CARNDUFF - The Canada Summer Games take place every four years. The latest edition was to have taken place last year, but COVID-19 put that on hold.
The delay enabled two Carnduff teenagers to participate – Callum Hollinger and Carter Beck.
The Niagara region hosted the 2022 Games from Aug. 6-21. Week one featured baseball and Carnduff’s two players played a very significant role.
All 10 provinces participated. Saskatchewan was placed in Pool A with Nova Scotia, B.C. and Ontario. They played eight games, topping B.C. in two of three games, winning both games against N.S. and taking one of three versus Ontario.
Beck played right field and Hollinger played left field for some of the games and was the designated hitter for the others. Both did very well. Hollinger’s batting average was .417 with four runs batted in and Beck batted .357, knocking in 10 runs with the help of two doubles and a triple.
Perhaps their greatest contribution came in the final game. Team Saskatchewan’s success led them to the semifinals, which they lost to Ontario, the eventual gold-medallists. As a result, they played for the bronze medal against B.C.
Entering the seventh and final inning, the two teams were locked at 4-4. In the top half of the inning, Saskatchewan’s lead-off hitter, Oakland Flodell, led off with a walk. The first half of Carnduff’s dynamic duo, Beck, came to the plate. His coach asked him to sacrifice bunt Flodell to second base. Beck followed orders, beat the throw to first base.
The next batter struck out attempting another sacrifice bunt. Next up was Evan Deringer. During his at-bat, Flodell stole third. Deringer then hit a ground-rule double that scored Flodell and left Beck standing at third.
Saskatchewan was up 5-4. Jackson Martin came to the plate and was intentionally walked. That set the stage for Hollinger. He hit the ball to the centre fielder, deep enough for Beck to tag up and cross home plate with the sixth run. That finished the scoring for Saskatchewan.
In the bottom of the inning, B.C. scored once. An incredible catch by Beck prevented any further damage.
Here’s how the play-by-play announcer described it: “And that ball’s ripped into right field. It’s right at the right fielder. Oh, what a grab made by Beck.”
Beck had stretched out to full extension to snag the ball and landed hard, hurting himself. In the excitement of the moment, he didn’t feel the pain, but it was noticeable the following morning.
Saskatchewan had won 6-5. Along with making that game-saving catch, Beck had scored the winning run and Hollinger had driven him home.
Hollinger said, “It felt crazy, when the game was over, to realize that I had knocked in the winning run to give our team the bronze.”
It was Saskatchewan’s first-ever bronze.
It was a great experience for the Carnduff boys.
“It was really cool to meet so many athletes from different sports across Canada,” said Beck.
Later this month, Beck is heading to Ottawa for the Canadian Futures Showcase, run by the Toronto Blue Jays. Hollinger will be traveling to Las Vegas in October to showcase his baseball skills to American college scouts as he pursues a baseball scholarship.
In the meantime, they will continue to take pride in their medals and enjoy their memories of the Games and the significant roles they played.
