The 麻豆传媒AVeast Senior Baseball League (SESBL) playoff title is back where it belongs as the Yorkton Yankees regained the crown that they lost last year to the Willowbrook Royals, defeating the Langenburg Indians in three games to once again be named SESBL champions after wins of 13-12 on Tuesday, August 18 in Langenburg and 13-3 last Wednesday in Yorkton
Game Two
The Yorkton Yankees scored two runs in the first, four in the third, five in the fifth and two in the sixth to take a 13-3 lead into the bottom half of the seventh and final inning, but the never-say-die Langenburg Indians nearly came all the way back, scoring nine runs in the final inning before Game One winner Logan Calanchie came in to quell the Indian uprising and give the Yankees a 2-0 series lead. 鈥淓veryone always says that every run counts and I definitely believe it now for sure if I didn鈥檛 before,鈥� Yorkton Yankee assistant manager/player Mark Jacobs told Yorkton This Week. 鈥淲e built up a good lead there but they just never die. They鈥檙e never going to roll over no matter if they鈥檙e down one, five, 10 or 20 they鈥檙e not going to die and they didn鈥檛.
鈥淓veryone was sweating and we were a little nervous there at the end for sure, but Calanchie came in and did what he does best and we ended up getting the win.鈥�
Yankee pitcher Matt Poier 鈥� who last year threw less than ten innings - picked up the win going 6.1 innings, allowing 10 runs (just three earned), on seven hits and five walks while striking out two. 鈥淔or someone who pitched nine or ten innings last year, Poier sure did well,鈥� offered Jacobs, adding that Poier has been a solid second arm in the Yankees starting rotation all season long. 鈥淗e was 7-0 or 8-0 this year and he definitely threw the ball well.
鈥淭he guy throws nine or ten innings the year before so you don鈥檛 expect him to do as well as he did this year but good for him.鈥�
Offensively the trio of Dave Morari, Ross Stilborn and Jeremy Johnson led the way in Game Two as all three hit a homerun and picked up three RBIs while MacKenzie Unyi and Dalane Lamb also managed to find the scoresheet with Unyi driving in two runs while Lamb collected one RBI.
Game Three
A seven run second inning proved to be enough, but the Yorkton Yankees still put up six more runs for good measure in a championship clinching 13-3 win over the Langenburg Indians last Wednesday night in Yorkton. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e a team that you have to put up a pile of runs on because you know they鈥檙e capable of coming back. Just look at Tuesday鈥檚 game and you鈥檒l see that,鈥� offered Jacobs. 鈥淵ou have to get a few crooked numbers against them because they can hit and they鈥檒l put everything in play so you have to make sure your defence is ready to make the plays and ours was in Game Three.鈥�
Dave Morari picked up the series clinching win for the Yankees on the mound. The veteran hurler, who also plays third base and catcher, tossed six innings, giving up two earned runs on four hits and a walk while striking out three.
Morari also helped his own cause throughout the game going 3-for-4 with a double and two RBIs.
Logan Calanchie and Ross Stilborn led the way with three RBIs each, while Jeremy Johnson, Derek Kohut and Game Two winner Matt Poier rounded out the scoring with one RBI apiece.
The 2015 title is the third championship in four seasons for the Yorkton Yankees and sixth title for a Yorkton-based team in seven seasons as the Yorkton Jr. Cardinals won three straight championships from 2009-2011.
