SASKATOON — The Red Deer Midget AAA CarStar Braves season came to end Saturday on a winning note — it just wasn’t necessarily the note they were hoping for.
After splitting the second day of the Western Canadian Baseball Championships the Braves found themselves on the wrong end of a tie breaker with a 2-2 record for the tournament, and will miss out on the final today.
Red Deer opened the day on the wrong side of the bed with a 14-1 loss, but rebounded to put themselves in contention for the final with a 9-4 win over Manitoba— but that game will be the last time they put the cleats on for the 2010 season.
Corbyn Shields struggled from the mound in the morning game, lasting just four innings and surrendering nine runs, seven of them earned. Jonah Penner came in to start the fifth and didn’t fair much better, giving up five runs, three earned in 1 1/3 inning. Brady Porter closed out the final 2/3 of an inning without giving up any more runs.
Dom Tait went two-for-three for the Braves and had the lone run batted in, scoring Curtis Mazurkewich with a single. Brett Littlefair also went two-for three at the plate.
Littlefair picked up the win in the second game, giving up four runs, three of the earned through four innings on six hits and three walks with one strike out. Drew Hamilton came in in relief and shut down Manitoba over the final three innings, picking up the save.
Mazurkewich had a huge game for the Braves at the plate with two singles for three RBIs and a run scored. Littlefair, Taze Steeves and Dom Tait all chipped in with two hits and an RBI while Calvin Ireland and Drew Hamilton also had an RBI each along with a hit.
l A correction from Saturday’s article, Shields went two-for-two in the first game, not Wyle Cunningham, as well Mark Fay went two-for-three at the plate with a walk and an RBI in the same game, not Porter.