Niverville and Kleefeld baseball teams put on a show over the weekend and when the dust settled, it was Niverville that walked away as Provincial Champions.

Coach Clayton Smeltz said it was a game that could have went either way but is happy his team got the W. "We were two evenly matched teams. It could have easily went their way but I'm glad it went our way. To have an all carillon final, playing against guys we've played against and coached against, it was great. We would have honestly been happy if they won, as hard as it is to say those words."

The game started with fireworks according to Smeltz. "We scored three on a three run homer but they scored three right back." He said Monday morning. "Then we scored another three to make it 6-3. We tacked on a couple more to make it 8-3 before the cut it to 8-4. We hit a two run homer to make it 10-4 and we felt okay. We know Kleefeld can score in bunches and when they put balls in play, we didn't field things completely cleanly and then all of a sudden it's 10-8 with guys on second and third with the meat of their order up. Thankfully, they popped up to the first baseman and that was the game. Like I said, even though we did have another at bat, it's a game that could have went either way."

Smeltz admits that it wasn't excitement he felt as soon as the final out was made. "It was relief. A complete sense of relief. We had our chances and I was just happy we didn't have to bat in the bottom of the 6th. There was excitement too."

The coach says it was a special year for a special team. "We won tournaments along the way. These guys have grown up together and even played with and against the kids from Kleefeld. They'll be playing with and against each other for years to come. It's really special."

The roster is broken down by the coach. "Niverville Wildcats players were Ben Hiebert, Cruze Janz, Kennedy Morissette, Noah Hudson, Ryan Smeltz, Seth Bunn, and from Ste. Agathe – Niko Lemoine and Tristan Cousineau.  Great friendships were made with pickups Jeremiah Martens (Grunthal), Mason Dearborn (St. Malo) and Seth Hooper (St. Adolphe). Players who played with the team in provincial playdowns, but were unable to make it for the provincial tournament were Carter Fast and Jonas Unrau. Coaches of the Niverville Wildcats were: Clayton Smeltz, Jason Bunn and Stan Hiebert."

He also wanted to add, "the team would like to thank all of the volunteers who made this baseball weekend a success. Also, we would like to extend a special thank you to Rod Wolfe for being the main organizer for the tournament. He put in long hours taking care of many of the details that we all easily take for granted. All fans, players, and coaches were greeted by great facilities and fabulous weather making it a memorable weekend for all that participated."