Baseball season officially kicked off in Ladysmith at Dogwood ball field Saturday morning with a special gathering and tribute to a fallen comrade.
During the ceremony, a special plaque was unveiled in memory of Garnet Mah, former Ladysmith Minor Baseball [LMB] president, who lost his battle with cancer on Feb. 28.
“Garnet loved the game of baseball, and the game will miss him dearly,” said Darren Rasmussen, LMB president. “He was a great volunteer.”
Mah’s involvement in baseball began about 10 years ago, and he served as league president for the last six.
“He coached our kids right from the time that they could start in mosquito,” said Darlene Mah, Garnet’s wife. “I think every kid in Ladysmith high school has been involved with Garnet through baseball or soccer.”
She said Garnet was motivated by all of the reasons that make sports teams a great environment.
“It was for the love of the kids, to see the smiles on their face,” she said. “He gave it his all right until January when the cancer took over.”
The plaque, which was presented to Darlene and daughter Christie, will be mounted in the High Street ball field concession stand, on a new wall of fame.
According to Rasmussen, baseball day is a tradition of the past that the league is trying to bring back.
Dozens of players from mosquitos to tadpoles to bantams lined the bases for a brief introduction, the national anthem and words from Coun. Jill Dashwood.
Following the presentation, Darlene Mah threw an official “first pitch,” and the Cowichan Valley Mustangs Bantam AAA team played a doubleheader against the Nanaimo Pirates.
The Mustangs saw a loss in both games — falling 11-3 in game one and 10-2 in game two.
On Sunday, the team traveled to the mainland for a doubleheader against Ridge Meadows. Rasmussen said despite losing both games, the team experienced its best field play of the season. The final scores were 9-6 and 7-1.
“It was 6-6 in the bottom of the sixth, and one of their guys hit a three-run homer,” said Rasmussen.
Rasmussen says the team is taking plenty of positives away from each experience.
“It was a real turning point,” he said. “Things are starting to go in the right direction, and I think they’re starting to believe that they’re better than they think they are.”
