The Western Canadian Baseball League (WCBL) event – a celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Oyen Pronghorns championship season – culminated with a neutral site game between the Lethbridge Bulls and the Sylvan Lake Gulls at Doug Lehman Field on Sunday, June 8th.
Here are some of the sights from the Rural Roots Baseball Classic:
Members of the Lethbridge Bulls gave children in the Oyen area some baseball instruction at a kids summer camp at Badlands Baseball Academy on Saturday, June 7th.Members of the Oyen Orioles youth team get ready for a game against the Consort Cubs at a diamond beside Doug Lehman Field on Sunday, June 8th.A member of the Consort Cubs gets ready to take on the Oyen Orioles.Oyen’s Recreation Director Lee Tucker works on getting the field ready.The grounds crew gets the lines ready at Doug Lehman Field.Rural Roots Baseball Classic merchandise was on sale at the game.David McKinstry went old school in wearing his Oyen Pronghorns ball cap to the game.Lethbridge Bulls players get loose before the game.A Bulls player takes batting practice at Doug Lehman Field.Jason Chatwood, head coach of the Sylvan Lake Gulls, throws batting practice pitches.Former Oyen Pronghorns player Todd Hubka – now the head coach at Prairie Baseball Academy (PBA) – watches BP.Catcher Drew Bufford warms up by tossing a football around before the Bulls game against the Sylvan Lake Gulls.A Sylvan Lake Gulls hat sits below a Lethbridge Bulls banner at Doug Lehman Field.Players with the Sylvan Lake Gulls are introduced to the crowd in Oyen.Members of the starting lineup of the Lethbridge Bulls high five as they are introduced.WCBL President Kevin Kvame delivers remarks after members of both teams and alumni of the Oyen Pronghorns were introduced.Members of the Oyen Pronghorns were honoured before the game between the Gulls and Bulls.Doug Jones – a baseball pioneer in Alberta and manager of the Oyen Pronghorns – learned before the game that Alberta RCMP Century Park will be renamed “Doug Jones Park” in his honour. The site is home to several baseball diamonds, including Doug Lehman Field.The umpires take the field for the game.Sylvan Lake Gulls players observe the Canadian national anthem.Max Benton, who trained at Badlands Baseball Academy, was the starting pitchers for the Bulls. He went six innings, struck out five batters and surrendered four earned runs in picking up the win for Lethbridge.Outfielder Simon Baker takes an at bat for the Gulls. Baker connected for a homer and had five runs batted in during the game.Plenty of kids crowded around Doug Lehman Field after their own baseball games were done.Matthew Brant waits on deck as fans look on.Horns up for No. 17 Drew Bufford and his teammates. The catcher hit a grand slam in the second inning as the Bulls put nine runs on the board.No. 24 Ayden Makarus trots home after belting a solo home run in the sixth frame.Joe McFarland (right) shares a laugh with Aqil Samuel (left), the president of the Sylvan Lake Gulls, during an interview between innings. Samuel played for the Oyen Pronghorns in the 1990s.Volunteers tracked runs by writing in chalk on the scoreboard in left field.Children competed in bat-spinning races during a promotion between innings.Fans watch WCBL the action from the bleachers.More than 550 fans showed up to watch the game between the Gulls and the Bulls, including several who were wearing Pronghorns jerseys and hats.Southpaw Nick Veselinovic logged 3.2 innings of relief work and did not allow an earned run. He struck out seven batters.It was all smiles in the Lethbridge dugout, as the Bulls prevailed 19-11 on the day.Players on the Gulls and Bulls shook hands after the game.Both teams posed for a photo at home plate after the game.Players tip their caps to the fans at Doug Lehman Field in Oyen.Kids swarm Bulls players for autographs after the game.After the WCBL players left, the children took over Doug Lehman Field.The sun sets on Doug Lehman Field at Doug Jones Park.
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