Michel Rochfort looked like a prophet Friday as his storied Little League baseball career continued for at least one more day.
Rochfort's underdog team from Valleyfield, Que., eked out an upset 4-3 victory on the final play of the game over favoured High Park of Toronto in Canadian Little League semi-final action.
Rochfort, the Quebec squad's manager, had vowed it would be a tough test for High Park, because he was forced to rest his pitchers during a 12-5 loss to the Toronto team Wednesday in the preliminary round.
"What I said to you, that's what happened — because we have a good pitcher," said a smiling Rochfort.
As it turned out, Valleyfield only needed one pitcher. Benoit Genest threw eight strikeouts in a complete-game outing while limiting the Toronto team's high-powered offence to only four hits.
With its dramatic win, Valleyfield qualified for Saturday's national final against Langley, B.C., which edged host Mt. Seymour of North Vancouver 2-1 in Friday's other semi-final.
In the later game, Yi-Fan Pan's broke a scoreless ties with a two-run homer in the final inning as Langley built a 2-0 lead and then held off Mt. Seymour in its last at-bat. The Canadian champion will advance to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa., later this month.
Langley head coach Jason Andrew was glad that his team, which will attempt to give B.C. a seventh consecutive Canadian title, avoided being upset after qualifying for the tournament as the provincial champion.
The Canadian champion will advance to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa., later this month.
"We've been pushing our guys that this is our moment and we don't want anybody taking it away from us," said Andrew.
Valleyfield's win prompted him and his coaches to have a five-to-10-minute talk with their players about the importance of staying humble.
"We talked about (Quebec's win) right away," he said. "Our guys were a little bit over-confident coming into this game."
Rochfort did not have similar concerns — his team had lost three straight before Friday. He praised pitcher Genest for making him look good.
Rochfort praised Genest for making him look good.
"He had a very good game today," said Rochfort.
Valleyfield's win ensures Rochfort will contend for a national crown in his last Little League game on Canadian soil, if not ever. The 68-year-old retired high school physical education teacher, who has been involved in Little League as a manager, coach, umpire and league administrator for 50 years, said earlier in the week this would be his final season.
"It's a joy and I'm really happy," said Rochfort about qualifying for the final as he choked back tears.
High Park had finished first in the round-robin segment with a 5-0 record while Valleyfield squeaked into the fourth and final playoff-round berth with a 2-3 mark.
"I believe still, in my heart, that we're the best team in this tournament — but we didn't prove it on the field," said Rochfort.
High Park coach Tom Bazkur said Valleyfield's move to rest their pitchers worked.
"We had known (Genest) was their ace, but we're always under the influence that our children will hit," said Bazkur. "We believed that our kids would get to no matter who they pitched. That might have been a bit of an underestimation on our part."
Jakob Brunette slid home and beat the tag for the winning run in the bottom of the sixth inning to give Valleyfield the victory after Angelo Galetto singled to right field. It was High Park's lone loss in district, provincial and national tournament play this season.
Galetto emerged as the game's hero when, in addition to producing the winning run, he cranked a two-run homer in the top of the fourth inning to tie the game at three.
"We take it as a very tough loss for our organization," said Bazkur.
Valleyfield coach Marc Faubert said the team wanted to win for Rochfort.
"All the kids realized that it could be Michel's last game," said Faubert. "This shows, on the field, you never know what could happen."
Valleyfield took a 1-0 lead in the first inning, but High Park produced three runs in the top of the fourth inning — all with two out and the last two on an error — to take a 3-1 lead. Genest made a critical out in that frame, tagging High Park's Christian Alves for the third out as he tried to come home from third on a passed ball.
The out came after Valleyfield catcher Justine Faubert, the lone girl competing in the tournament, alertly fielded the ball off the backstop and tossed it to Genest in time.
Two of Genest's strikeouts came in High Park's final at-bat in the sixth as Valleyfield preserved the 3-3 tie. Except for High Park's three-run fourth, Genest never faced more than four batters per inning while giving his manager at least one more day on the diamond.
Rochfort has won four Canadian titles at this age group and another at a higher level. He is attempting to give Quebec its first national title since Valleyfield triumphed under his tutelage in 1992.
"Maybe it's my last ever," said Rochfort about Saturday's final. "If I win, I'm happy. If I lose I'm happy, too."
Before the game, Little League Canada honoured Rochfort with a plaque for his half century of service to baseball in Valleyfield and the rest of Canada.
"I'm happy that they gave it to me," he said. "It shows that I made 50 years. I'm happy for that."
Despite his disappointment, Bazkur indicated he was happy to see Rochfort get one last chance at a Canadian crown.
"We've got all the respect in the world for Mr. Michel Rochfort," said Bazkur. "He has 50 years service. He knows what he's doing, obviously."