The Cochrane Crush U15AA team is the Tier 6 Baseball Alberta provincial champions.

The Crush were in Lacombe over the weekend in the six-team provincial championship tournament. They finished on a high note on July 24, slugging it out with three straight wins to claim the title.

The Crush had finished 1-1 the day before in the round-robin and beat an Edmonton team in a tiebreaker Sunday morning to advance to the semis.

A win against Olds placed them in the final against the Central Alberta Cubs, who were known for their bats. Down 2-0 in the early going, the Crush loaded the bases and went ahead 3-2 on a triple by Marcus Nielsen.

Head coach Sean Gaffney says they never looked back and won the championship game 9-5.

“We had such a great group of kids, and we had tonnes of fun all season,” says Gaffney. “Winning the provincial championship in Lacombe was a cumulation of the hard work they put in all season.|”

Crush player Nolan Wynnychuk was named the tournament's MVP.

The Crush played 37 games, 25 in the regular season plus tournament and exhibition play.

Three sponsors helped to make it all possible: Karlee Wick Real Estate, Redline NOV, and Clean Field Solutions Inc.

Gaffney says they are currently exploring the possibility of a six-week fall season to help further develop the skills of their players.