It's down to just four teams in the Manitoba Junior Baseball League, and Carson Dubois is looking to bring the league championship to Altona. 

The Portage-born catcher is in his first season with the Altona Bisons and has helped lead them to the semi-finals. The Bisons ended the season four games below .500; however, they pulled off an upset in the first round.

"We didn't really have a great end to the regular season, even though our bats started heating up. We fell to the seven seed. We played the St. James A's, the two seed," Dubois explains. "They're a really good team. They have a lot of good pitching and some really good hitters. We just had some good starts from our pitchers and rallied when we needed to come out on top in that Game 3."

Altona lost their first game to St. James but went on to win 1-0 in Game 2 and 10-6 in Game 3 to eliminate the A's. Dubois says the team really feels like they can win it all after taking down St. James.

"With our group, we know on any given night, we can beat any team. I think the confidence that gives us has taken us to the next level," Dubois continues. "We're at an all-time high with the confidence, and I think we're going to move forward with a push."

Now, the Bisons are in a best-of-five series with the MJBL's top-ranked team, the Elmwood Giants. Elmwood took the first game 5-3 but Altona battled back on their home field in Game 2.

"It was a good game. We had a good showing from our starting pitcher. He's been good for us in the playoffs so far. We had a two-run lead going into the seventh. We lost the lead but ended up coming back to win the game in extras. It was pretty exciting."

Elmwood won the following contest 2-1 but Altona tied the series up in Game 4 last night. The two teams will now play a do-or-die Game 5 tonight. 

The Giants ended the year with a 16-8 record and swept the Pembina Valley Orioles in the first round of the playoffs. While Elmwood was a powerhouse, Dubois believes they have the edge in a few areas.

"I think we have the advantage on the pitching side. They have a really good pitcher, but I think, after their number one guy, our 2-4 really dominates their 2-4. I think if we just get some timely hits and manufacture some runs when we need to, we'll be okay."

Dubois notes he's had a ton of fun playing in Altona this season. He says the community deserves an MJBL Championship.

"I think that town is just a crazy baseball town. They love it there," says Dubois. "No matter what, we always get crowds, weeknight or weekend. I think it'd be pretty cool to win it for them."

Game 5 is set for 7:00 at Koskie Field in Winnipeg.

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