City of Champions again tonight?

I know people have tickets to Metallica.

I know the Oilers fan base is spread across the world.

I doubly, triply know this is baseball, and that this is a hockey blog.

To those people, I apologize. You’re missing out tonight.

Tonight another City of Champions team is playing in a Championship game.

Starting tonight at 7pm, the Edmonton Prospects have taken the Cinderella story to new heights this off-season. After finishing the season with a .500 record, they stumbled and bumbled their way into the post season dance on a four game losing streak. As the low seed in their division, the Prospects drew the perennial regular season juggernaut, Okotoks Dawgs.

The Dawgs came into the playoffs riding a wave of momentum, and a full 11 more wins than the Prospects in the 48 game season. The Prospects have seen this show before and in the five-game series, the Prospects came home with a split, and then ended up going into Okotok’s Seaman Stadium and came out as the series winners, handing Okotoks their second first round loss in as many seasons.

Next up was the third seeded Medicine Hat Mavericks. The Mavs started off with a good effort at home, but the Prospects won Game 2 by a score of 9-0 and never looked back, winning the round in three games straight, 3-1.

The story continued, and the plot lined thickened as the Eastern division played to a deciding fifth game, with the Swift Current Broncos, the titans of the East mashing their way to a second WMBL final.

The stage was set and last years’ championship final (who were the Indians, Edmonton versus Swift Current. The season series between the two? Two games, 26 runs for the 57’s, four runs for the Prospects.

Not very good odds, eh? The Prospects revel in the underdog status.

Game 1 went to the 57’s in a blow out 13-7. The Prospects felt the midnight hour coming and had flashbacks of last season’s championship sweep dancing in their head… and gutted out a Game 2 victory 6-4. Heading back to Edmonton tied in a series again. Then last night happened.

If you missed how last night’s game turned out, the first pic in this tweet is the moment before the game winning catch was made

The Prospects, with the bases loaded against them, had an absolute rope hit out to left field, with not a fielder in site.

Then “the Catch.”

The Prospects won as a result of that catch and, tonight, the team stands on the cusp of joining Edmonton’s rich Champions history in baseball.

The Edmonton Grays 1909
The Edmonton Trappers 1984, 1996, 1997, 2002
The Edmonton Capitals 2011

I have no doubt, after tonight’s game, all the players will be flooding NationGear to get their hands on it first, but you too can join the crush and put some CoC gear on your body to show your pride in Edmonton.

The true City of Champions.