After a historic 2016, Victoria’s Southern Mariners went above and beyond expectation at the Senior League Baseball Series in Bangor, Maine, making the Championship game and cementing themselves as the best Senior League Baseball team outside of the USA.
After a tough 13-8 loss to Central, a team from Chicago in the opening game of the tournament, the Mariners were forced to take the long road to the championship game, and came up against a talented Southwest team in the second game. Listed as pre-tournament favourites, Southwest scored an early run, and it took until the sixth inning for the Mariners’ bats to warm up, scoring two and taking a one run lead. The final inning was not without drama though, as with two out, a line drive from Southwest’s Jalen Battles gave Matthew Castro a chance to tie the ballgame up, however an incredible throw from Aiden Willis in centrefield was picture perfect, with catcher Ciaran Palmer making the tag for the third out, sealing a famous victory for the Southern Mariners.
The Mariners’ next test came against Latin America, and despite going down 6-1 in the second inning, the Southern Mariners showed their trademark grit and determination, piling on a run in each of their innings to secure a place in the Senior League Baseball World Series Preliminary Final. Jai Lyttleton was immense in relief for the Mariners after Latin America got on top early. Lyttleton threw 5.1 innings, mixed his pitches well and only gave up one earned run, a fantastic effort against a quality lineup.
As incredible as the journey to the Senior League World Series had been for the Mariners, the Preliminary Final against hometown team Maine will go down in history as one of the most remarkable Senior League World Series games ever. Down 6-2 in the bottom of the seventh, and only three outs away from elimination, the Mariners rallied and secured a 7-6 walk-off victory to seal a place in the Senior League World Series Championship game.
Following their historic Preliminary Final victory, the Mariners attended the Senior League World Series banquet, and the team was awarded the Daniel E. Clifford Memorial Sportsmanship Award. This coveted award was voted on by the umpires at the tournament, and is awarded on the criteria of ‘Play Hard, Play Fair & Have Fun’.
The Senior League World Series Championship game was broadcast live on ESPN, and despite falling 7-2 to Chicago’s Central team, will be remembered forever for the young men involved in the Southern Mariners.
It would be remiss not to make mention of Head Coach Jack Larner, who missed the Asia-Pacific and World Series tournaments with health issues. Following the Victorian Senior League Championship, Larner was diagnosed with cancer and was too unwell to travel to the tournaments. The Mariners had a photo of Larner in their dugout during each game of those tournaments, and was always present in the hearts and minds of the entire Mariners community during their games.
A massive thankyou must go to Rick Wills, the executive officer of the Southern Mariners, who provided some fantastic coverage and kept everyone in the Mariners community involved and informed during the various tournaments.
Congratulations to each and every young man that represented the Southern Mariners Baseball Charter during 2016, you have done yourselves, your community and your country proud.