Prairie Dogs win provincial championship

The Moose Jaw Prairie Dogs might not have had a perfect regular season record, they might have taken a few losses along the way, but then it comes to a provincial championship tournament it’s all about who is playing well at the right time.

And the Prairie Dogs couldn’t have timed it better.

Mac Sowden tossed 5 2/3^rd innings of outstanding baseball and the local squad held off a final inning charge by the Saskatoon Blue Jay Mud Dawgs to take a 5-4 win in the 11-and-under AA Tier 2 provincial championship final on Sunday afternoon at Lyle Helland Ball Diamond.

“It’s funny, our team got off to slow starts throughout the tournament, but once our team got rolling the kids got locked in and got the job done,” said Prairie Dogs head coach Craig Flanagan. “I have to give a lot of credit to Mac, he’s our one 10-year-old and he’s a big leader on our team, I couldn’t ask any more from him.”

Sowden kept the Dawgs off balance all game before Saskatoon managed a couple of hits in the final inning to bring the tying run to the plate. Dillon Flanagan took over for the final batter, getting the strike-out and touching off a raucous celebration for the team and their parents and fans.

“A 5-4 game in a provincial final, you can’t ask for anything more in a game like that,” Flanagan said. “We were the youngest team in this tournament, we’re almost all first-year Mosquito-age kids, and I can’t put into words how proud I am of these kids.”

Moose Jaw advanced to the final with an 8-3 win over the Regina Pacers in the semifinal earlier Sunday.

The victory brought the Prairie Dogs season to an end, capping a campaign that couldn’t have closed on a higher note.

“This is kind of our World Series, this is what we were building for all year and our kids just came closer together as a team,” Flanagan said. “They played so well this weekend and we couldn’t be prouder.”