It was an uphill climb all season, but perseverance paid off in the end as the Jasper Bears captured the Bantam AA Tier VI Alberta Championship, July 31.
Jasper downed the Red Deer Braves 17-6 in the championship game thanks to a brilliant pitching effort from Kelan Polard who also chipped in with three hits including a triple.
The Bears also got some offensive punch from James Valliere who was solid at the plate going three for three, while Everett Pelz went two for two with a triple. Duncan McLeod made two spectacular line drive catches at first to earn the game MVP award, while Sebastian Golla was named tournament MVP.
The Bears opened the provincial tournament, hosted by Fort McMurray, with a 17-16 win over St. Albert. Polard, Dylan Dekker and Golla shared the mound in the thriller. Polard belted a homerun and Tyler Carlton slammed a triple for Jasper.
Dekker pitched a complete game for the Bears in game two against Red Deer. Polard went four for five including a home run and a triple. Elvis Gorontzy-Slack and Golla were both four for five in the 33-2 Jasper victory.
The Bears recorded a 23-5 win over the host squad during their third outing. Valliere was solid on the mound, pitching the complete game for Jasper, while Cole Borrow was outstanding at first base with several pickups. Gorontzy-Slack led the Bears’ evenly spread offense with a homerun.
The Bears’ only loss was a 12-11 extra innings decision to Sylvan Lake in game four. Eric MacMahon clobbered a homerun for Jasper. This left three teams tied at 3-1 after round robin play. When tie breaking rules were applied, the Bears sat in first place. Red Deer defeated Sylvan Lake to advance to the final versus Jasper.
The Bears, with an all-rookie lineup, decided to move up to AA Bantam competition this year after four seasons of A ball. They struggled early on but kept improving with each game. They were 6-13 during the regular season and ended up with a 10-14 record that included the provincial finals. The Bears played all of their games on the road.
Coach John Polard praised his team for their hard work and determination.
“I’m very proud of all of the players for their commitment and performance both on and off the field. They did our community proud, showing great sportsmanship,” said Polard.
He also commended his fellow coaches for their efforts.
“Brian Dekker and Kathleen Buffel did a fantastic job with the team. Kathleen dedicated countless hours managing and keeping stats. Brian was instrumental in developing the players’ baseball fundamentals, having played high-level ball himself.”
The Bears also extended their gratitude to their sponsors Marmot Basin and Carlton Insurance for making their first AA season a success.
Steve Kushneryk
Special to the Fitzhugh
