Chiefs clinch bantam title
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 02/08/2011 (5334 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
The Winnipeg South Chiefs lived up to their billing on the weekend and left Brandon on Sunday night as the provincial Bantam AAA baseball champions.
The Chiefs won all six of their tournament games, including a 6-3 triumph in Sunday’s final game against the North Winnipeg Pirates, who defeated the host Brandon Knights 7-6 in an extra-inning semifinal.
Both finalists have now earned berths in the Western Canadian championship, which the Winnipeg South squad will host Aug. 18-21.
The Chiefs have also qualified for the nationals, set for Aug. 25-28 in Vaughan, Ont.
"We gave up 12 runs in six games, so our defence and pitching stood out," said Chiefs coach Morgan de Pena, also the executive director of Baseball Manitoba. "We had some excellent pitching in every game."
In the final, Winnipeg South went with ace pitcher Ben Onyshko, who was rested at a time when most teams were running thin on eligible and able chuckers.
"He did an outstanding job," de Pena said. "We have the pitching depth to be able to (start a fresh pitcher)."
Onyshko, a 6-foot, 155-pound left-hander who ranks among Manitoba’s best bantam-aged players, was confident the Chiefs could emerge as champions of the13-team tournament.
"We knew we had to play our hardest the whole way, but we knew that if we did our best, we could win it, and that’s what we did for the three days we were out here," Onyshko said. "I felt pretty confident. When I came out on the mound, I knew that I could get the job done if I tried my hardest and my teammates helped me out."
The Chiefs opened a 5-0 lead in the third inning and were up6-0 when the Pirates plated three runs in the seventh.
Nir Liebenthal provided seventh-inning relief for Winnipeg South, which received three singles and two runs from Curtis de Pena, who is Morgan’s son.
Curtis de Pena pitched the win, and Liebenthal earned the save, as Winnipeg South defeated Bonivital 3-2 in their semifinal.