The Red Deer Razorbacks Cinderella run ended on Tuesday night in Acme, as they lost 10-0 to the Pirates in three innings.
This gave Acme a 2-0 series sweep over the Razorbacks and the 2014 Parkland Baseball League championship.
The game was called in the third inning on a count of darkness, but with Red Deer already trailing by 10 runs, they conceded victory to the Pirates.
“Not taking away anything from Acme, they’re a solid club, solid defensively and pitching, but they’re not a team that’s unbeatable,” said Razorbacks head coach Darcy Warawa. “But something Acme was far better than we were this season was being consistent. That was the big thing that hurt us.”
Everything that could go wrong, went wrong for Red Deer., and it all started with their first hitter, who lined a shot back off the pitcher’s glove — the ball deflected right to the short stop who threw him out at first base. The next two Razorbacks hit the ball hard, but right at Pirates to end the inning.
On the back of five errors, Red Deer gave up six runs in the bottom of the first inning to trail 6-0.
The Razorbacks managed to load the bases in the top of the third inning, but Clinton Armitage — one of their best hitters — grounded out to third base to end the threat.
Acme tacked on four more runs before the game was called with two outs in the bottom of the third inning.
Travis Bachynski started the game for Red Deer and took the loss, despite getting no help from his defence.
“They were putting balls in play and we were just kicking them everywhere, to the point where one guy had a swinging bunt and by the end of the play ended up at third,” said Warawa. “You end up getting deflated a bit ... The guys didn’t’ quit, but it’s tough getting that high energy, that high intensity going when you’re already down 6-0.”
But the Razorbacks are happy with their overall performance this year, which was supposed to be a rebuilding season, as players like Bachynski, Armitage, Teagan Colonna, Diego Colorado and Chris Grudeski emerged as part of a new core of players to a solid returning veteran group.
Hopes are next year, they should all be better for it.
“We got new guys, but we got baseball guys, then it was a matter of meshing together on the field,” said Warawa.