The boys of Whalley won their way to Williamsport on Saturday.
The Surrey organization’s Major Allstars scored the Canadian Little League Championship in a display of dominance in Mirabel, Quebec, where the team of preteens went undefeated in eight games.
Saturday’s 11-0 victory over Team Atlantic (Glace Bay) means Whalley will now travel to Pennsylvania to play in the fabled Little League World Series.
The national title is the sixth for Whalley in its long baseball history.
Through the round-robin stage of the tournament in Mirabel, Whalley earned six wins and zero losses. In Friday’s semifinal, Team B.C. topped Team Ontario by a score of 8-2.
All games were live-streamed on CBC’s website, with insightful commentary by Matthew Cullen and Tom Valcke, a former Montreal Expos broadcaster.
WEST IS BEST… again! @WLLBALL are @LittleLgeCanada Champions. Team B.C. has now won 12 of the last 13 Canadian Championships and will represent Canada at the 2018 #LLWS ðŸ‡¨ðŸ‡¦âš¾ï¸ pic.twitter.com/mmhil2Jnhc
— CBC Sports (@cbcsports) August 11, 2018
In Williamsport, the Little League World Series will be played starting Thursday (Aug. 16).
On Saturday, Whalley won the title in a game called after four innings, due to the “mercy” rule of scoring 10 runs more than the competition.
• RELATED STORY: ‘We just grinded’: Whalley perfect so far at Canadian Little League Championship.
The team booked its trip to Quebec after winning the provincial title in Trail on July 28, with a 6-1 victory over Lynn Valley.
Whalley’s 13-player roster includes Joey Marino, Andre Juco, Kai Sheck, Ian Huang, Zeaden Pleasants, Nate Colina, Colten Myers, Jaren Ashbee, Ty Grewal, Cole Balkovec, Dio Gama, Jordan Jaramillo and Mattias Brisson. They’re coached by Mike Marino, Lucky Pawa and Dean Mayencourt.
Incredible pitching by the boys!!! pic.twitter.com/iQp1Jw8nzw
— WhalleyLittleLeagueâš¾ (@WLLBALL) August 11, 2018
Players and coaches on the team live in neighbourhoods across Surrey and Delta, including Cloverdale, South Surrey, North Delta, Fraser Heights and elsewhere.
In Williamsport, they’ll be following in the footsteps of a team from White Rock that won a pair of games in last year’s Little League World Series.
First up for Team Canada is a game against Panama on Friday, Aug. 17.
More to come on this story.
