18U Beavers cap off season with silver at Provincials

Despite the loss, the 2-1 record was enough to advance them to the semi-finals for a rematch against Macklin. In a tight, back-and-forth battle, North Battleford found themselves trailing late, but a pitching threshold violation by Macklin resulted in a forfeit, giving the Beavers a 7-0 win and a ticket to the final.

In the gold medal game, the Beavers faced the Lumsden Cubs, whom they had beaten twice in the regular season. Lumsden struck first with a run in the bottom of the second inning. North Battleford answered with four in the third, but the Cubs quickly responded with two to keep it close at 4-3. The turning point came in the fourth when Lumsden exploded for six runs, pulling ahead 9-4.

Still, the Beavers wouldn’t go quietly. They traded runs with Lumsden in the following innings and entered the seventh trailing 11-6. Then, showing the resilience that defined their weekend, North Battleford rallied for five runs in the top of the final frame to tie the game 11-11. Unfortunately, the Cubs managed to scratch across the winning run in the bottom half, sealing a 12-11 walk-off win and the provincial title.

“It was a roller coaster,” Koch said of the final. “We had some special moments, but we also had some errors and some less-than-special moments. But we showed a lot of character and battled back, and we are very proud of that.”

Kaiden Benkendorf got the start for the Beavers on the mound, with Hudson Ford coming in as relief. At the plate, Joel Risling led the way, going 4-for-4 with two RBIs in a standout performance.

“We showed a whole lot of grit,” Koch said. “To come back and deal with some adversity, there’s absolutely nothing to take away from that. We had two third years, three second years, and seven first years. So, overall, quite a young team with lots of potential for growth.”

Despite the heartbreak in the final, Koch also emphasized the team’s development over the season.

“You always want to win your last game,” he said. “Unfortunately, we just didn’t play our best ball, and as a result, came up short. But I told the boys yesterday to look at where we got to throughout the season, the improvement and the growth with that young team and being able to go into this weekend feeling like we should win, it speaks a lot to how far we came.”

As the team looks ahead to next season, they’ll be saying goodbye to two key veterans.

“We are going to miss our two third-year players, Hudson Ford and Ky Thom. They meant so much to our team,” Koch added. “But the future is bright for the underclassmen that are available for next season and beyond.”

With a silver medal in hand and a core of young talent returning, the Beavers have plenty to look forward to in 2026.

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Austin.mattes@pattisonmedia.com

On X: @AustinMattes

by Austin Mattes

18U Beavers cap off season with silver at Provincials

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