The Cochrane Crush 13UAAA  team made a lasting impression in their first appearance in the Doc Plotsky Tournament in Sherwood Park, July 2 to 4.

The Cochrane Peleton Crush were undefeated in their division of the popular Baseball Alberta sanctioned tournament and came home the champs.

Friday, they took on the Stettler Storm and found themselves down 4-0 after four innings. They had a late fifth-inning rally to score six and added one more in the sixth to win 7-6.

Saturday, they played the hometown Sherwood Park A's in what became their closest game so far this season. After four complete innings, the score was 2-2. In the top of the seventh, the Crush scored two runs and held off the A's in the bottom of the inning to win 4-2.

Bo Anderson pitched the first five innings, and Arlo Brubaker-Plitt slammed the door in the final two.

"It was a lot of fun and a really exciting game," says Crush Head Coach Corey O'How. "There were quite a few people by the end watching the game, and it kind of became the talk of the tournament."

That put the Crush in the finals on Sunday against the Calgary Redbirds. The Crush came out strong in the first inning, scoring five, including three home runs. The Crush went on to finish the game, 11-5, to claim the championship.

"It was a lot of fun to take the kids up there and see all the teams spread throughout Sherwood Park playing and having fun with all the families out, including grandparents and other relatives, watching baseball."

He expects the tournament win puts Baseball Alberta on notice.

"I've told the kids that they have a target on their back now for the rest of the year, and we're going to have to continue to play as well as we did this weekend because all the other teams are going to be trying to beat us now."

This Saturday, July 10, the 13UAAA team is at home against the Okotoks Dawgs for a pair of games at the Gleneagles diamond at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Sunday, they head to Calgary to take on the Cubs in a doubleheader.

The 15UAA team heads to Okotoks to play the Okotoks Outlaws Blue and Strathmore Reds. Game times are 12 noon and 3 p.m. on Saturday and 12 noon on Sunday. 

There's plenty of play left for both teams. Between league and tournament play, ball continues into mid-August, followed by provincials.

Crush 15UAAOwen Pike, of the 15UAA Crush team, avoids the tag in a recent game against Okotoks. The 15UAA Crush head to Okotoks this weekend.