The Portage Padres left it all on the diamond, but it wasn't enough to keep their season alive in Game 3. The Padres fell 12-7 to the Neepawa Cubs in the deciding game of their first-round playoff series.

Portage trailed the entire game but found some life in the bottom of the sixth inning. With Neepawa up 7-1, Daylan Laramee hit an RBI double to score two and cut the lead to 7-3. This was followed by an RBI double from Garrett Maley and an RBI triple from Landon Thompson. Chance Dickenson helped bring one more runner in on a sacrifice fly, and the Padres entered the seventh inning down by just one run.

Unfortunately for Portage, they couldn't stop the offence of Neepawa as they scored five runs in the final inning. Padres' pitcher Joey Moffatt says while it's tough to lose in that fashion, he's proud that the team showed how resilient they can be.

"I think this shows what we've done year in and year out. We don't quit on a game no matter what," Moffatt explains. "Obviously, we wanted to get on the sticks a little earlier. We showed we could hit, but it would've been a little better if it was the first or second inning where we put up five runs."

The Padres didn't roll over in the final inning, as they had five hits, and Daylan Laramee picked up another RBI; however, the Cubs held tight defensively and got the outs when they needed them.

Neepawa now moves on to face off with the Plumas Pirates in the semi-final while Portage looks ahead to next season.

"I think we have to start solidifying who's going to be in and out next year. If we have to find a couple more guys, we'll get on that," says Moffatt. "I think we have a good core group of guys here that play every year, and because of that, we'll be okay."

The Minnedosa Mavericks will take on the Carberry Royals in the Santa Clara Baseball League's other semi-final series.

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