The Olds Athletics' Parkland Baseball League season ended on Saturday with a 5-3 loss to the Irricana Canadians during the league playoffs.
The game, like much of the season, saw the Athletics offence stall until late in the game, until finally breaking through in the sixth inning with some runs, said Jeremy Tookey, spokesman for the As.
“Both teams played well, actually, just they hit the ball a little better than we did. We didn't start hitting the ball until about the sixth inning and by then it was too late. It's been the story of the whole year. We've always been struggling to get the hits when we needed them. We don't start hitting the ball until the fifth or sixth inning and by then, either their team is so far advanced or there's just not enough game left to turn it around,” he said.
Craig Gans was pressed into service on the mound, going five-and-two-thirds innings for the Athletics. Chris Overwater pitched the remaining two-and-one-third innings.
Tookey said despite the optimism the team had at the start of the year, things didn't turn out as planned, with the team sporting a final record of five wins and 11 losses. He said it's always fun to get out on the field, however.
“You never want to see your team go down in the standings, you always want to see them go up and that's kind of what we were hoping to do going into this year and unfortunately with some of the weather and guys' work schedules and everything else … we just couldn't get it rolling,” he said.
“It's a competitive league with some quality ball players in it and you have to have the right nine guys show up in order to be competitive,” he said.
While injuries also played a role in the team's lack of success this season, Tookey said other players did get an opportunity to play.
“They happen to everybody … it's more of a matter of how you battle through it,” he said.
