An all-star team from North Vancouver's Highlands Little League won the provincial 9/10 championships in emphatic fashion Sunday, scoring a 12-1 win over Hastings in the final held at Vancouver's Carnarvon Park.
Pitcher Anthony Setticasi shut down the talented Vancouver squad in the final, allowing just a solo home run, while the Highlands offence came alive to secure the mercy rule win. Setticasi struck out the final batter he faced, setting off a wild celebration.
"I was very proud," said head coach Steve Lake. "They had worked very hard for this and it was a very special moment to watch them celebrate and be rewarded for their hard work."
It was a sweet victory for the whole team but in particular the core four of Mackenzie Lake, Gabe Nelson, Sam Aslanowicz, and Setticasi, team leaders all suited up for the Highlands team that lost to Hastings in last year's provincial final.
"Last year we endured the opposite effect when we were in the final in Trail," said Lake. "The boys knew what was at stake, they knew they didn't want to have that feeling again."
The win was the first provincial title for a Highlands team at any age level and the first time a team from District 5 (North Shore) has won a 9/10 provincial championship, according to district officials. The victory, however, seemed a long way away at the start of the tournament after Highlands - considered one of the favourites - lost their opening game 5-3 against Hastings.
"After that game I talked to the boys and discussed that this is part of baseball, that's why it's a long tournament," said Lake. "We came out the next day and played a good, fundamental game, didn't make any mistakes, and pretty much built from that. Every game I thought the boys got better and better and better and better."
The Highlands squad was really flying by the end of the tournament, making the final with an 11-0 win over Little Mountain in the semifinals.
The four championship veterans were the driving force, said Lake, adding that they all pitched for team and played the key defensive positions when they weren't on the mound.
"They really set the tone for the other kids," he said. "They really stepped up and led this team right through the districts and provincials in every aspect - hitting, pitching, fielding. They were my leaders all the way through and without them and without their leadership and their play, I don't know if the boys would have been able to push through the provincials."
That's the end of the road for this team as there are no national championships for this age group, but Lake said he's hoping to make a splash at the Majors level (12 and under) next year when North Vancouver will host the provincial championships and Hastings will host nationals.
"Hopefully we'll be around until mid-August playing baseball, instead of early or mid-July," he said with a laugh. For now though the team is happy to revel in this year's well-earned victory. "Something like this takes a lot of effort along the way. You don't just get the kids and in a couple of weeks put it together," said Lake. "When you get to this point and you see how well they do and you see the success that they had it's really quite rewarding.... The maturity that you see in a 10-year-old boy at this level is quite remarkable. You wouldn't think that kids at that age would step up and be that mature and play as well as they do. They really surprise you."
