Warhawks going strong into playoffs

The U15 Warhawks’ fall ball season has concluded on a high note, after a four-game winning streak propelled them to a 7-3 record.

“The boys are playing pretty well, I’ve been working them hard,” said head coach Jesse Lahache.

During their last regular season weekend, the Warhawks made sure to finish strong.

In the second game of their back-to-back against the St. Laurent Crush 1, the Warhawks stayed in control of a close game throughout, taking it 13-8 at the Kahnawake Sports Complex.

Their Sunday game was not as close, as Kahnawake dominated the winless Lakeshore Lynx from beginning to end, ultimately winning 15-2.

With a short week ahead of them - their next game being Thursday instead of Saturday - Lahache will let them regroup and energize before the big game on Thursday night against the Presqu’ile Pirates in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield. The game will be played after THE EASTERN DOOR’s publishing deadline.

The Pirates finished at the top of the regular season standings, with the Warhawks just one game back in second.

For the playoffs, the nine-team fall ball league is divided into three divisions of three. Each division’s teams will play two seeding games to determine who will make it to the elimination games on Saturday at the Sports Complex.

The winners of each division and the “best second” team - meaning the team that finishes second in their division with the best record and best runs differential - will make the elimination round.

In their previous matchup on September 22, the Pirates defeated the Warhawks 11-6 – the third and last defeat the Warhawks suffered during the regular season.

“The feedback I got (from assistant coach Dominic Séguin) was they have a really good defense,” said Lahache, who was unable to be at the September 22 game. “Our boys were making hits, they were involved, but their defense was spot on.”

The rematch will come down to which team makes the fewest mistakes, said Lahache.

Their second seeding game will be played Friday, October 11, against the Monteregie West Reds, also in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield. The Reds finished second-to-last in the regular season standings with a record of 3-7. The Warhawks defeated them in their season-opening matchup 13-7 on September 8.

No matter the competition, Lahache said that the one factor that can make or break a team in the postseason is pitching.

At this level, pitchers cannot pitch more than three days in a row and are limited to a maximum number of innings depending on if this is their first year in the age group or not.

That means if the Warhawks use a pitcher for both their seeding games and the first elimination game, they will not be able to use him on Sunday for the finals.

“I have to juggle my pitching lineup. It’s going to be hard,” said Lahache. “It’s going to come down to how the kids respond on the field, and the pitching rules and restrictions make it come down to a coaching aspect of the game, too.”

Seeding is important to get into the elimination games, as winning your division guarantees a spot.

But once there, any team can advance.

“I’ve seen teams in the past where they finished first place in the season and then they got eliminated by the second to last place team,” said Lahache.

He thinks the Warhawks can go far with their talent, but Lahache also believes attitude is just as important for success.

“When they have fun, that’s when they play their best,” said Lahache. “Some of these guys, they strike out, they hang their head, they’re all mad and throwing their equipment. I tell them that the best players in the world strike out. It is part of the game. It’s what you do your next time up that is going to make a difference.”

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