretty nervous, but in our half of the ninth we scored three runs and just about had the winner after we had a runner thrown out at home,” he said.
The end of the 10th inning closely mirrored the ninth. At the bottom of the inning, Barrhead once again had the opportunity to win the game, and this time they seized their opportunity. With two out and Teron Callihoo on third base, the Orioles scored a run in dramatic fashion.
“Teron made a slide to the inside of home plate, on his belly, head first that I don’t think anyone else could have made,” Hanlan said. “The catcher dove head first to tag Teron. There was dust flying everywhere, and when the dust settled the umpire, after taking a full four to five seconds, made the safe sign.”
The Orioles won the game 17 to 16.
From there the Orioles went on to win games against Elk Point (18 to 3) and the Calgary PBF Redbirds in the semi-final (9 to 7).
In the final game against Beaumont, the Orioles found themselves in yet another close game.
Teron Callihoo started on the mound for Barrhead, pitching three scoreless innings, aided by strong defensive play.
“Beaumont was smoking the ball, but our guys were making some incredible plays, especially for bantam players,” Hanlan said. “It was unbelievable.”
However, in the fourth inning Beaumont scored three runs and added two more in the fifth to take a 5 to 0 lead.
Even though the Orioles were down with only two innings remaining, Hanlan said the team never gave up hope.
“Before the game and we told them every inch counts. Whether you are leading off, throwing a ball, stealing, hitting a ground ball. Don’t let up, play hard and leave everything out there on the field with no regrets,” he said, adding that is what the team did.
In the sixth inning the Orioles scored five unanswered runs to tie the game and that is how it remained until extra innings.
After a 45 minute delay due to confusion in extra inning rules, at the top of the eighth inning, Beaumont scored a run, taking the lead. The Orioles tried to respond, but after two strong turns at bats, they ended up stranding a runner on second base.
Hanlan said although the team was disappointed about losing in the final they should be proud of what they accomplished.
“I am extremely proud of the boys. They worked their tails off,” he said. “I have coached for several years and I have never had a group like this. I am constantly getting compliments from parents, fans and coaches on other teams about how hard our team works and how well they conduct themselves on and off the field. This is a special group.”
