Morning Star Staff
The Vernon Canadians grounded the Kelowna Mariners 16-6 in Sunday’s final of the Kelowna Pee Wee A Baseball Tournament at Lombardy Park.
Tourney MVP Landen Harison, Matthew Hansen, Ryan Gamage and Brady Beacom ignited the Vernon offence with first-inning singles, with Harison and Hansen both scoring.
Koll Cherkowski pitched the opening 2 1/2 innings and provided three assists and one strikeout. Alyssa Racine caught a hard liner and turned it into a double play by tagging out the runner in the first, while Hansen made a diving catch in left field for the first out in the second.
Tyson Sampert stroked a single in the second, while Racine and Nakoda Parker, who was 3-for-3, delivered doubles.
The third inning saw Cherkowski, Dakota Becker and Jackson Soucy all hit and score with some clutch base stealing.
Sampert crushed a monster over-the-fence, two-run homer in the fourth after Beacom reached first with a single. Sampert also sparkled defensively and claimed MVP honours.
In the fifth, Ethan Eisenhauser, Parker and Soucy all singled and scored, while Becker smacked a double down the third base line and also scored.
The Canadians earlier ripped Rutland 15-5 (Christopher McIntosh MVP), mauled the Mariners 21-7 (Lewis MVP), grounded the Kelowna Raiders 16-3 (Parker MVP) and shaded the Rutland Bullets 14-13 (Harrison MVP).
A pair of Vernon players boosted the Rutland Rockies to third place in their home Bantam AA tournament last weekend.
Jake Holland, a catcher, and Kadyn Thomas, who pitches and patrols shortstop, helped Rutland go 2-1 in pool action before bouncing West Kelowna 11-4 for the bronze medal. Holland made the all-star team by going 6-for-10 at the plate, while Thomas provided stellar defence and some clutch hits.
Rutland lost 11-5 to Prince George before blanking West Kelowna 8-0 and bouncing Burnaby 7-5 in preliminary play. The Rockies then fell 7-5 to Tsawwassen in the semifinals.
Meanwhile, Dylan Emmons of Vernon got the start Sunday as the Okanagan Athletics abushed the Victoria Eagles 6-2 in B.C. Junior Premier Baseball League action Sunday at Elks Stadium in Kelowna
Emmons went four innings, allowing two hits and no walks with three strikeouts for the win. The 15-year-old also turned a double play in the third inning for the 10-10 Athletics.
Colton Schaper-Kotter drove in six runs on three dingers as the Kal Tire Pee Wee AA Canadians knocked off the Rutland Rockies 9-8 in league play Wednesday night.
Jarod Leroux went 3-for-4 and drove in Carter Morris with the winning run in the top of the sixth. Caden Doyle delivered a triple for the 4-0 C’s.
The red-hot Five Star Award Blue Jays outlasted the Wayside Press Black Ninjas 20-15 in Mosquito baseball action Tuesday night at Lakeview Park.
Nolan Stein was 4-for-4 with a triple and three RBI, while Michael Preston went 4-for-4 with an RBI to spark the Jays. Jacob Green and Jace Weir each pocketed three hits. Cole Hutchinson, Laim Henderson and Levi Lee shined for the Ninjas.
In other Mosquito play Tuesday night, the Morgan’s Glass Yellow Lightning shattered the Best Western Lodge Red Sox 12-8.
Easton Rayner turned in a superb game at catcher, while Seiji Bott pitched two solid innings for the Bolts. Sapien Joe of the Sox recorded a nice squeeze play at third to hold the runners, while Delaney Marchand did a Major League celebration after a diving catch in centre field.
The Vernon Sun Dial Canadians played their best Midget game of the year in Monday night, icing the previously undefeated Kelowna Rock 9-3.
Stellar pitching from Tyler Lacktin Doyle and Shelby Hartwig held K-Town to eight hits. Stellar infielding from Keenan Joly-Hallas, Matthew Eso and Brendon Zupp had the Rock hitters shaking their heads. Joly-Hallas and Hartwig both rung up two hits and two RBI, while Landon Currie went 3-for-4 with one ribbie.
Dominant pitching and strong defence helped the Vernon C&A Contracting Canadians sweep Kamloops 13-0 and 13-2 in Bantam action Saturday.
Elliott Landy threw a complete game no-hitter, striking out 12 batters, in the opener. He got multiple-run support from Tyler Liefke, Brett Lambert, Jesse Helme, Tyler Wellman, Eric Embleton and Chris Riva. Wellman punched out two run
In Game 2, Nathan Nesbitt, Landy and Rayne Goodwater registered multi-hit games and Liefke threw a two-hitter.
Daymon Jassal and Stan Pinyon both walked twice, while Nesbitt pitched a three-up, three-down final inning with two strikeouts to close out Kamloops.
C&A shaded the B.C. Bantam Selects Girls 5-4 Sunday in Kelowna with Nesbitt hurling five shutout innings, allowing one hit and striking out 11. Nesbitt supplied two hits and two RBI, while Liefke went 3-for-4. The C’s are 11-1.
