P.E.I. head coach’s assessment of team’s play at Canada Cup focuses on perspective

Team P.E.I.’s Nate MacKenzie throws the ball to first base in an attempt to record a double-play in a round-robin game against Newfoundland and Labrador at Baseball Canada’s 2026 Canada Cup national 17U championship at Legends Field in Summerside on Aug. 6. Photo by Jason Simmonds /The GuardianArticle contentAs the P.E.I. head coach graciously conducted an interview following a 10-0 loss to Ontario in the seventh-place game on Aug. 9, the focus was on the positives – and what could have been – at the 10-team Baseball Canada national 17U championship.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle content“Overall, we have to be pleased with how the boys played,” Doyle told The Guardian. “I know an eighth-place finish doesn’t sound wonderful, but I thought aside from maybe two innings in the round robin, we played incredible baseball.Article contentArticle contentArticle content“One inning really cost us an opportunity to play in a quarter-final game. So, we have to be pretty pleased.”Article contentThat inning came in P.E.I.’s opening game. The Island squad led New Brunswick 5-1 going into the top of the seventh inning. New Brunswick would rally for seven runs and an 8-5 win.Article contentThat result proved to be the difference between P.E.I. and New Brunswick advancing to the playoff round. New Brunswick would defeat Saskatchewan 10-2 in a quarter-final game, before losing 12-2 to Quebec’s representative in a semifinal. New Brunswick then dropped a 7-6 decision to Alberta in the bronze-medal game.Article contentQuebec won the gold medal with a 12-6 win over British Columbia.Article content Team P.E.I.’s Brennan Doyle swings at a pitch during a round-robin game versus Newfoundland and Labrador at Baseball Canada’s 2026 Canada Cup national 17U championship at Legends Field in Summerside on Aug. 6. Photo by Jason Simmonds /The GuardianArticle contentRecordsArticle contentOverall, P.E.I. completed play with a record of 3-3 (won-lost). Doyle pointed out P.E.I. received key performances from several players up and down the lineup.Article content“Our two overagers came here and did a heck of a job,” said Doyle. “Evan Mabey and Alex Curran, they did everything we could ask. They pitched their hearts out; just led by example.Article contentArticle content“I thought some of our returning guys, Griff Campbell and Ben Connolly, pitched great games, too. Evan MacCormick played a solid outfield; hit the ball well.Article contentArticle content“Some of our first-year guys that were here performed well, too, and showed that they’re going to be ready when they come back next year. I thought everybody performed well when they had the opportunity to get in there and play.”Article contentRound robinArticle contentP.E.I. went 2-2 in the round robin – the same as New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. But the tiebreaking formulas determined New Brunswick advanced to the playoffs, setting up a P.E.I.-Nova Scotia afternoon game on Aug. 8.Article contentP.E.I. rallied with three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to stage a dramatic 5-4 walk-off win and advance to face Ontario.Article content“I thought (Aug. 8), in the play-in game against Nova Scotia, the boys showed a lot of heart,” said Doyle. “That comeback win is something we told them to think about, and this game here (against Ontario) is not really the one that they want to remember, obviously.”