Great weather, great fastball!
The weather was fantastic and so was the fastball on the final day of the tournament Sunday, May 29 at Keterson Park in Mitchell.
The host Hornets didn't disappoint, sweeping both playoff games in the pee wee girls division to win the gold medal, defeating Tavistock 8-6 and DKMB 11-5 in the process.
The midget girls entry, meanwhile, pulled off a big rally after falling behind 6-1 in the second inning to New Hamburg in the semi-final, earning a heartstopping 12-11 win in one extra inning. Mitchell scored three runs in the top of the extra inning only to see New Hamburg rally for two runs and leave the tying run on third base. The heat combined with the energy of the Tavistock pitcher curtailed any thoughts of gold for Mitchell, as the A's downed the Hornets 11-1.
The squirt girls #1 side from Mitchell reached the semi-finals in their division but ran into a well-disciplined Wyoming team, the eventual division champs as they held off a strong Flamborough team to win gold.
Mitchell's midget boys also reached the semi-finals with a 2-1 pool mark, but fell 5-1 to Haldimand, which dropped a 4-3 decision to Chepstow in the championship final.
In the bantam girls final, DKMB trailed by one run in the top of the seventh but rallied for three runs to claim the title with a 5-3 win over Wyoming.
Finally, in the most thrilling final, a walk-off solo home run in the seventh inning gave Tavistock a 4-3 win over Exeter in the mite - yes, mite - girls division. To say the midget boys and mite girls finals would have had the exact same score is saying something of the talent at this level, and all levels in the tournament.
Congratulations to all who participated, and thanks to all the Mitchell volunteers, umpires and grounds crew who put forth a great effort to ensure the tournament was a smashing success. (It helps that Mother Nature co-operated!)
Thanks again!
See you all next season!