The home team couldn’t capture a championship in its home park, but it now has a better idea of what it will take to win a title.
The Wheatsheaf team finished out of the medal hunt as the Abbotsford Yard Dogs won Softball B.C.’s senior men’s fastball championship on Sunday in Cedar.
Abbotsford defeated the Sooke Smoke 4-0 in the gold-medal game at the Wheatsheaf Sports Complex, after the Parksville Red Sox claimed bronze.
The final was 0-0 until Abby’s Geoff Dodson hit a three-run home run.
Yard Dogs pitcher Travis Kunz said Dodson’s home run gave his team the momentum it needed.
“It’s huge,” said Kunz. “It lifts the morale, it lifts everything.”
Dodson said Kunz is a “warhorse” after the pitcher’s efforts in the final. The three-hit shutout gave Abbotsford’s offence time to come around.
“We were able to hit the ball when we needed to and make the plays when we needed to,” Dodson said.
Red Sox player Craig Snyder was chosen tournament MVP.
The Wheatsheaf team and the Red Sox will be heading to Abbotsford in August for the Western Canadian Championships, which the Wheaties said has been their primary goal all along.
“The next one’s going to be a good tournament, as well,” said Kunz. “A lot of good teams, just like this one.”
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