The Gibsons midget AA Cubs remarkable season came to an end Saturday in Prince George with a 2-2 record at the provincial finals.
The Cubs entered the provincials as one of the favourites. With a 9-0 record in the July preliminaries, there was no team in Prince George they could not defeat - on paper. However, the pressure on this team was immense, and as can happen in tournaments, any team can stand to upset the giant.
The Cubs started play with a decisive 13-0 victory over the Rutland Rockies. Things were close until the fourth inning when Grayden Benner's triple broke the game wide open. Outstanding pitching from Dominic Acciaroli was a key to this win, earning him the game MVP.
Game two saw the Cubs fall 8-5 to the Ladner Red Sox.
Highlights included Chris Hanchar's outstanding defensive play, combined with a lead off double earning him game MVP. Danny Byer's monster solo home run was simply incredible.
Game three was a must win game for the Cubs, but Gibsons came out on the short end of a 4-3 loss to the Richmond Chuckers.
A two-run homer by Richmond early in the game set the Cubs back on their heels. And Gibsons failed to capitalize on their scoring chances, leaving nine men on base.
A game highlight was James Duff's solo "moon shot" over the wall at Citizen Field. MVP honours went to Malcolm Leinberger for his excellent pitching.
The fourth and final game pitted the Cubs against a determined Cloverdale team. Cloverdale led the Cubs for most of the game until Thomas Scarr's relief pitching silenced the Cloverdale offence. A crushing three-run double by Greg Kelley, combined with a key single by Ameer Ismail, put the Cubs into a tie situation. With speedster Andrew Marsh on base, a key hit by Chris allowed the Cubs to cruise to a 9-5 win.
"Many things can be said about this team and the fact they did not win at the provincials," said head coach Brian Scarr. "It is important to note that this group of young men, beginning in the inaugural 2009 Gibsons Minor Baseball Association fall ball program amassed an incredible record of 54 wins and four losses. Essentially, sport has a lot more to do with life than winning gold medals.
"The Prince George experience offered many life lessons for players, coaches and parents. This team should be acknowledged for not only the incredible baseball they played all year and, but also for the honourable ways they conducted themselves on and off the field."
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