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August 25, 2008 07:57 AM
Vaughan doesn't medal but earns praise as host
By: Mike Hayakawa, Staff Writer
The host Vaughan Vikings did not win a medal at the 2008 Baseball Canada peewee championships.
They did win plenty of respect.
Especially from eventual champion Quebec, which overcame a two-run deficit in the final two innings in their semifinal encounter with the Vikings to emerge with a 5-4 victory at Concord Regional Park Sunday.
Relegated to the bronze medal game later that day, a disconsolate Vikings team faced Ontario (Windsor) and fell 11-5 to take fourth place in the 11-team event.
Quebec won the tourney with a 6-2 victory of British Columbia in Sunday night’s final.
Despite being denied a medal, Vikings head coach Dirk Drieberg felt his group of 13-year-old youngsters gave it their best.
“Our guys battled and showed a lot of heart. The kids did everything we as a coaching staff asked of them. All 17 of them,” he said.
Against Quebec, which entered the semifinal with an unbeaten record, including a 16-7 win over Vaughan in a pool game Friday, the Vikings committed two errors in the final two frames that proved to be their undoing.
Shawn Lee pitched the first four innings for the Vikings before giving way to Geoffrey Seto, who took the loss.
It was the first time the GTA hosted a national baseball championship.
Drieberg, who was also on the tournament committee, hopes it will set the tone for Vaughan to host other national championships in future years. As early as 2011, he hinted.
“The compliments we had from the teams, the umpires and chef d’missions from each of the teams, Vaughan baseball can be proud. Everybody said it was done first class. Hopefully this bodes well for Vaughan to host other national championships,” he said.
Tournament players were introduced on the field at the Rogers Centre before a Blue Jays-Yankees game last week.
More corporate support, which was minimal for the event, would be welcome, he said.
For more on the championships, log on to: www.baseball.ca