Nobody expected Falcon Contracting to make it to the final of the Canada Day native fastball tournament.
But with hired gun Craig Pidcock throwing smoke, the Alexander Teepee Crawlers of Morinville, Alta., didn't stand a chance.
Pidcock, a 41-year-old Vancouver firefighter delivered a 17-strikeout 5-0 shutout, allowing just two hits to send Falcon into the final Sunday night against the undefeated North Battleford Golden Hawks, the defending champions.
But they were no match for Dustin Keshane and the Hawks, who tuned up for the Canadian Native fastball championship later this month in Winnipeg heading to an apparent victory in the men's final.
"I feel like I'm 50 right now," said Pidcock, after a hot day at the ballpark while his team prepared for the final. " We lost to them (Saturday) 7-6 in an extra inning and it was nice to pay them back.
"(Falcons catcher Chad Ghostkeeper) has been calling a great game and I haven't shaken him off all weekend. I've just tried to just throw it where he wants it and hope they don't hit it and hope |(the ball) moves a bit."
Pidcock didn't stick around for the final, which started about the same time his flight back to Vancouver left Prince George Airport.
Falcon proved Keshane was human after all, scattering a few hits and scoring two runs on errors - the only runs the 25-year-old from Regina had allowed in four tournament games. But the Hawks' big guns got to Josh Anderson early. Cory Giroux, who used to call Prince George home, cranked an Anderson pitch over the wall for a three-run dinger and Calvin McNabb followed suit in the third inning with another three-run home run for a 6-2 lead.
The Hawks got one more run across in the fourth. Evan Potskin led off the fifth inning with a solo shot to make it a 7-3 game, which is where it stood in the seventh inning at press time Sunday night.
In the first playoff game for Falcon on day Sunday, Pidcock beat Westbank, last year's finalists, 5-4. Former P.G. resident Jessin Potskin clubbed two home runs in his first two at-bats to give Westbank the lead, but Pidcock settled in and delivered an eight-strikeout performance to keep the home team's title hopes alive.
Pidcock did his part with his bat as well, scoring Randy Potskin from third base in the third inning to make it 3-0. Ghostkeeper also got to Alexander pitcher Keith Garbitt with a two-run shot in the fifth inning after Garbitt walked Evan Potskin.
The Hawks returned to Saskatchewan with $5,000 in prize money, while Falcon earned $3,000.
Meanwhile, in the six-team junior tournament, the Burns Lake Chiefs dropped their opening game Friday 14-13 to Team Marcel of Nak'azdli (Fort St. James) but were untouchable the rest of the way, reeling off four lopsided wins, finishing off with a 14-4 triumph in five innings over Team Marcel Sunday afternoon to lock up the title.
The Chiefs rode the 18-year-old pitching arm Brendan Alec, who went the distance in four mercy-rule shortened games. Alec started with a 10-0 no-hit shutout over Saikuz (Stoney Creek), then beat Maskwacis of Alberta 19-4 and the Prince George Timberwolves 12-2. The mercy rule kicks in once a team has a 10-run lead after three innings or leads by seven after five innings.
"I'm really tired after pitching those four games, and I couldn't have done it without my defence backing me up," said Alec.
For their winning efforts the Chiefs earned $1,000, which Alec said will be used to buy new team hats and cover their tournament entry fees. The T-wolves ended up third.
In the six-team women's division final, Bridge Brewers of Kamloops/Spences Bridge defeated Alexander 8-1.
