Shelburne Minor Baseball Association hosts annual gala tournament

Written By Chris Perrotte

Down by five runs, the Red Team, sponsored by Peele Co. Ltd, mounted a comeback but fell short in the Senior Mix Championship Game at the Shelburne Minor Baseball Association (SMBA) Gala Tournament and BBQ.

The Gold Team, sponsored by Avertex, held on to win the Senior Division of the tournament by 10 to 7. This was their first championship in their first season of the SMBA league.

“I'm so proud of this team. They worked so hard, they grew so much every day, and what really did it is that they worked together as a team, always supported each other, and they're just a really great group of kids,” said the team's coach, Ashley King. “I'm ecstatic about the win, and very happily we'll be displaying this trophy at home.”

On the other side of the plate, the Red Team's coach, Kevin Glass, shared his thoughts on his team's performance this year.

“They had a great season; they played hard, we won a lot of games, just came a little short at the end, but that's alright, it happens,” he said. 

The SMBA Gala Tournament was held at Hyland Park in Shelburne, where both the Senior Mix and Junior Mix Divisions competed for championship trophies. While games were being played, there was also face painting for the kids and a BBQ. The annual gala marked the end of their season. 

“The season was a lot of fun. The kids had a lot of fun. They were able to play baseball and improve on their skills. It's a fantastic league; the umpires were great, the executives were great, and the field was great,” said Alan Shephard, coach of the Senior Mix Blue Team.

Brian Paquette, who umpired some of the tournament games, had words of praise for Amanda Philip, president of the SMBA, and her staff.

“I think it's awesome. Amanda and Mark do an amazing job organizing all of this, supporting all the kids; it's just incredible,” said Paquette.

The end-of-season gala concluded with the Junior Mix Division Championship game between Team Red, sponsored by Shelburne Centre for Health, and the Black/Red Team, sponsored by Dufferin Heating & Cooling. The Red Squad edged Team Black/Red 7-6 to take home the trophy.

Mini trophies were handed out to the winning teams from both divisions.