INSIDE THE PARK: Duo returns as Marlins host provincials

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This article was published 29/07/2022 (1380 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The play started innocently enough, with the crack of the ball off the bat.

Erik Solomon, 15, was patrolling left field for the 15-and-under AAA Brandon Marlins, with his 14-year-old friend Griffin Zilkey beside him in centre during a Canada Day tournament at Simplot Millennium Park.

“It was a deep fly ball to left centre,” the right-handed Solomon said. “We were both running at it and both of us were so focused on the ball that neither of us called it.”

The left-handed Zilkey was also concentrating on the ball.

“I thought it was gone but then I saw it dropping a bit,” Zilkey said. “Erik is a great outfielder and we were both running at it. It looked like it was closer to me and then it was closer to him and then it was closer to me and nobody called it. We were both waiting for someone to call us off.”

Anyone who has watched a lot of baseball knows what’s coming next.

“It should have been his ball but I still went after it because I didn’t hear anyone call me off,” Solomon said. “He dived for it and almost caught it apparently and I ran into him and he ran into me and the ball dropped into between us.”

“I was looking at the ball and not him because I saw it coming down and I thought he stopped,” Zilkey said. “Then I dived and we collided.”

The ball hit Zilkey’s glove a moment before the collision and it dropped between them. Zilkey got up and threw the ball in, and the two outfielders checked to see how each other was doing.

From the bench, head coach Darcy Simard could see the play developing. It was also obvious that every coach’s nightmare had developed, that both players were injured.

“Griffin hit his head on Erik’s chest and they collided and both fell to the ground,” Simard said. “Griffin was able to get up and made the throw to the cutoff and we actually got the out on the play, but as soon as the play was dead, I went out to check on them. It was pretty obvious they were both in pain.”

The damage was immediate. Solomon pulled ligaments in his foot, and Zilkey was having neck and right arm issues.

“Absolutely player safety is number one,” Simard said. “We took our time with both players.”

Simard was especially worried about Zilkey’s apparent head injury, noting he was quite pale. Zilkey sat down after the throw and tried to get back up when they arrived, but they kept him on the ground until he could be taken off the field.

“The game was paused for a bit and I had to go on a golf cart and go to a walk-in (clinic),” Zilkey said. “The doctor told me to go to the ER. Erik stayed for that inning and he realized he couldn’t walk anymore. Then I actually saw him later in the emergency room.”

Solomon missed the rest of the tournament and the next week, and then began to do light workouts. He began actually practising again last week.

It took two weeks for Zilkey to be cleared to resume some light throwing and catching. The first game he played was at the recent provincial qualifiers.

“It felt weird but it was good to be back,” Zilkey said. “And Erik was back too so it was just great.”

Happily for everyone involved, both teenagers will be in action with their squad this weekend as Brandon hosts the 15U AAA Tier 1 and Tier 2 provincial championships at Simplot Millennium Park.

“Everyone had a big sigh of relief afterwards because you never know,” Simard said. “We weren’t sure what kind of injury it was. It was definitely a head injury, which could be a concussion, so when we heard it was a possible fractured neck, everyone was ‘Oh my God, hopefully he’s doing fine.’

“He actually came back the next day and supported the team on the bench, which was very exciting for the kids. It puts everyone at ease because number one is that both kids were good and they both ended up coming for the rest of the weekend.

“It was good for the morale of everyone because it’s disheartening when you see your teammates get hurt and you don’t know the extent of the injury.”

The tournament, which stretches from today until Sunday, has two tiers aimed at players born in 2007 and 2008.

Tier 1 includes South Central, North Winnipeg, Bonivital, Carillon, Oildome and Winnipeg South, with Tier 2 featuring Brandon, Interlake, Red River, St. James, Midwest and Pembina Hills.

Brandon plays twice today, meeting Interlake this morning at 9 and Red River this afternoon at 3. On Saturday, it faces St. James at noon and Midwest at 6, with its round-robin finale coming Sunday morning at 9 o’clock.

The top teams meet in the final on Sunday evening at 6 for their respective championships in both tiers.

The Marlins, which also include Sage Hall-Vermette, Burke Hood, Jonah Lemoine, Cole Lobreau, Samuel Manko, Junior Martine, Maden Simard, Grady Taylor, Kal-El Wilson and Jaxten Woychyshyn, played mostly against area teams this season such as Midwest, Oildome and Pembina Hills, with some games against Winnipeg teams.

In 14 league games, they were 9-5.

Brandon also went to a tournament in Regina, hosted the Canada Day event and went to qualifiers last weekend in Île-des-Chênes.

The Marlins went 3-3 at qualifiers, putting them into a four-way tiebreaker, which they lost on a mathematical formula based on runs differential by 0.2 to Oildome.

“When we talk about tightening up our defence, making sure you hit the cutoff and doing the little things, a couple of runs was the difference in the tiebreaker from us going through Tier 1 to Tier 2,” Simard said.

Simard said the club is built around its pitching. The team’s main starters are Martine, Hood, Woychyshyn, Simard, Solomon and Lobreau, but all 12 players can throw if needed.

“We have phenomenal pitching,” Simard said. “Our pitching has been our strength this year. We’re in every game because our pitchers give us a chance to win. We continue to work on our defence, minimizing making the errors and doing the little things to ensure that we can support the pitchers and really work on attacking the ball early in the count, because when we fall behind in the count, that’s when we seem to have a lot of trouble.

“We’re really working on the little things and focusing on getting better even at this point.”

Solomon said every facet of the team’s game will have to be on point during the five-game round-robin if they are to have some success.

“I think we all just need to hit the ball,” Solomon said. “We have to hit the gaps and play tremendous defence in the outfield and that helps out our pitchers, who need to throw lots of strikes. The field has to help us out as much as they can. Hitting is important but we have to start with defence and work our way to the other part.”

The Marlins have seven older players in their major seasons and five younger guys in their minor seasons at the U15 level. Simard said each brings his own unique and competitive elements to the team.

They’ve also bonded as a group.

“The biggest part is that we have to stay focused,” Simard said. “It’s a great group and they like to have fun and enjoy themselves, and that’s really important, especially in baseball. Baseball is about momentum, about touches, so as long as we stay focused and everyone knows their role and does their job and we work as a team, we’ll be successful.”

The key is that all 12 players will be available after the scary incident during the Canada Day tournament.

While accidents happen in every level of every sport, good coaches are more concerned about whether a player has learned from the experience. Simard doesn’t have to worry about Solomon, who said he’s put the event behind him.

“I try to be more careful and call the ball a lot more but it doesn’t really affect me,” Solomon said. “I know what I did wrong and I fixed it.”

» pbergson@brandonsun.com

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