The Grand Forks Slag Dusters had their first ever championship game for the Grand Forks 41st International Baseball Tournament after several hard-fought games.
Unfortunately, they were unable to finish off the fairy tale on June 29 at the finale of the tournament as they fell to the undefeated Fairbanks Goldpanners of Alaska 9-7.
The score belies the intensity and close competition, as the Slag Dusters came very close to winning several times as they lead the Goldpanners, giving them a fierce race to the top spot. But back-to-back games and high temperatures took their toll.
The Dusters were appearing in their first final in their 50-year franchise history, similar to the Grand Forks Border Bruins in this year’s recently concluded KIJHL season. Ironically the Border Bruins were celebrated at the opening ceremonies of this year’s GFI.
Following a spirited 12-11 win over the Northwest Honkers in the Semi Final, the Dusters got off to a slow start in playing their second game in succession and trailed Alaska 5-1 after 2 innings. It seemed to be a foregone conclusion for the hosts who were completely out of available pitchers, but as they had done in the quarter final and semi-final, they battled back to take the lead 7-5 after 5 innings of play.
As the game wore on, the Goldpanners, an elite team of college division one athletes, eventually pulled away to take the lead and hold off Grand Forks 9-7 and held it to capture their first GFI since 2019.
The near capacity crowd at James Donaldson Park were hardly disappointed. The Slag Dusters won five times during the event, thrilling locals and visitors alike who were staunchly behind the underdogs.
It was the 3rd year the Dusters have been back in the event after a decade long hiatus since the last Grand Forks entry into the GFI – when they were then known as the Grand Forks Blues. Never has the local team been so successful, having only been in the semi-final once previously in 1980.
The loss was beside the point for Slag Dusters head coach Harold Northcott. What everyone witnessed in that final game was determination and experience pushing the team to keep fighting.
“I am so proud of their performance. Everyone was tired, we know that and everyone knows our pitchers also played positions, which drained their energy even more,” he said. “It’s commendable these guys could go up against these young, elite athletes and play as hard as they did.”
He explained the Slag Dusters are a mix of college-age players and men in their 30s, giving the team a varied mix of honed talent and energy. Being an older player with years of experience teaches them to harness and manage their energy. Younger players are constantly burning their energy without thinking about conservation.
“So the young guys think they can just come in and beat them with energy alone, then realize these older guys have skills they don’t,” he said, with a chuckle. “I’ve coached baseball for many years, but I’ve never seen a team like this, they did not quit (mentally or physically).”
Goldpanners head coach Martin Lawrence concurred the Slag Dusters brought a challenging game, which the players only realized when the score flipped from the Goldpanners leading, to the Slag Dusters in the course of two innings.
“They’re college guys, they think they throw hard and can beat those old men over there,” but they realized those guys can hit,” he said. “They got after us and it was great.”
For the tournament itself, he said it’s always a pleasure to come to the GFI, praising the organizers and fans for making it fun and welcoming. The tournament is also a testing ground as the team’s season gets underway, said Lawrence, as they try new game strategies and work on individual and team skills.
Chad Northcott, a superior second baseman, was named to the tournament all star team. He led the club with a .452 batting average and tied the tournament record with 7 stolen bases.
Slag Duster Cory Scammell lead the tournament with 12 RBI. Pitcher Jackson Stephen also topped the tournament strikeout charts with 14.
Other notable performances included Coquitlam first baseman Mitchell Jackman who set a new tournament record for batting average with a 10 for 14 performance and a .714 batting average.
The Sunday semi finals were highly anticipated as the 6-time champion Seattle Studs played Alaska and didn’t disappoint. The 15-inning game featured numerous lead changes in extra innings with the Goldpanners eventually topping the Studs 6-4 on a walk-off homerun.
The game tied the longest in tournament history by innings, with the Studs previously holding the mark at 15 innings in their 2004 victory over Taiwan 3-2.
2024 Champion Seattle Blackfins were upset in the quarter finals by the Northwest Honkers. Calgary, Everett, and Alameda, California were also eliminated in the quarter finals.
The event drew better than average crowds, on the weekend in particular, and GFI Society President Morgan Strohmann indicated that the tournament did well financially.
Tournament co-ordinator, Steve Boutang, said Sunday’s games were the best he’d seen since his first involvement in the tournament in 2001.
“It’s going to take a long time to top what happened on Sunday. First off, a 15-inning barnburner with 2 amazingly talented teams, followed by the Slag Dusters holding off the Honkers with an amazing play to end it. And then to have the hosts qualify to play in the final was something I won’t ever forget.”
Player Coach Jay Huggins and field Manager Harold Northcott have led this club to unprecedented heights in just 3 years of existence and they indicated that they couldn’t wait to get started on trying to win the 2026 event.
Next year’s dates aren’t set in stone, but it is likely to be held June 22-28.
