Red Sox win championship

Fifty-two children played baseball this summer, compared to 38 last year, and a few players traveled from the from Long and Brier islands to play. “I remember three years ago when I was doing it, it was about me and 11 kids doing summer camp, so it was nice to see it grow,” said association president and coach Sean Brown.

He said the season was pretty good and each player improved from last year. Practice took place once a week, with a game the following Sunday. There were four teams this year,

One area of improvement, said Brown, was that teams became better at was getting five innings in during the two-hour time limit. Each team got a chance to play 12 games over the summer.

He found teams more competitive this year as well, as last year was more of a learning experience.

The Digby association also became affiliated with Nova Scotia Minor Ball this year, said Brown.

An all-star game was added to the schedule this year, which included fastest pitch and home run hitting contests and more.

Towards the end of the season, each team took part in a series of playoffs with the Red Sox playing the Tigers and then Dodgers playing the Blue Jays.

The Red Sox won the championship match against the Dodgers, and the Blue Jays took third with the Tigers fourth overall.

The fun did not stop there, as there was a friendly game Sept. 13 between parents and kids. Twenty-two parents and over 30 children took part in the game.

An end-of-year banquet took place following the match.

Team MVPs were Ryan Doucette of the Red Sox, Ethan Saulnier of the Dodgers, Chance d’Ambrose of the Blue Jays, and Garrett Nesbitt of the Tigers.

Every player received a trophy this year and other awards handed out were coach’s choice award and MVP participant medals, said Brown. Volunteer of the year was Tanya Dondale.

Brown is already thinking about next summer. “Next year we’re planning to increase the age limit from nine to 13, this year was eight to 12 and we’ll establish T-ball for ages five to eight,” he said.

Brown is aiming to keep the league growing. ldelong@digbycourier.ca

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