A comeback that could only be described as epic wasn’t enough to give the Red Lions their home tournament title.
Four teams, including the Red Lions, played July 8-9 for the second annual John Golonowski Tournament title. When the dust settled Sunday, the Red Lions stood with a 2-1 record, but it was the Edmonton Cubs, with an identical 2-1 mark, who were proclaimed champions. The Cubs were slated to play the Cold Lake Cardinals in the final, but the game was called.
“I’m pretty happy with the amount of people we had here, even with only four teams,” said Red Lions skipper Adam Sawatzky.
“We are very, very proud of the tournament and what John (Golonowski) has done for the team over the years. We had the same record as the tournament champions so we’re pretty proud of that as well.”
Any hopes for a Red Lions title ended after Game 1 versus the Cardinals, who took a 4-0 lead through two innings. The wheels fell off in the fifth as the Cardinals tallied 11 more runs making the final 15-4.
As disappointing as the tilt was, Game 2 versus the Cubs was one for the history books.
The Lions came out of the gate with a roar, up 3-0 by the second inning.
The Cubs answered back in the third inning, capitalizing on an error by the Lions to take a 4-3 lead.
But the Cubs lead was fleeting as the Lions roared back to go up 6-4 at the top of the fourth.
And that’s when things got interesting.
The Cubs appeared to have put the game away with 11 runs in the bottom of the frame. To their credit the Lions stalked their opponents throughout the fifth, putting a couple of runs on the board to narrow the gap to 15-9 before the Cubs shut them down and took the bat, earning an extra run to take a 16-9 lead going into the sixth inning.
For most the game would have been over.
But the Lions got on a roll that didn’t end. By the time the Cubs were finally able to force the third out, they were out of gas and the Lions had scored an improbable 18-16 victory.
“We had the time and ability to come back, so things went according to plan,” said Sawatzky. “It was a bit higher scoring than we figured, but it was a good win for us. Even down, we had the firepower to come back.”
The Lions capped off the tournament with a 4-0 victory over the Edmonton Primeaus the next morning to finish the event with a 2-1 record.
“The bats weren’t as lively as they were the day before, but when we needed a hit we got it,” said Sawatzky. “The guys did a great job.”
With the dust settled, the Lions are looking to continue their regular season march on the North Central Alberta Baseball League (NCABL) with a July 12 away game against the second place Edmonton Blackhawks.
The Lions will then return to Keller Field the next day to host the Edmonton Primeaus.
“The Blackhawks are one of the top teams in the league and the Primeaus are battling for a playoff spot, so it’s a big week for us,” said Sawatzky, noting that the Red Lions did their best to not overwork their top players over the weekend. “This is more for pride.”
The Red Lions are currently sitting at fourth place in the NCABL standings with a record of 6-4.
