Cochrane Minor Ball's first crack at summer league play has laid the foundation for the future as word spreads among youth and their parents.

The 9-10 yr. old. minor team hosted the final of a series of weekend tournaments, July 29-30, that lead up to this weekend's provincials in Calgary.

The team won three and tied one and since being shifted to the 'A' Division league have won five games and lost a couple, says head coach Corey O'How.

"We're really competitive," says O'How. "All the games are really close. It's a lot of fun for the kids."

True to his words, the last game was close and momentum can shift in any given inning. The Crush were behind half way through the game but got the bats going and rallied to tie the game against the Rocky Mountain Little League team from Calgary.

There are seven teams in the Division 'A' summer league and prior to this weekend, the Crush went to tournaments in Chestermere, Calgary and Lethbridge since starting play the July long weekend.

In the provincials, the Crush play one game Friday, two Saturday and one Sunday. If they win their pool they advance to the final on Monday.

O'How says they were breaking into unknown territory for minor ball here in Cochrane. Traditionally, Cochrane plays spring ball and it ends in June.

"People didn't know what to expect and I didn't know what to expect, so we clawed away to get enough kids and as you can see they've come a long way and they're doing really well," says O'How. "Once we got a few kids interested we have received a lot of calls from other parents about summer baseball because their friend's friends are playing. I think next year it will grow and we'll have many more teams."