It’s getting late. On the clock, it’s nearing midnight and 4,500 fans have been waiting and waiting for their favorites to do something, anything, with the bats. In baseball terms, it’s the bottom of the eighth inning, Kentville, at home, is down 6-0 to Tecumseh (Ontario), two times at bat left in the Canadian national men’s baseball championship game. In the Kentville dugout, encouraging words are spoken. “We can do this! Let’s get a hit and get it started. Put the ball in play. There’s still time.” Two men are out when the rally starts and Wildcats start streaming around the bases, scoring five times on a pair of RBI singles and two doubles. They trail 6-5 with runners at first and third and still two outs. Playing coach Pete Goucher, a Kentville area high school vice principal, calls for a double steal. Bill Young, on first, will head to second and the club’s all-time steals leader, Sandy VanBlarcom, on third base, will go home “if the ball is thrown through”, Goucher tells him. It is, he does, and, in a cloud of dust, VanBlarcom scores to tie the game. After Bob Oakley gets out of a bases-loaded jam in the ninth, here come the ‘Cats again. Danny Payne walks. Goucher doubles. Ian Mosher, whose double drove in two in the eighth, steps to the plate. A fly ball to the outfield will win it. He makes contact, skies one to left where the ball is dropped, allowing Payne to score the winner.

BEDLAM in Kentville. The 4,500 fans had stayed with it and storm the field. Their heroes have done it. It’s the first time a Nova Scotia team has won this national title (a Nova Scotia team won the junior championship in 1976) and the first Nova Scotia team to host the event. This team is a little special, too, with 13 of the players being products of Kentville’s minor baseball system, a bunch of home-grown guys who grew up together, played ball together and became family on the ball field. The Wildcats started in 1977 as a group of teenagers entering senior baseball, a bit overmatched, but growing as they aged. By 1979, they were in the finals of the Nova Scotia Senior Baseball League, won it the next year, and again in 1981 when they finished second at nationals.

Between 1977 and 1985, they won 124 and lost 62 regular season games and were ready to challenge for the title again. This time, there was no holding them back, although the road to the title was difficult. Rain forced the delay of one round robin game until 10:30 p.m. More than 3,000 were there. Of course, it went 15 innings (a 4-3 loss to New Brunswick) ending at 3:30 a.m. with 1,500 still in the stands, on a day when Kentville had a 1 p.m. game scheduled. The team was inducted to the Baseball Nova Scotia Hall of Fame in 1999. Tournament all-stars were pitcher Kevin MacLeod, catcher Sandy VanBlarcom and outfielder George MacLean. Mosher was the MVP of the championship game. Tournament MVP, as chosen by committee and media members, was the entire Wildcat squad.

Bio courtesy of Joel Jacobson

Players: Chet Boudreau, Kevin Forbes, Hugh Fraser, Dave Harris, George MacLean, Kevin MacLeod, Robbie Mann, Ian Mosher, Monty Mosher, Shawn Mounce, Bob Oakley, Dan Payne, Kevin Poirier, Jeff Rafuse, Sandy VanBlarcom, Barney VanBlarcom, Kirk VanBlarcom, Bill Young, Mark Zwicker

Head Coach: Peter Goucher (player-coach)
Coaches: Eddie Gillis, John MacDonald, Jim McEachern, Bruce Ross Batboy: Chris Randall