Tavistock U17 A’s take fourth place at nationals in B.C.

The U17 A’s pose with their team banner. From left to right are Ramsay Ryksen, Evan Nahrgang, James Bourgoin (bat boy), Carson Gilmore, Dylan McCann, Peyton Christie, Jacob Smaglinski, Colin Priestap, Jackson MacMillan, August Morschauser, Marshall McKay, Drew Roth, Jay Alexander, Jordan Zehr and Ryan Davis. The team would like to thank each sponsor for their generous donations. Contributed photo

By Lee Griffi

The Tavistock A’s came up just shy of a medal at the Canadian U17 Men's Fast Pitch Championship in Surrey, B.C. The team dropped a 6-5 decision to a team from Quebec in the bronze-medal game.

Head coach Dave Nahrgang said while disappointed with not medalling, the entire team battled to the end.

“Certainly not the result we wanted, but we can hold our heads high. The competition was very strong, and our boys played their hearts out.  They've been away from home since July 30, starting with the (Ontario) Summer Games, so I think they've done a great job over the last two weeks.

Twelve teams competed in the tournament with two pools of six teams.

“Our pool play started on Wednesday versus Nova Scotia, who went undefeated and won the gold medal. We lost 3-0, but it was a great game and a real eye-opener for how good the competition was going to be,” said Nahrgang.

The A’s won a pair of games on Thursday, an 8-5 victory over Saskatchewan and a 6-3 win over Tara.

“Friday, we finished pool play with victories over Yukon and Quebec #2. This put us in second place in our pool and gave us double life in the playoff round,” Nahrgang added.

The A’s first playoff game was against Elmira, the first-place team in the opposite pool.

“We had a lead early, but ended up losing 7-5. After beating Quebec #2 again, we had a chance to medal Sunday morning vs Quebec #1. Again, we had a lead early but couldn't hold on. The game went extra innings, but we lost, finishing in fourth.”

The team has one game remaining in league play with playoffs beginning next week.

“We'd like to thank everyone at home for the support we've received, and all of the companies who chipped in to help us financially,” Nahrgang said.

“We'd specifically like to mention the Tavistock Men's Club and GFL Environmental, who sponsored our uniforms this year, and have always supported this team over the years.”