Around the Horn

Going, going, gone… goodbye ball! Colton ‘Big Mac’ McLean came to the plate last Monday night down in Marwayne for the Bantam Sox. With the bases juiced he hammered one over the fence driving in four runs.

Sometimes you can get an in the park home run, that is actually only a double or triple and scored on throwing errors, but not this one, this  was no mistake. It sailed right over the center field fence and out of the park. It doesn’t happen very often, if fact that was ‘Big Mac’ first ever grand slam, but what a great feeling when you can help your team win the ball game.

I hope his mother was able to find the ball and keep it. These are the kind of stories you can tell your grandkids one day, many years from now.

When

he’s not playing ball ‘Big Mac’ is one of our more experienced umpires from our umpiring crew. He’s able to do the plate for any level, including the older boys or girls teams.  In fact, tonight he will be behind the plate when our Midget girls play.

Head coach of the Bantam boys Sox team, who is happy to be able to help out,  Brian ‘Putts’ Poitras commented that he is pleased with the boys’ efforts so far in the season at the game and at practice.

Not only did our Bantam boys win this past week, but it was a great week for most of our other minor ball teams. The Mosquitoes boys house league team won 17 to 0. The Mosquitos provincial team, playing an exhibition game, lost a close one to Bonnyville 7 to 6 on Wednesday night.

Conrad Pierce umpired the game, but he also coaches this provincial Sox team with Dennell Anderson . Margaret Bayduza is their manager.

In girls action, this past week, the Squirt girls won over St. Paul 15 to 13. The Peewee girls won over Frog Lake 17 to 9. Sorry I don’t have any details, but the coaches are going to get me some highlights in the next few games.

Then on Wednesday night, a game that I was behind the mask, doing the plate umpiring. It was the coolest night of the whole week, on a night when the fans had to bundle up or sit in their cars, the bantam girls were hot and had a big win over Frog Lake.

Mykaela ‘Micky Blue’ Verenka pitched the first two innings of the game,  chucking some very nice strikes right down the pipe. She also had a good night at the plate, with a couple of hits driving in a few runs .

Halle ‘Comet’ Stybel came in on relief and pitched two innings. She sent a quite a few of the batters to the dug out going down swinging and some of them watching the ball.

Closer Katelyn Boratynec came in the final inning. She throws very fast, faster then any of the other girls, and accurate for the most part , missing the plate by only a few inches when she missed at all. Her cousin ‘Raging Paige’ Henderson was catching most of the game and had a huge hit far out to center field.

Erin Duffy, the team’s other catcher, also had a very strong game at the plate, pounding the ball to the outfield.  You feel safe back there when these two big girls are catching.

This team is coached by Teresa Bortynec and Kim Wallington and manager Lori Cribbins and are off to a great start to the year.

In football action the summer games try-outs were held recently and our very own Odin ‘the Wall’ Smith was selected as one of the lineman that will be going to the summer games with the Zone 7 Bombers. Charlie ‘Chuckles’ Rogal was wanting to try out, but has committed himself to the provincial Bantam ball team, coached by Tyler Warawa. His assistant Sheldon Ballas will be celebrating his birthday on Thursday of this week.