It was much longer than a typical 11U baseball game.
The Prince Albert Royals were defeated 21-19 by the Moose Jaw Canucks in a game that went eight innings.
Games at the 11U level are typically only six innings, but the game went into a pair of extra innings.
Prince Albert head coach Nathan Noble says the experience was great for his players, despite the final result.
“It was a great start. Playing it in this heat, everyone’s concerned about pitch count and staying hydrated and then we get thrown an extra couple of innings so the boys battled so hard it was awesome to watch.”
At one point in the game, Prince Albert trailed by as many as ten runs but were able to close the game down to three heading into the bottom of the sixth.
After scoring a pair of runs, Prince Albert would tie the game thanks to a double steal. With runners on first and third, the Royals would attempt a steal of second base and with the catcher attempting to throw out the runner, the tying run would cross the plate.
Noble says he was pleased with how the Royals hit the baseball throughout the afternoon.
“They put the ball in play, they got some runs, they kept battling, they didn’t quit, so we’re really proud of these guys today. All the way from top to bottom of the order. Every one of those guys got hits, put the ball in play. We’re very proud of everybody. It was nice to see that. That’s how we stayed in that game.”
After Moose Jaw scored in the top half of the seventh, Prince Albert had the winning run on third base with nobody out.
A pop fly was caught by the Moose Jaw first basemen, the runner from third base would attempt to score the winning run. In a close play and controversial call, the runner was called out and the game continued.
Moose Jaw would score two runs on a single in the top half of the eighth to take the lead that they would not relinquish.
Noble says the Royals as a team weren’t thrilled with the final result, but will regroup for the rest of the weekend.
“They were so emotional right at the end of it. I think we pitched nine guys in that game and it’s a lot of fun. They’re getting used to provincial ball and they’re going to have to battle through a couple tough ones tomorrow now.”
THe 11U Royals return to action at 9 a.m. on Saturday when they take on the Kindersley Royals.
sports@paherald.sk.ca
