CANMORE – The Bow Valley Blues’ hot finish to the regular season has given the U22 baseball team an edge in the upcoming playoffs.
Locking in the No. 1 seed of the Calgary North Baseball League (CNBL), the Blues (9-3) will play the winner of the Davisburg Sodbusters and CN2, Sunday (June 18) at noon at Millennium Park in Canmore. If the local ball club wins, they advance to the championship game next Sunday (June 25).
The Blues stole away the No. 1 seed from their rivals and the then No. 1 seed Calgary North 3 (CN3) in a 12-2 mercy ruling after six innings in their final game of the season last Sunday (June 11).
Cashing in RBIs were Stephen Jones (3), Logan Carruthers (3), Torin Young (2), Alex Lyon (2), Jackson Ostman (1) and Gavin McLennan (1).
Third baseman Jones, who was making big plays at bat and with a golden glove, said it was the Blues’ best game of the season.
“If our hitting is good, we’re the best team in the league,” said Jones.
With the Blues core group getting some diamond-time together, head coach Luke Gauvreau said the veterans know how to get it done.
“The team finally came together,” said Gauvreau. “We either hit well or we defend well, we never do both well, but today we did and look what you get.”
The Blues bats were on fire in the third inning, scoring five runs to make it 7-1 in what was ultimately a back-breaker for last year’s champions.
Pitcher Ostman (4-1) struck out four batters in six innings before the 10-run difference mercy rule ended the game.
The team won three games in a row to end the season after defeating Calgary North 1 (CN1) on Monday (June 12) in Calgary.
“I think that really helps us out and our team really carries forward momentum, so that big win on Friday (June 11 in Chestermere) really translated into this game (on Sunday),” said Ostman. “We really brought our energy up to where it needed to be to take on this first place team and show them what we can really do.”
It was the same scene at Millennium Park as a year prior when the Blues handed the No. 1 seeded CN3 a 16-6 mercy rule loss in the season finale. Although, CN3 had the last laugh and defeated the Blues in the 2022 championship game.
Playoffs start this weekend in a double-elimination bracket tournament.
The Blues’ last championship was won in 2019.
