May 21, 2023

Official Victoria Golden Tide News Release

Lethbridge, Alta. - The Little Engine that could is two wins away from the station.

The Victoria Golden Tide, who were ranked eighth out of eight teams in pre-season poles and who finished in sixth place in the regular season with a 13-19 record, have advanced to the championship round of the Canadian College Baseball Conference World Series, after defeating host Prairie Baseball Academy Dawgs - the League regular season champs - 11-10 Sunday evening in a nail-biting semi-final.

The Tide advance to face the University of Calgary Dinos, who earlier in the day, handed the Tide their first loss of the tournament, winning 7-6, and forcing the Tide into the do-or-die game against the Dawgs in the double knockout tournament format.

Calgary is in the final with a perfect 3-0 record, meaning, given the double knockout format, that the Tide will have to defeat them twice Monday, if they are to become the 2023 champions.

Victoria began the tournament Friday with a solid 8-1 win over the Edmonton Collegiate Riverhawks, as pitchers Ethan Merk and Triston Seitz combined to hold the Riverhawks to just three hits on the day. They then followed that up Saturday with a 9-7 win over the Okanagan College Coyotes, pounding out 14 hits against the always tough OCC squad.

In the loss to Calgary Sunday, the Tide had a 6-4 lead before giving up two in the sixth and another in the eighth to take the loss.

In the dramatic second game Sunday against the Dawgs, the Tide had an 11-4 lead, but then surrendered six runs in the bottom of the eighth, before veteran reliever Brady Wilson got out of a bases loaded jam to retire the side and then pitched a 1-2-3 ninth to preserve the win.

The CCBC Championship round will begin at 12 noon Monday Lethbridge time, 11:00 a.m. Victoria time. Should the Tide win the first game, the second and deciding game will happen at approximately 3:00 p.m. Lethbridge time, 2:00 p.m. Victoria time.