Reds take bronze in Canada Day tourney

By Tyler Lowey, Times Reporter

As much as small ball and the manoeuvring of chess pieces is going away from today’s game in major league baseball, it will always have a place with the younger age divisions.
It was also the reason the Strathmore bantam Reds 1 walked away with the bronze medal last weekend from the Calgary Cardinals Canada Day Invitational tournament at Wilma Hansen High School in Calgary.
Down one in the bottom of the seventh against the Okotoks Outlaws Orange in the bronze medal game July 2, Connor Cockx got the rally going using a drag bunt to reach base safely. After advancing to second on a passed ball, Adam Kirkpatrick cashed him in with a single up the middle.
With one out and the winning run standing on third in Kirkpatrick, Reds Head Coach Jon Rilling called for the suicide squeeze.
Kirkpatrick broke for home and Jacob Galandy got the bunt down perfectly for the thrilling win.
For Kirkpatrick, it was the perfect ending to a solid game. As the leadoff man, he came around to score three runs while going 3-for-4 with a walk.
It was a great way to wrap up the weekend after the Reds got stunned in the semifinals when they surrendered four runs in the seventh to lose to the Camrose Cougars 6-2.
Jon Rilling was on the mound to close out the game but allowed six base runners to reach safely after recording the first two outs.
Offensively for the Reds, Ray Warrack led the way by going 3-for-3 with a pair of runs scored. Hitting behind Warrack was Nolan Metzger, who went 2-for-2 with a walk, a run scored and two RBIs.
The Reds annihilated the competition in the round robin. They opened the long weekend festivities with a booming 25-5 win over the Calgary Babe Ruth Longhorns.
On the second day of the tournament, the Reds were involved in a much more competitive game, but still doubled up the Lethbridge Mounties 10-5.
Tyson Dmyterko drove in three runs and scored a pair. Torbin Jorgensen picked up three hits and also scored a pair of runs.
The Reds rounded out the round robin by holding off the host Calgary Cardinals late for the 10-6 victory.
The Reds jumped out to an 8-0 lead after Rilling, Jorgensen, Warrack and Galandy all racked up RBI doubles.
Returning to Baseball Alberta action, the Reds now enter the third and final tier of their schedule, as the provincial picture begins to take shape.
The Reds will be competing in the first tier against the top bantam teams from around the province. The Reds will be in Camrose this weekend for a full slate of games.
The midget program was off for the long weekend and will resume their Baseball Alberta schedule this weekend in Innisfail. They have been grouped in Tier 2 and will also begin the final leg of the tiering schedule in Innisfail.