A lengthy losing streak came to an end with a near-perfect weekend by the North Delta Blue Jays on Vancouver Island.
The B.C. Premier Baseball League team won three of four games, and although still four games out of a playoff position, they showed they are capable of a top eight finish in the elite 18-and-under league.
The Blue Jays had lost six in a row prior to the trip to Vancouver Island.
North Delta swept the Parksville Royals Saturday, then split a Sunday double header with the Nanaimo Pirates to improve to 7-19 (won-loss) on the season.
With pitching depth always a concern when playing four games in roughly 27 hours, Dylan MacAhonic pitched all nine innings of the first game in Parksville and got the victory in a 3-2 decision. The Cloverdale resident allowed two earned runs on nine hits and a walk while striking out five batters.
The Jays scored twice in the sixth inning on an Evan Rogers single which scored Malcolm Boehm and Jonathan Cote. Nathan Unrau scored the winning run on a Pirates error.
North Delta received another complete-game pitching performance in game two, with Cote earning the win in a 5-1 triumph over the Royals. Cote struck out 14 Parksville batters, allowing an unearned run on just four hits and a pair of walks.
Kevin Sengara hit a two-run home run to lead the Blue Jays offensively.
In Nanaimo Sunday morning, the Jays had 11 hits off Nanaimo pitching in game one and cruised to a 4-2 win.
Boehm, Ryo Takenaka, Brock Morgan and Curtis Hildenbrandt each had a pair of hits, while Austin Ell pitched six and one-third innings with four strikeouts for the win.
North Delta was two outs away from completing a weekend sweep, but the game slipped away in a 3-2 loss. Trailing 1-0 after six innings, the Jays scored twice to take the lead. Dryden Rossiter scored on a single from Boehm, then Hildenbrandt went home on a sacrifice fly by Rogers.
Nanaimo rallied in the bottom half of the inning, scoring on a sacrifice fly and a two-out passed ball.
The Blue Jays are at home tonight (Thursday) for a game with the 10-14 Abbotsford Cardinals at 6 p.m. at Mackie Park, then will host Nanaimo and Parksville over the weekend.
The Pirates are the visitors for two games Saturday, the first set for noon, while the Royals will play twice at Mackie Park Sunday starting at 1 p.m.
