The 2016 John Golonowski Invitational Tournament will not declare a champion.
Due to a torrential downpour Sunday’s finale between the Red Lions and the Barrhead Orioles was washed out.
Despite the sooner-than-expected end, Red Lions manager Adam Sawatzky said he was pleased the club’s play in the games they got into.
“We were happy to get the four teams we did and it was good competition, some good games. We were really happy with how [Saturday] went,” Sawatzky said.
“Too bad we couldn’t play [Sunday], but that’s the way it goes sometimes.”
The Red Lions hosted fellow North Central Alberta Baseball League (NCABL) clubs, the Edmonton Primeaus and Barrhead Orioles, as well as the Cold Lake Cardinals for the weekend tournament.
Sawatzky said no team will have their name engraved on the trophy, although the finalists, Westlock and Barrhead, split the tournament purse.
“We can’t put our names that close together (on the trophy),” Sawatzky said with a chuckle.
Sawatzky said all of the teams enjoyed the tournament and centenary weekend.
“The guys we talked to all really enjoyed the atmosphere, too. I know the Cold Lake guys didn’t realize how big of a deal it was going to be,” he said.
“It was nice to hear and nice to see how many fans we had come out and watch.”
For the Red Lions, the skipper said players were giving their best with the added lift of playing in front of the large home crowd.
“It was special with the extra crowd and the extra fans … we were playing for more than just our normal tournament,” Sawatzky said.
“To have the centennial part of the weekend, it was something that we all took a little bit of extra pride in, that’s for sure.”
Sawatzky said all the extra activity made for a playoff-like atmosphere, similar to when the Red Lions host the first round of the NCABL playoffs each year on fair weekend.
The Red Lions went 2-0 in their games, defeating the Cardinals 9-8 in an extra-innings thriller and followed it up with an 8-6 win over the Primeaus.
“We were looking forward to playing that final game against Barrhead, but we’ll save that rivalry for later in the year,” Sawatzky said.
“Overall, very happy with how we played.”
