Shannon’s win baseball title

The local Shannon’s Plumbing and Heating boys’ Little League team easily captured the age nine-10 division title over in International Falls yesterday evening.
They routed the Falls Elks 12-1 to close out the six-team, double-knockout tournament at Tony Rizzo Field.
“It’s nice to win,” said Clint Barton, who co-coaches Shannon’s with Scott Gobeil and Larry Beck, after his team collected their trophies in only their first year together.
“But our main goal for the year was to teach nine and 10-year-olds how to play ball and we did that,” he added.
Shannon’s Blake Wepruk pitched out of bases-loaded jams in the third and sixth innings. Meanwhile, his teammates scored three runs in the first, one in the second, and four each in the third and fifth to seal the win.
The Elks, who had to beat Shannon’s twice to take the title, plated their lone run in the top of the fourth.
Barton said developing pitchers was a key to winning in this league—where all players barely have a year of competitive ball under their belts.
The game concluded local players’ first year of involvement in inter-locking game in the Falls as part of the Fort Frances Little League formed in the spring. Four other teams competed over there.
Shannon’s, who finished second during the regular season with a 5-2-1 record, went undefeated in the playoffs, beating Moose Lodge 6-5 last Tuesday and the Elks 12-10 on Sunday.
But the team may not finish their season unscathed—if Barton and the other parents have their way. Their wind-up tomorrow evening will feature an exhibition game between parents and the boys at VanJura here.
“I think we’re going to kick these guys something fierce,” Barton joked. “We’re going to play with them for a little while but in the end, I think they’re going to lose.”