Chalk up another provincial baseball title for the Abbotsford Angels.
The most recent champion is the 13U AA squad, who captured the title in Abbotsford on Sunday.
The Angels clutched up and were victorious in two must-win games to claim the provincial crown and qualify for the Western Canadian Championships in Manitoba starting on Friday.
Your @Baseball_BC 13U AA Provincial CHAMPS! pic.twitter.com/LoICAf7F8r
— Kara Coleman (@yogacoachkara) August 12, 2018
Abbotsford opened the tournament with a 4-0 win over the District Six Saints on Thursday, but then fell 7-3 to the Campbell River Tyees later that day.
The Angels then lost 12-2 to the North Delta Rays on Friday, but then bounced back on Saturday with a 4-1 win over the Central Saanich-Beacon Hill Capitals on Saturday morning.
That win advanced Abbotsford to Sunday’s provincial semi-final, which saw them avenge the earlier loss to Campbell River by beating the Tyees 4-3. Abbotsford clinched the win when Matthew Sevensma hit a two-run single in the top of the seventh to put the Angels up 4-3. Abbotsford’s Chase Coleman and Ryken Brandsma both pitched strong in the semi-final.
Abbotsford qualified for the provincial final with that victory, and then edged out the Capitals 8-7 to take home the top prize.
The Angels jumped out to a 5-1 lead after two innings, but the Capitals battled back to lead 7-5 after four. In the top of the fifth inning, Bryn Alexander hit a double to score Ben Brandsma, and Diego Peranio hit a double to score Alexander and Tyler Pretty. Sevensma came on in relief to record the final out and seal the win.
Congrats to the Abbotsford Angels, Baseball BC 13u AA Provincual Champions! And they earned a trip to Western Canada Championships!
— AAHA (@AngelsHardball) August 13, 2018
The Angels will now compete against teams form Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan for the western title. Abbotsford opens that event on Friday against the Olds Spitifires and then take on Carillon later that day. They continue the round robin against the Sask Five Giants on Saturday and conclude qualifying action against the Manitoba representative later that day.
From there, the top two teams will battle for the Western Canadian Championship on Sunday, with the bottom two teams battling for third place.
The provincial title win caps off an excellent season that saw the club finish second at both the Boulanger Tournament in Cloverdale and the Valley of Champions tournament in Kelowna.
For more on local baseball, visit abbotsfordbaseball.ca.
