The Lethbridge Intermediate AAA Bisons may have won the Canadian Little League Championship Thursday night, but they didn’t have long to celebrate, as Friday morning they flew to California to represent their country in the 2019 Little League Intermediate World Series (LLIWS).
Wednesday night’s 10-1 stomping of Team BC thrust them into the Canadian Final against Ontario, and the Bisons opened up an early lead that they never relinquished, coming away with a 6-2 victory and the national title.
Bisons’ head coach Denny Puszkar told Global News Friday that the tournament in Langley, B.C. had its ups and downs, but he was proud of how his team came out when it really mattered.
“It was really competitive ball,” said Puszkar.
“We went 3-2 in round robin play, and beat Team BC in the semis… and we beat Ontario 6-2 in the final. Both teams, actually, we lost to in the round robin, we then faced in the playoff round and beat.”
Puszkar said that with the tournament on the line, it was his pitchers that showed up in a big way.
“We had excellent, excellent pitching performances both in the semifinal, by Eric Reiling, and then in the final by Joseph Seo,” he said.
The coach said that while they savoured the moment Thursday night, it really didn’t last long.
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“Last night was just incredible, like it was a fantastic moment. We had excellent parent support, too, so that was cool,” said Puszkar.
Friday morning, the team made the trek to Livermore, Calif., home of the 2019 LLIWS.
The tournament runs from July 28 to August 4, and unlike the Canadian championships, it doesn’t begin with round robin play.
“It’s a double elimination tournment,” said Puszkar, “so we will play Sunday, and then depending on the results, that kind of dictates your next game. So if we win, we would play Monday, and if we lose we would play Tuesday, and then you go on from there.”
WATCH: (July 11, 2019) Lethbridge Bisons open Little League Divisional Championships with big win
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With the Bisons representing Canada, they will play in the international bracket.
“There are 12 total — six international teams and then six from the U.S. — there’s a U.S. bracket and then an international bracket, so then the winner of each bracket play each other in the final.”
Among the other international teams are squads from the Czech Republic, Australia, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and South Korea.
Puszkar said that his players are already taking advantage of the opportunity to meet other players from around the world.
“You know certainly we’re here to play ball, but take it all in,” Puszkar said he told his players.
“The baseball is certainly important, and I don’t want us to lose focus in that regard, but it’s a pretty neat opportunity to meet kids from across the world.”
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