‘Our hearts are back there’: British Columbia wins Canadian Little League Championship with heavy hearts as wildfires burn back home

Article contentDespite Ottawa West pressing in the bottom of the eighth inning with two runners on base, Massel was able to hold off the Twins, securing the championship for the All-Stars.Article content Leo McTaggart of the Little Mountain All-Stars, left, stretches to keep hit foot on the bag as Aaron Aquino attempts to beat the throw to first base during the final game of the Canadian Little League Championship at Cameron Bowl in Glace Bay on Wednesday. Aquino was called out on the play. JEREMY FRASER/CAPE BRETON POST Jeremy FraserArticle contentMassel admitted it was a stressful game to be part of, given the implications and the way both teams were performing on the field.Article content“We were very stressed out,” said Massel, who in Tuesday’s semifinal victory over Académie Les Aigles of Quebec had a three-run home run.Article content“A 0-0- ball game, you don’t see that much in Little League, so we were stressed. We had to keep the cheers up and the positivity up and we managed to pull it out in the end.”Article contentAll-Stars manager Brad Dorwart recognized the effort of both teams and the fact that many spectators around the field considered the contest to be the best Little League game they’ve witnessed in years.Article content“It was a heck of a game,” said Dorwart. “It’s the kind of ball game you expect when it’s a championship game. Both teams came up with a plan. They were knocking on the door and trying to get a run, they weren’t able to, and that was a great way to motivate our guys.”Article contentArticle content Fans of the Little Mountain All-Stars of Vancouver are shown cheering after their team recorded two outs during the eighth inning of the final game at the Canadian Little League Championship at Cameron Bowl in Glace Bay on Wednesday. Little Mountain defeated the Ottawa West Twins 4-0 in extra innings to claim the national title. JEREMY FRASER/CAPE BRETON POST Jeremy FraserArticle contentDorwart talked about the decision to replace Hoyano on the mound, even though he had kept the Ontario club off the scoreboard.Article content“He’s kind of like my closer, I used him as an opener because I had a feeling today was going to be a tight game,” said Dorwart, noting not one of the team’s coaches have players on the club.Article content“I knew if it went to extra innings that I’d have my boy Jacob to go the rest of the way, and it worked out. I’d much prefer it to end earlier, but we would have been fine because we would have had him for a couple more innings if we needed it.”Article content Bohdy Letts of the Ottawa West Twins, left, looks at teammate Carsten Fleck after Fleck completed an out during the final game of the Canadian Little League Championship at Cameron Bowl in Glace Bay on Wednesday. JEREMY FRASER/CAPE BRETON POST Jeremy FraserArticle contentDorwart said going into extra innings, the coaching staff were trying to keep things light in the dugout.Article content“I consider myself sometime as the silly uncle who tells a joke to them to take their mind off things, so they forget about the stress, just relax and trust themselves,” he said.Article content“We were confident in our defence and pitching all week, so we knew if we got a couple of runs there was a good chance that we’d close it out, and the boys knew that. As soon as we got that second run, they were confident that they were going to take it.”Article contentArticle contentLittle Mountain was the team to beat throughout the 10-day event, posting an undefeated 8-0 record, which included six round robin victories.Article contentThe All-Stars opened the tournament with a 14-1 win over North Regina, before blanking Ottawa West 10-0. The club also downed Académie Les Aigles 6-2 and Calgary West 4-1. Little Mountain also beat Sydney 4-1 and the host Glace Bay 12-1, before winning their semifinal game.Article content Bohdy Letts of the Ottawa Twins, right, couldn’t hold back the tears as he shakes the hand of Lucas Izen of the Little Mountain All-Stars following the final game at the Canadian Little League Championship at Cameron Bowl in Glace Bay on Wednesday. Ottawa West lost 4-0 in extra innings in the championship game. JEREMY FRASER/CAPE BRETON POST Jeremy FraserArticle contentOverall, the All-Stars season record to date is 20-5. Dorwart noted that two of those losses came in their first two games of the season while one of them was during their provincial tournament.Article contentMeanwhile, back on the West Coast, exceptionally dry conditions have caused challenges for crews fighting wildfires in British Columbia. The Pear Lake, Ainslie Creek, Bald Range and Brunswick Creek wildfires were all active as of publication time.Article content“It’s been a long trip for us, especially being away and hearing about all of the fires going on back home and how horrible it is,” said Dorwart, noting the fires are about four hours from them. “Our hearts are back there, but being here, we were focused on this moment and what we had to do.”