STETTLER — Winning silver was sweet for the Red Deer Lock N Safe AA2 Mosquito Braves, as they won four straight games before losing in the final.
The Braves jumped out to 3-0 in round robin play and then eked out a 12-11 win over the Sylvan Lake Storm in the semifinals to make it to the tier 3 finals.
A 10-6 loss to the Edmonton South Jasper Blue Jays ended their provincials run, but the Braves still came home with shiny silver medals.
It started with a 9-7 win over the Stettler Sliders. Avery Bettesworth and Noah Nakonechny struck out five batters while Avery Coumont had two RBIs and Elijah Cadieux stole home twice, winning game MVP honours.
Back on the bats, the Braves bested the Oyen Orioles 15-9 in game two. Coumont and Addison Giesbrecht struck out six batters over the course of the game. Carter Krause had a big day at the plate with a home run and four RBIs, Giesbrecht had a homer of his own and two RBIs and Naokonechny had a triple and two RBIs to help power the offence.
Closing out the round robin, the Braves out hit the Leduc Giants on their way to a 15-6 win. Kieran Peterson, Owen Dixon and Comfort struck out seven batters. Dixon also flexed his muscles at the plate with two home runs and three RBIs. Austin Goruk had a home and three RBIs.
In the semifinal, the back-and-forth game had the Braves jump out to an early lead and hang on to survive a late inning rally, winning 12-11 over the Storm. Peterson threw four innings and struck out four, Giesbrecht and Luke Schmitt closed out the game and preserved the win. Dixon had another two home run game, driving in three runs. Austin Goruk also had a home run and two RBIs.
The Edmonton South Jasper Blue Jays haven’t lost a game since June, and were just as unstoppable in the provincials final. They won 10-6 over the Braves. Bettesworth and Schmitt struck out four batters. Goruk, Cadieux, Nakonenchny, Schmitt, Dixon and Krause drove in the Braves runs.