The CAF Men’s 2024 Slo-Pitch competition was held at CFB Shilo from Aug. 25 to 28. The Cold Lake Wolves won gold, with the Esquimalt Tritons receiving silver medals on Aug. 28. (Photo: K-J Millar/Shilo Stag)
K-J Millar
Shilo Stag Media
The 2024 Men’s Slo-Pitch Regional competition for Canada West region hit the ball out of the park with the 4 Wing Cold Lake Wolves taking home the gold medal on Aug. 28.
The CFB Shilo Base command team presented the gold medals to the winners, with Esquimalt Tritons being adorned with silver for their 22-25 effort in the final game.
CFB Shilo hosted the three-day competition where teams from 19 Wing Comox, CFB Esquimalt, 4 Wing Cold Lake, and CFB Shilo competed to represent at nationals, to be held in late Sept.
A last-minute change of venue from Edmonton to Shilo due to forest fire conditions had some teams scrambling to attend.
Cold Lake Wolves coach Justin McLeod said the team got to know each other well and bonded during the more than 12-hour drive in a panel van from Alberta to the Manitoba Army Base.
“I can’t say anything more great about how my team made it through the tournament. We were the lowest seed coming into the playoffs. We took out the top seed and just kept that momentum rolling,” he said.
The coach said the final game was a nail-biter. The team believed they had won in the seventh inning. However, despite the call being overturned, the Wolves continued on and kept their morale high in the extra innings.
“The guys didn’t let that get them down …. Their resilience is what paid off in the end,” McLeod said.
“Esquimalt is a hard-hitting team. They are scrappy. I’m fairly certain they have won every regional since they came into CanWest. So, taking the top dogs out was a big one.”
The first four of six round-robin games were played on day one, with the overall winners placing third. Day two saw Cold Lake bat against 19 Wing Comox with a score of 23-24, and CFB Shilo was up against Esquimalt in the semi-finals, ending with a score of 0-21 for the home team.
WATCH VIDEO: Cold Lake Wolves pack a big hit against Esquimalt Tritons at CFB Shilo
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