For it's one ... two ... three strikes you're out at the old ball game!
The Cochrane Major AA Peloton Crush baseball team hosted a tournament on July 26 and 27 at the Matt Krol ball diamonds in Riverview. The competition was used for the team to prepare themselves ahead of the provincial tournament Aug. 2 to 5 in Calgary at Optimist and Stanley Park.
The Crush defeated Calgary South and North Regina on Saturday before rounding out the tournament with a pair of victories over Medicine Hat and Chinook West to finish with a sparkling 4-0 record and a ton of confidence heading into the final weekend of the season.
Crush head coach Corey O'How thought the tournament ran fairly smoothly and was happy with how his team played over the course of their four-game schedule.
"I think the tournament went really well. We had a lot of positive feedback about the quality of the tournament, the umpires and the excellent facility," O'How said.
"I think we played three really strong games and had one game that we won, but maybe didnt deserve to. That happens though. Sometimes you win games you shouldn't and sometimes you lose games you shouldn't. We need to stay focused every game we play. I think there are a few teams that are a bit stronger but generally anyone can beat anyone on a given day."
O'How likes the teams chances heading into provincials as they've built up their game to this point in the season.
"I think it went by too fast. In general, we've had a good season and we have a good group of kids that enjoy playing for each other. We attended a AAA tournament in Medicine Hat and we see where we fit in. We have a strong team in AA and we are definitely the favorites heading into the long weekend," he said.
"We know what most of the teams will bring and what they have. This will be the first time we've gone into the provincial final as the favorites so it will be a different feeling for our kids. All the teams there will be trying to knock off the Crush, so we will need to be at our best all weekend. The kids are ready, it seems like we find our top level when games are most important. Ive coached most of these players on past championship teams and they amaze me how they find another gear when games mean more. We are excited to get the tournament started on Friday."
The Crush will kick off the tournament on Friday against Calgary West before taking on Lethbridge, Norcrest and Centennial to finish the round robin. Semi-finals and finals will take place on Monday.
