The Lenny's Selects had their eyes on a Canadian title last year in Prince George. They didn't get one, and that made this year's accomplishment a little sweeter.
On Monday in Edmonton, the P.G.-based Selects hammered out an 11-1 win against Redline of northern Alberta in the junior division final of the Native National Fastball Championships. In the game, the mercy rule was applied in the sixth inning.
Last year on home soil, the Selects - named in honour of former coach and player Len Potskin, who passed away in 2011 at age 40 - finished third at nationals. This time around, they went undefeated and outscored their opponents 37-9.
"After last year, we were out for a bit of revenge," said Randy Potskin, who co-coached the Selects with Chad Ghostkeeper.
"It wasn't as easy as it sounds. We had a pretty good hitting team and once we got the bats going we were fine. The boys hit the ball well all weekend."
The Selects started nationals with 9-2 wins against Cross Lake and Redline. Those victories landed them in the A final against the defending-champion Big Guy Lake Blazers, who also rely heavily on Prince George talent. The Selects won 8-4, which was retribution for a 9-7 loss to the Blazers in the 2016 A final.
With only Redline standing between them and a Canadian championship, the Selects gained momentum as the final game progressed and were led to victory by pitcher Josh Anderson and catcher Shelby Tom. Anderson kept the Redline bats quiet, while Tom belted a couple of key hits that helped ignite the team offensively. Anderson later got the nod as the tournament's top pitcher and Tom was chosen as the most valuable player. Two other members of the Selects - Nicholas Potskin and Brody Rosychuk - were named all-star shortstop and all-star first baseman respectively.
In the standings, the Blazers placed third this year.
In the men's final, the Westbank Cardinals defeated the NB Petro Hawks of Regina for the second consecutive year and have now claimed three national titles in a row. The team features several players with Prince George roots, including Randy Potskin, Ghostkeeper, Dan Fulton, Jessin Potskin and Chris French.
