Oceanside’s Bantam Flyers baseball team is Mid-Island House League champions on the strength of a workmanlike 16-10 win over Chemainus.
In action at Nanaimo’s Mariner Park June 30 against the Southern division champs in a one-game winner take all, Oceanside jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the top of the first and kept their foot on the gas.
“Basically our first four batters all scored, and we went from there… it was a good win for our guys,” Flyers’ coach Cliff Craven said after.
This marks the third straight year an Oceanside Bantam team has won the Mid-Islands — there were seven teams vying for the title this year.
Leading the charge against a fired up Chemainus squad were Devin Svensen, Marcus Schan, and Shane Craven, who all went 3-for-4, scoring three times and driving in a couple runs. Austin Hykaway went 4-for-4 including a timely double and scored three times himself. Those four players accounted for 13 of the Flyers’ 16 runs.
Other highlights said coach Craven included Jack Mardis’ timely hit in the third inning to drive in two runs — Liam Downey also delivered a clutch bunt in the sixth to advance the base runner.
Contributing on defence were Billy Buhler, Will Vukovic, Grant Wheaton, and Darian Budd who was stellar at 1st to go along with two walks and two runs scored.
Chemainus scored three runs in the fourth and another three in the fifth to cut it to 11-8, but the Flyers responded with four runs in their half of the sixth. Chemainus came up empty in the bottom of the sixth and scored two in the seventh and final inning, but it wasn’t enough. Oceanside pitchers Mardis and Craven shared the win on the hill.
The game started, said Cliff, with Chemainus — who by the way clobbered Oceanside 18-3 back in late May — taking to the field “totally hyped,” and trying some intimidation tactics with a well choreographed pre-game chant in keeping with the New Zealand All Blacks.
“They were loud, but it didn’t phase our guys though, they were just very calm and went about business. Whenever Chemainus started to come back we responded with the bats. It was just a real workmanlike effort,” said Craven. “Our guys remained focused throughout the game and showed a real desire to work together as a team.”
The local squad of 14-15’s won their North Island house league championship the week prior.
Missing in the final due but a big part of the Flyers’ team were Alex Dib, Jake Shewchuk and Tristan Korman who was one of the heroes last week and had injured himself in a mountain biking incident earlier in the day.
GAME ON
“That’s it for us,” said Cliff, adding “we’re disappointed we weren’t able to put together a Bantam Rep team this year.”
