For the first time in Saskatchewan’s history, a rural Saskatchewan Senior team, the Assiniboine Aces, won a gold medal during the Saskatchewan Senior Fitness Association’s provincial tournament.
The current Assiniboine Golden Aces team, made up of members from 11 small communities in the Canora area, played in North Battleford on July 5 to 7, against several teams from larger cities.
David Weiman, coach of the team, said that the Aces play against younger teams so that they can keep the bats swinging. Regina’s league has nine teams that play twice a week, but gathering people from several smaller communities is what it takes to make a competitive team, he said.
The first game on the morning of July 5 was against the Saskatoon Reds, who were seeded as first place. The Aces got off to a slow start and, despite trying to come back, lost 18-14.
Another game against the Regina Rebels occurred later that morning. Weiman said the Rebels were tough, but the batting was solid, so the Aces won 22-15. Despite their early win, team members were confident they could do better.
July 6 featured a game against the Regina Capitals, who the Golden Aces played for the first time. The team had a slow start, but Weiman said the players regained their composure and won 22-12.
A win against the Melville Slo-Pitch League would be needed to secure the Aces a spot in the gold medal round. The seven innings ended with a tie of 20-20, but overtime allowed the team to get five runs to the Melville team’s three.
On the last day of the tournament, the Assiniboine Golden Aces were to play again against the Saskatoon Reds. Weiman said the players knew they would have to have one of their best games, and he thinks that they did, winning 15-12.
The team was tired after the tournament, but wore big smiles with their gold medals when they finished, Weiman said. Members are proud that they won the tournament despite the obstacles in their way, and say they’ll remember the games for the rest of their lives.
In 2014, the Golden Aces won the bronze medal during a tournament in Humbolt, and the team is happy to add a gold medal to its record.
Weiman would like to thank the current and former players of the Golden Aces, who made slo-pitch their priority and missed other functions so the team could continue. The present team members believe the former ones should share in some of the pride in bringing this gold medal home, he said.
The team members thank the fans, grounds keepers, and everyone who supported them over the years. The Assiniboine Golden Aces members include Victor Korchinski and Darryl Stevenson of Canora.
