For the first time in many years, a baseball team from Eckville has taken the championship spot in a league.
The Eckville Bantam Eagles won the championship game on June 27 in a game against Bentley Blue Jays.
The Eagles played in a playoff tournament over the weekend to decide who would be moving on to the championship game.
“We beat teams from Red Deer and Sylvan Lake to get our spot,” said Team Manager Amy Brown.
It was all excitement for the team as the final inning ended and the Eagles had kept a firm grasp on their lead which earned the team the Tier Two championship.
“They were all pretty excited when the game ended,” said Brown.
She said the game was a mental one rather than a physical demonstration.
The Eagles were able to secure a generous lead early in the game, though they had to fight to keep it.
About half-way through the game, the Blue Jays began to catch up, closing the gap created early in the game.
“They had to battle back, it made for a great game,” said Brown.
A battle for the final win of the season takes its toll, but Brown said the team was able to stay positive.
Even though the Jays fought to close the gap, the Eagles kept their cool and worked to keep their early lead.
“In the end I think it came down to realizing they had the ability to win,” Brown said.
Before the end of the game, the Eagles came to the realization that it wasn’t the Blue Jays who were beating them, it was themselves.
“They seemed to realize they work well together and had to work with each other to win the game.”
The win was especially momentous for the team as many of the players were new to the sport.
Brown said each player improved immensely over the season.
“It was a pretty good way to the season,” she said.
The baseball season as a whole went over pretty well in Eckville.
The Pee Wee team made it to the championship game as well, though they lost by one run.
“It was a fantastic year for baseball in Eckville,” Brown said.
The sport “seems to have made a comeback” in the town, and many people have put their support behind the local teams.
Coaches, umpires and managers are only the start. There were many people from Eckville and surrounding areas that volunteered and helped the teams.
Brown specifically would like to thank three people for all their hard work and support over the season; Randy Forhan, The Humphry Family and Laurie Barret.
“The support from the entire community has just been awesome,” said Brown.