Malcolm McCutcheon
Nelson Star
Playing seven games in two days the Nelson Tigers braved wet weather conditions to take third place in the Nelson Little League Minor Baseball division playoffs.
Competing against 10 teams from around the West Kootenay Region the Tigers maintained a stellar 5-2 record.
“Minor ball is really about skill development, having fun, and getting a love of the game. It’s not about wins and losses, it’s really about being active and building character,” said Larry Martel, president of the Nelson Little League Baseball Association.
Teams are made up of both boys and girls, of various skill levels, ages nine to 11.
The tournament was designed as a double knockout which meant teams were seeded based on their regular season standings and were out as soon as they had two losses.
The Tigers entered the quarterfinal game against the Beaver Valley Mariners and were quickly put on their back foot after giving up seven runs.
The Tigers made a late rally putting up eight runs in two innings defeating the Mariners 8-7 to move on to the next round.
“It was a really good run for the Tigers. They knocked off the top team which is Castlegar and they knocked some top teams out of the tournament. They were ranked seventh and they almost won it,” said Martel.
Unfortunately in the latter half of their semifinal game on Sunday — against the Trail Red Sox — the weather turned and it started to rain heavily. The game was called just as the Tigers were putting together another late rally, and they ended up losing 7-6.
The final game of the tournament between the Trail Red Sox and the Trail Mariners was cancelled due to the weather, and was rescheduled for this afternoon in Trail.
As it sits the Nelson Tigers took third place while the Beaver Valley Mariners and Castlegar Stealers took fourth and fifth respectively. The second team from Nelson finished in ninth spot after their three games.