The Olds Spitfires claimed the Bantam Tier I Provincial Baseball Championship by defeating the Camrose Cougars 8-2 on July 28 at O.R. Hedges Park.
The Olds Spitfires claimed the Bantam Tier I Provincial Baseball Championship by defeating the Camrose Cougars 8-2 on July 28 at O.R. Hedges Park.
The Spitfires went undefeated in the tournament, which ran from July 26 to 28, scoring a 6-4 victory over Stony Plain, 18-8 over Strathmore, 14-8 over the Cougars in the preliminary round and then beating South Jasper Place 11-1 in the semifinal.
The Spitfires were propelled to the championship with the help of Dustin Caplett, who went six-and-two-thirds innings on the mound in the championship game, missing a complete game by two outs. Caplett had to be removed from the mound by coach Chris Grudeski because he had reached the maximum number of allowable pitches that can be thrown by one player.
Following the game, Caplett said he was nervous heading into the game and wanted to simply get the ball over the plate.
"I was trying to get them off balance with off-speed pitches," he said, adding that once he got on the mound, the jitters subsided.
Caplett said the team saved its best performances for when it counted.
"It was awesome. We haven't played this good all year," he said.
The Spitfires were the recipients of numerous multiple-run innings throughout the tournament, including a five-run seventh in the championship game, in which they were the visiting side. The Spitfires had three three-run innings against South Jasper Place in the semifinal and two four-run innings against the Cougars when the teams met in the preliminary game.
"Hitting's contagious," said Grudeski following the game. "You get those first couple of guys on and they're a little bit looser and they're not squeezing the bats so tight, and we put ourselves in a position and we were in close enough games that when we had a big inning it put us out and above, so it was great," he said.
Grudeski said everyone on the team was ready to perform during the championship game.
"The championship game was unreal. We pitched and played well enough throughout the week that we had our best (pitcher) for the final. We had the boys amped up and they played to it, so it was great," he said.
Grudeski said while the team won the championship, it played well throughout the season, going 12-6 to get to the tournament.
"To finish off the season 17-6 is pretty impressive, especially with (this) group of guys. They played to what (we) told them their potential was," he said.
Taylor Bracken, Jay Hammer, Greg Baumgardt and Dustin Larson are eligible to return next season, with the remainder eligible to move up to the midget team.
Eight teams in total took place in the tournament, which was co-hosted with Acme.
By winning the tournament, the Spitfires have qualified for the Western Bantam Double A Championships in Swift Current, Sask., from August 16 to 18.
Teams from the four western provinces will compete in the tournament.
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