Hawks outlast, outplay to take fastball championships

Members
of a Regina-based men's fastball team now have a national championship they can
brag about and quite a story to tell.

The
NB Petro Hawks captured the senior men's crown at the Canadian Native Fastball
Championships, which concluded on Aug. 3 in Prince Albert, Sask.

The
Hawks won all six of their matches over a 14-hour period on the final day of
the double-knockout tournament.

And
the club's ace pitcher, Dustin Keshane, went the distance (seven-inning games)
in five matches on the final day, including the last four in a row.

“We
were pretty excited,” said Hawks’ manager Albert McNab. “The adrenaline kept us
going. We wanted to win it so bad.”

McNab
said his squad does not keep track of pitch counts but was not worried about
Keshane's heavy workload.

“If
he’s still going strong, we keep him in there,” McNab said.

And
Keshane was still throwing heat in the tournament finale.

The
senior men’s category featured 23 teams. Clubs were eliminated after a pair of
losses.

In
the end, the Hawks and the Grandys A’s, from Invermere, B.C., were the final
two clubs left standing. But since the A’s were still undefeated and the Hawks
had one loss, the Regina squad needed to register to straight victories to
claim the national title. And that’s what they did.

The
Hawks edged the A’s 4-3 in their first meeting and then eked out a 1-0 triumph.

The
Hawks scored the game’s lone run in the top of the first inning.

“Then
Dustin shut them out for seven innings,” McNab said. “And he struck out the
last three batters to end the game.”

McNab
also praised Keshane’s efforts throughout the tournament.

 “He’s a great pitcher,” he said. “He's
only 24 years old. And he's probably the best pitcher in Saskatchewan right
now.”

Winning
the national title was nothing new for four of the Hawks’ players. Two of
McNab’s sons, Lyle and Calvin, as well as Trevor Ethier and Arlen Yuzicappi
were also members of the Alberta-based Siksika Rebels that won three straight
Canadian championships from 2008 through 2010.

“They
helped out with our younger players,” said the elder McNab. “They were a big
part of the team those four guys.”

Before
beating the A’s twice, the Hawks eliminated the defending tournament champions,
the Westbank Cardinals from Kelowna, B.C.

“After
we beat them, the boys were pretty fired up to get back into the finals,” said
Albert McNab.

The
win over the Cardinals was gratifying not only because the Hawks dethroned the
national champs but also because the Kelowna-based side had handed the Regina
side its lone loss of this year’s tournament. The Cardinals edged the Hawks 2-1
in an early-tournament match.

The
Hawks ended up playing a total of nine contests at the nationals.

And
during the event there were some moments when team members were uncertain of
how much longer they could continue playing.

“There
were some times when it looked like we were ready to give up,” McNab said.

Lyle
McNab agreed.

“The
whole team was pretty tired but we just kept playing,” he said.

The
younger McNab added team members were worried about just how long Keshane would
be able to remain on the mound.

“It
was a big concern,” he said. “That's a lot of ball for one pitcher. But Dustin
pitched very well.”

This
marked the third straight year the Hawks have competed at the national Native
tournament. The club did not have much success its previous appearances and was
eliminated early both times.

The
Hawks also compete in the Regina-based Rambler Park Fastball League. The club
captured the league crown two years ago, with Ethier, a former national team
pitcher on its roster. But he has been unavailable the past couple of seasons
and the team has not had much success in its league play.

“Trevor
lives in Saskatoon so it’s a bit far for him to travel,” said Albert McNab
said.

 The nationals also featured four other
divisions.

Alberta's
Goodfish Chiefs took top honors in the under-21 men’s category. And the
Alberta-based Red Nation Jets captured the women’s title.

The
tournament also included a pair of masters divisions.

A
team called Big Scoop Supreme ended up winning the women’s masters
championship. And a squad that was dubbed the SKO Vets took top honours in the
men’s masters category.