A strong win over the two-time reigning national champions was the highlight of the Westlock senior Red Lions’ foray at the Canadian National Oldtimers Baseball Championships over the weekend.
The tournament for the team, also known as the Grey Lions, ended with a 5-2 quarterfinal loss to the Fort Saskatchewan A’s on Aug. 4, leaving the team three wins short of a national title.
“It was a good ball game, but our bats were a little bit quiet,” said Grey Lions manager Rick Sereda. “We just didn’t get timely hitting that we needed and the other team played very well.”
Having the tournament end a few games shy of the ultimate goal definitely had an impact on each player on the squad, he said.
“It was very bittersweet leaving our dugout, a lot of boys were disappointed out tournament is over,” Sereda said. “It has been so fun being a part of this tournament and being a part of this team that not a soul in there wanted it to end.”
Westlock played three round robin games before the quarterfinal tilt against Fort Saskatchewan.
The Grey Lions opened the tournament on Aug. 2 against the Medicine Hat Tigers. After trailing most of the game, the Grey Lions exploded for three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning before shutting down the Tigers in the seventh to notch a 6-4 win.
In the afternoon of Aug. 3, the Grey Lions took on the Grimshaw Huskies. The game was the opposite of the Medicine Hat game — this time the Grey Lions held the lead the whole way en route to a 7-1 victory, Sereda said.
The final round robin game was at 6 p.m. on Aug. 3 at Telus Field in Edmonton against the two-time reigning champion Woodslee, Ont. Orioles, a game Sereda called the “pinnacle” of the tournament.
“It was a beautiful night in a beautiful park against the two-time defending national champions and we beat them by nine runs and looked good doing it,” he said.
In front of friends and family, the Grey Lions took control of the game in the second inning and never looked back in an 11-2 win.
“We had a lot of talk in the dugout and everybody was very excited to be there,” Sereda said. “We were able to get so many friends and family there. We had almost everybody who was important to us watching that game.”
With their national title hopes dashed, the Grey Lions still have one more title within reach.
Starting on Aug. 8 at Keller Field, the team begins its quest for an Alberta West Central Baseball Association title against St. Albert.
