Photo courtesy of Medicine Hat Little League

By Scott Roblin

Playoffs Ahead

Medicine Hat AAA All-Stars off to semi-finals at Junior Little League Nationals

Aug 3, 2019 | 1:47 PM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – The Medicine Hat AAA All-Stars are one win away from a berth in the national championship, however standing in their way is a powerhouse Quebec squad.

They’re still buzzing after a needed victory on Friday however, taking down Team British Columbia in their final game of the round-robin 7-5.

Coming into Friday’s contest with a 2-3 record and needing a win to stay alive at the 2019 Canadian Junior Little League Championships, Medicine Hat fended off a late rally from B.C. to advance to the playoff stage.

Representing Team Alberta, it was a quick start for the Medicine Hat boys with an RBI single from Kevan Schafer and a walk with the bases loaded that made it a 2-0 game in the first inning.

Koby Eskestrand was able to bring home two more All-Stars runs seconds later with a double to left field, doubling Medicine Hat’s lead over B.C. to four.

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After a scoreless second inning, two more Medicine Hat runs crossed home plate in the third courtesy of a single from Colbin Unreiner and a steal of home by Cade Harrison.

British Columbia was able to tack on a pair of runs in the fourth and fifth innings to cut the gap to 6-2, but a ground out by Hayden King was able to score Graceon Little in the bottom of the fifth.

Needing just two more outs to secure their spot in the semi-finals, the All-Stars were able to get British Columbia’s Jacob Shorthouse to ground out to second for the inning’s second out.

That was able to score a runner however and with runners at second and third, B.C. cleanup hitter Marcus Padovano connected on a line drive to left field to bring home two more runs.

Medicine Hat was finally able to get a fly out to end the game, holding on for the 7-5 victory to advance to the semi-finals.

Unreiner and Eskestrand each had a pair of RBIs in the victory, while Kavne Olinski and Harrison each scored a pair of runs for Medicine Hat.

Eskestrand and Caleb Garrecht were able to hold B.C. to just five hits on the afternoon, with Eskestrand pitching six complete innings with two strikeouts to pick up the win.

Improving to 3-3 and securing the fourth seed at nationals, the All-Stars will battle undefeated Team Quebec on Saturday afternoon at 3:30 pm at Spitz Stadium.

Medicine Hat was able to deal Quebec their biggest scare of the tournament however, edged out by an 11-10 score on Thursday afternoon.

The winner will face either Team Atlantic or Team Ontario in Sunday afternoon’s gold medal final, while the loser will play for a bronze medal at 10:30 am on Sunday.