The Rutland Rockies stopped the Vernon Canadians 9-4 in the finals of the Zone Pee Wee A Baseball playdowns Sunday at Creekside Park.
Both teams move on to the provincial championships, Aug. 2-6, in Rutland.
Vernon, coached by Kevin Porteous, Carl Vardon and Mike Sawka, got three strikeouts, one run and one hit from pitcher Jacob Soucy over four innings.
Game MVP was Zach Orchard, who supplied a double and single with two ribbies, while Bailey Wellman had one RBI and Isaac Olson swiped home under the tag.
The Canadians opened with a 12-2 crushing of the Kelowna Cubs as Soucy earned MVP by smacking a pair of deep doubles and striking out three batters.
Hayden Vardon drove in three runs with a double and single, while Orchard stroke a run-scoring single to the left field fence. Dakota Becker, Graham Moss, Ethan Sawka and Olson all had ribbies, while Shelby Porteous singled and swiped third with some aggressive base running.
Corey Anderson made a big catch in centre field and Wellman recorded a big throw from centre field to hold a Cubs’ runner at second.
Vernon then rallied to rattle the West Kelowna Rangers 15-11 with Moss taking MVP with some clutch hitting and pitching.
Orchard sparked the attack by knocking in four runs on a pair of doubles, while Noah Foufoulas drove in one run and swiped home. Vardon and Porteous, who pitched two innings, also had ribbies.
Shaughnessy Kereluk Barker showed great wheels making the run to first on a third-strike dropped ball while Becker supplied a bullet of a throw from right field to Vardon at first for an out.
Trailing 11-9 in the sixth, Soucy reached first on a walk and then swiped second and third. Olson took first on a third-strike dropped ball, while Soucy scored and Moss stole third.
Becker smacked a bouncing single to score Moss to tie the game 11-11, while Foufoulas laid down a perfect bunt to bring in Olson and the speedy Becker. Barker singled up the middle to score Orchard and Sawka sacrificed in Foufoulas for the final run.
Wellman registered a great sliding catch in centre field for the second out in the seventh.
The Kamloops Braves ambushed the C’s 10-0 in other preliminary action.
The Canadians were shut out by Kamloops with a stellar showing by Braves’ pitcher Alex Hall, who tossed a three-hitter with three walks. Vernon didn’t get a runner past second base.
Olson, named MVP, was strong on the mound striking out two batters in the first inning and three more in the second.
Shortstop Corey Anderson made a hard throw to a stretched out Soucy for the second out in the third. The third out came after a big hit to left fielder Foufoulas, who relayed to Anderson, who threw to Orchard at the plate for an exciting tag out.
The Braves loaded the bases in the fourth and Nick McInnes found a hole in right field to drive in three runs. Moss took over the pitching duties and fanned a pair.
