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Canora and district bantam baseball team competes at provincials

The Canora Bantam Reds travelled to Saskatoon to compete in the Tier 5 provincial baseball tournament held during the weekend of July 20 to 22, said Terry Wilson, coach. The field was comprised of six teams.

The Canora Bantam Reds travelled to Saskatoon to compete in the Tier 5 provincial baseball tournament held during the weekend of July 20 to 22, said Terry Wilson, coach. 

The field was comprised of six teams. Other teams in the running included Lloydminster, Gull Lake and three teams from Saskatoon. The Canora team was comprised of players from Canora, Sturgis, Invermay, and Langenburg, said Wilson. 

The Reds first took to the field on Friday night against the Gull Lake Greyhounds. 

“The team looked a little nervous at first but eventually settled in and played good baseball,” said Wilson.  “A few untimely errors and an inability to cash in baserunners ended up being costly and while the game was closer than the score indicated, the Greyhounds were winners by a score of 15 to 8.”

Brett Smith was the player of the game for Canora and Grady Wolkowski, Reds catcher, was voted most sportsmanlike player from either team by the tournament committee.  

Friday night was highlighted by a skills competition for all the teams, said Wilson. The skills on display included a relay throw, a base running relay and the evening was capped off by the fan- favourite home run derby. 

“The boys from the Canora team participated well in all the competitions and the loudest cheer came from our own squad as team backstop Grady Wolkowski lit up the sky, ripping three dingers with several more denting the centre field fence, as he won the home run derby by a landslide,” said Wilson. “The remaining teams combined for only one home run.” 

Saturday morning came early and the Reds faced a talented Saskatoon Royals team. 

“The Reds came out swinging and built up a solid lead,” said Wilson. “It was a back-and-forth game but the Reds got a surge from a mammoth blast by third baseman Shae Petersen and pulled out an 18 to 15 victory.”

Peterson was rewarded for his efforts with the player of the game award and once again Wolkowski was voted most sportsmanlike player from either team. 

Saturday afternoon saw the Reds face their toughest competition so far versus the Saskatoon Braves. 

“A depleted pitching staff and some sluggish defense were taken advantage of by a very speedy Brave squad, and they scored early and often,” said Wilson. “An early push by the Canora offence could not be sustained and the Braves made short work of the Reds with a 23-6 victory.”  The player of the game for the Reds was Austin Miller. Once again a Canora player picked up the most sportsmanlike award. For this game it was leadoff hitter Jake Statchuk. 

“On Saturday night the Canora team members enjoyed a nice team dinner and some extra fun in the batting cages until they were advised that they had earned a spot in the playoff tiebreaker Sunday morning at 9 a.m. against the Saskatoon Cardinals,” said Wilson. “A refreshed pitching staff led by Brendon Landstad kept the Cardinals at bay for most of the game but once again Canora squandered chance after chance with runners on base, leaving the offence stalled. The Cardinals pulled away with a big tally in the last inning, however the game was much closer than the 13 to 3 final score would indicate.”

Landstad earned player of the game honours for his efforts and for the fourth time in the tournament a Canora player was chosen most sportsmanlike and it was once again awarded to Grady Wolkowski, said Wilson. 

“The boys played very hard and showed tremendous determination, effort and class throughout the whole weekend,” he said. “It was a great experience for them and the organizers should be commended for an excellent event.” 

Carmen Wolkowski, Reds manager, would like to show appreciation to Wilson and Dallas Harrison for their hard work as coaches, the parents of the players for their dedication and commitment over the baseball season and the sponsors for “keeping the Reds looking sharp.”