By Scott Roblin

AAA All-Stars fall just short in Junior Little League semis, to play for national bronze

Aug 4, 2018 | 5:10 PM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – Ninety feet was all that separated the Medicine Hat Junior AAA All-Stars from a shot at a national championship berth on Saturday, but they’ll have to settle for a chance at bronze.

The AAA All-Stars staged a furious comeback in the seventh inning against the Lethbridge Junior Bulls, but came up short 4-3 in the semi-finals of the Junior Little League Canadian Championships.

It was a low-scoring affair for most of the afternoon, with a wild pitch in the first inning from Medicine Hat starter Kevan Schafer being the only run scored until the sixth inning.

That’s when Medicine Hat’s Hayden Hall came through in the clutch with a triple to score Kayden Hleucka and tie up the semi-final contest.

That tie didn’t hold for long however, as Lethbridge’s Zayne Wittke ripped a single to left field in the top of the seventh to re-take the lead for the Bulls 2-1.

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Braedan Sheppard added his own RBI single and Shaye McTavish came through with a sacrifice fly for Lethbridge, giving them a 4-1 lead and needing only three outs to seal a berth in the national final.

Lethbridge however gave up three walks in the bottom half of the inning, giving Medicine Hat some life with the bases loaded down to their final out.

Trying to keep their tournament alive, Hleucka and Hall each stretched out walks to pull the Junior AAA All-Stars to within a single run and the bases still loaded.

The Bulls swapped out David Stewart for Tyson Johnson on the pitching mound, looking to prevent the game from further spiralling out of control.

That switch seemed to work, as Johnson got Medicine Hat’s Evan Morrison to pop up to the shortstop to give Lethbridge a 4-3 victory to advance in the tournament.

Hall led the team with a pair of RBIs and one hit, while Schafer threw six and one-third innings with four earned runs and two strikeouts.

Medicine Hat will now square off against Team Atlantic’s Cape Breton Sooners on Sunday for the bronze medal, with opening pitch set for 10:30 am at Spitz Stadium in Lethbridge.

The Bulls will now advance to the gold medal final and will take to the field against Quebec’s Mirabel Diamond Academy for the national championship.