ENFIELD: For a couple of years in a row, the Tri County Rangers U14 AA girls had gotten painfully close.
Second place had become a familiar finish at the provincial championship, with the Rangers coming up just short on more than one occasion.
This time, however, there would be no silver medals.
Playing in front of family, friends and supporters at the George P. Horne Memorial Fields at the Enfield Legion, the Rangers put together a perfect 5-0 weekend to capture the U14 AA Baseball Nova Scotia provincial championship.
And after waiting nearly an extra month to get their chance, the Rangers weren’t about to let it slip away.
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The championship tournament, hosted by the East Hants Nationals and Corridor Minor Baseball, had originally been scheduled nearly a month earlier but was postponed because of weather.
When the tournament finally arrived in Enfield, the Rangers made the most of their opportunity.
They opened the tournament with a 12-5 victory over the host East Hants Nationals, with Ali Hicks earning Game MVP honours.
The Rangers followed that with an 11-8 win over the West Hants Coyotes, with Mila MacDonald named Game MVP.
Game three saw another high-scoring affair, as the Rangers defeated the Truro Bearcats 15-12. Abby Creamer was the Game MVP.
Alexandra Jones earned the Game MVP nod in the fourth game, a 12-5 semifinal victory over the Halifax Mets.
But it was Hicks who delivered one of the biggest performances of the weekend to help get the Rangers into the championship game.
Hicks pitched four innings of shut-down baseball, striking out 10 while allowing just one hit and three walks.
That set the stage for a championship showdown against a familiar opponent, the Truro Bearcats.
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The Rangers left no doubt in the final.
They cruised to a 12-2 victory over Truro to finish the tournament undefeated and claim the provincial championship banner.
Ella Doucette was named the Game MVP after delivering a dominant performance on the mound. Doucette went the distance, pitching a complete game while striking out 12 batters and allowing just one hit and one walk.
The championship-clinching run came courtesy of Natalie Bonner, who stole home to bring the title home to the Rangers.
For a team that had experienced the disappointment of finishing second at provincials in recent years, finally getting to celebrate as champions made the victory that much sweeter.
(Information in this story was provided to The Laker News by the team)
