The Vernon Kal Tire Canadians bowed 4-3 to the Nanaimo Pirates in the championship game of the annual Kelowna Pee Wee Baseball Tournament last weekend.
The C’s outhit Nanaimo 10-6, with Caden Bracken working 4 1/3 solid innings on the mound. Vernon took an early lead in the first inning and added two more in the sixth when Caden Doyle hammered one over the right-centre field fence, bringing home Colton Schaper-Kotter, who struck a lead-off double.
The Canadians stranded a pair of runners in the seventh inning.
Schaper-Kotter, a catcher, went 11-for-12 at the plate and was named a tournament all-star.
The Kal Tire crew opened the tourney by slamming the Rutland Rockies 12-3 on 14 hits.
Schaper-Kotter got torched for two runs on five hits in the first 2 2/3 innings. Carter Morris, Nick Cherkowski and Isaac Olson settled things down over the next 4 1/3 innings, allowing one run on two hits before Doyle came in for the save.
Game MVP Doyle went 3-for-4 with three RBI, and Zach Orchard, Schaper-Kotter and Olson each had two hits.
Jaden Parsons, Jarod Leroux and Cherkowski chipped in with singles, as did rookies Chase Batchelor and Carter Morris, who collected their first hits of the season.
The Canadians followed that up with a 11-8 loss to the Chilliwack Reds.
Game MVP Schaper-Kotter, Orchard and Cherkowski led Vernon with two hits apiece, and Parsons cracked a double.
Orchard was stellar on the mound as the C’s gunned down the Delta Dodgers 14-2.
Parsons earned MVP honours for going 3-for-3, while Bracken, Leroux, Schaper-Kotter and Olson each stroking a pair of hits.
Vernon advanced to the final with a 13-7 pummelling of the Kelowna Ramblers.
Orchard, Olson and Doyle shared pitching duties, allowing nine hits to Vernon’s 15.
Schaper-Kotter and Doyle each went 3-for-3, while Leroux and Parsons each supplied two hits.
In Bantam action, the Coldstone Creamery Canadians split their doubleheader with Kamloops, taking the first leg 14-3 before falling 13-10 Sunday.
The first game saw strong bats by Vernon’s Jacob Soucy, Ethan Huizinga and Tony Campen, while Soucy and Ethan Sawka shared pitching duties.
Smart base running by Riley Preston, Noah Foufoulas, Huizinga and call-up Kalvin Blaeser added to the offence.
Preston and Huizinga each racked up a couple of RBI in the second tilt, and Isaac Waldermaras showed tenacity at the plate and Sawka hit a sac fly to bring home Anthony Prince.
Defensive playmaking by Foufoulas, at second, and Huizinga, at first, supported starting pitcher Hayden Vardon. Blaeser showed hustle at short stop.
Greg Geistlinger, Vardon and Huizinga each took a turn on the mound.
The Coldstone Creamery Lightning buzzed the Coldstone Creamery Grizzly Bears 13-12 in Tadpole season-opening play Wednesday night at Armoury Park.
The Bears took an early lead on a great hit by Kolby English, but the Lightning came back in the second inning with a hit by Matthew Kuhnlein to take the lead and the Grizz just couldn’t recover.
