Warhawks give it their all for fall ball

The shorthanded Kahnawake Warhawks U18 fall ball team did not make it to the elimination rounds of the Lac St. Louis (LSL) fall ball playoffs, but it was not due to a lack of effort.

Their first game last Thursday against the St. Lazare Mustangs Red saw Kahnawake’s comeback attempt fall just short because they ran out of time.

They ran out of time not because of their play, but because the lights of the field they were playing on were going to be turned off at 11:30 p.m., and it was already 11:20 p.m. in the bottom of the fifth inning when play was stopped by the umpires after the Mustangs scored what became the winning run.

“It was a weird finish, because the game started late,” said Warhawks head coach Jesse Lahache of the end of their 10-9 loss to the Mustangs.

The game before theirs started on time, around 6:15 p.m., but finished around 9 p.m. instead of around 8 p.m. as scheduled.

Thus, the Warhawks’ start time was pushed back by more than 30 minutes, leading to the abrupt end to the game.

Lahache asked to try and squeeze one more inning in to try and comeback like they had done all game, but his request was denied. Afterwards, he tried protesting the result to the league, but nothing came of that, either.

“It is what it is,” said Lahache.

The team arrived from Vaudreuil-Dorion, where the game was being played, after midnight on a school night, and with that plus a whole day of school in their system, the Warhawks were no match for the Presqu’ile Pirates on Friday, losing 14-4.

“Everybody was sluggish,” said Lahache.

“It’s not an excuse, because the other kids and teams go through the same things, but it’s a reason.”

Another hurdle for the Warhawks was the prospect of potentially having to forfeit games due to a lack of players. Because of players being unavailable, Lahache had to ask other associations if they had interested players, and while he was able to secure a full lineup for the game against the Mustangs, he was unable to do so against the Pirates.

That forced him to ask an injured player if he could play to meet the minimum. The player had an arm injury, meaning he could not swing or throw, but could catch, run, and throw down a bunt.

“Every ball that was hit to him, I had a fielder run out within five feet of him to get the ball and throw it in,” said Lahache.

He was also able to successfully execute a bunt to advance a runner in the first inning, after getting a crash course on how to do so by Lahache.

“The second time around, there were no runners on. So, I said, just stand there and look pretty. He struck out like that, but couldn’t do much else,” said Lahache.

Despite the disappointing playoff exit, Lahache is always happy to coach fall ball, although he is contemplating taking a year off next year.

“I dedicate a lot of time to it, I do practice two or three times a week, on top of the two or three games a week that we play. So, I put a lot of time and effort into it,” said Lahache.

“Next year I’m going fishing,” he said, although he clarified he was still thinking about all his options.

If he’s not coaching next year, he’s hoping someone will be able to fill in for him.

“A lot of kids enjoy it, and it’s great to keep it going, especially if you’re not in another sport. So, I hope somebody next year takes that on,” said Lahache.

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