SASKATOON - The Southeast Sun Devils saved their best for last to win the provincial championship.
The Sun Devils defeated the Parkland Predators 7-5 Sunday to win the provincial title in Saskatoon.
They went 5-1 at their provincial tournament. The Sun Devils opened with a 10-3 victory over the Humboldt Thunder and a 16-9 triumph over the Tisdale Riverdogs on Friday. Saturday's games saw them drop a 17-9 decision against Parkland, but they responded with an 8-6 win over the Muenster A's.
Then they beat the Riverdogs 13-5 in the semifinal.
“They showed a big-time improvement in their defence. I was really proud. They made the easy plays and they made some of the tough plays, too,” said coach Devin Aspinall. “They reduced the errors from what we’ve been doing all season.”
The pitching was also very good and the hitters had their moments.
The final was a back-and-forth contest in which the Sun Devils used their speed to get runners on base. The two teams were tied at 5-5 in the seventh and final inning.
“We were able to lead the bases, and we squeezed across two runs to get up by two,” said Aspinall.
Parkland had a leadoff double in the bottom of the seventh, but Sun Devils’ pitcher Prysm Gooding forced three pop flies to finish the game.
Aspinall said they had a great season. The Sun Devils stepped up in their league during the regular season, playing mostly in an A league in Regina, so they were challenged every game by very strong teams.
“The only way for us to get better was to play the best,” Aspinall said.
At provincials, they were in the BW division, which is between the A and the B groups.
Players from Estevan, Alameda, Alida, Carnduff, Carievale, Carlyle and Weyburn were part of the Sun Devils, making them a true southeast team.
The Sun Devils will compete at Western Canadians from Aug. 4-7 in Stonewall, Man.
