Fredericton Royals win bronze in senior baseball championships
The Fredericton Royals won bronze in the Senior Men's National Championship in Fredericton after a convincing win over the Charlottetown Islanders in front of upwards of 4,000 fans on Sunday.
"It's not gold but it doesn't get any better than winning on Sunday night at Royals Field in front of 3,000 or 4,000 people," said Jody Peterson, the team's right fielder.
The Royals beat the Charlottetown Islanders 10-0 in five innings.
Peterson hit a home run in the fourth inning that blew that game open for the Royals.
"It's been an amazing week with really amazing teammates," he said.
"There have been some ups and downs and everything that goes with being at a national tournament, to be able to leave Royals Field with a medal around your neck with 25 pretty amazing guys feels pretty good."
Emotional end of career
But it's a bittersweet victory for Peterson who not only plays but is also the team's chief executive officer.
He's been with the Senior Royals since 1996 and is stepping down as a player after this season.
"I cried coming up the hill today," he said.
"The song 'Save Tonight' came on the radio and it just broke me down. I pulled into the driveway just a flood of tears ... It's pretty amazing that at 42 you can play a game that you played when you were a kid and still get goosebumps."
The Tehcumseh Thunder from Ontario beat the other Ontario team, the Strathroy Royals, 4-3 to win gold for the second year in a row.
Raising sport's profile
More than 3,000 people came out to see the Royals every game they played this weekend, including Barb Christensen, who rarely misses a game on Baseball Hill.
"They are good and I'm cheering for them," she said, holding her cowbell.
"I had to take my bell … in case they hit a home run and just as I was coming down the stairs, they hit a home run."
More than 200 volunteers helped make the tournament a success, said Kristian Dewar, the team's president and the co-chair of the tournament.
"As far as a program … this has definitely raised the profile of not only our team but our city," he said.
