Chilliwack’s midget AAA Cougars started their season against the Kelowna Sun Devils, splitting an April 6 double-header.
Meka Quintana got the starting pitcher assignment in the first game and sat the Sun Devils down in order in the first inning.
A double from Tyler McInnes scored two runners, giving the Cougars an early lead.
Quintana helped his own cause, clubbing two doubles as the Cougars ran away with a 16-6 six-inning win.
Chilliwack had to rally from a seven run deficit in the second game.
Down 9-2 through six innings, McInnes and Dawson Peters turned in spotless relief appearances to keep the Sun Devils within striking distance.
The Cougars clawed back to tie the game at 10-10 through seven innings and had two runners on base with one out in extra innings, but Kelowna’s closer struck out the final two Chilliwack batters in a Sun Devils win.
The Cougars have nine first year players on the roster.
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From sunshine to shivers!
The Chilliwack Cougars college prep U18 baseball team arrived home from 30 degree temperatures in Arizona and made their way to frigid 12 degree Kelowna last weekend.
They played in a tournament against high-level competition from B.C. and Alberta.
The team saw good pitching performances from Jude Hall, Mattias Klim and Zach Klim.
The bantam AAA Cougars hit the road for a season-opening double header in Nanaimo April 6.
In a rain-shortened opener the Cougars lost 5-3.
They had the tying run on second base when the game got called due to unsafe field conditions.
The Cougars came out swinging in game two, beating Nanaimo 12-2 in a mercy-rule shortened six inning affair.
Starting pitcher Jared Hall pitched four solid innings and Nathan Lamont cleaned up the final two innings. His coaches estimated Lamont reached 80 miles per hour with his fastball in the final minute.
Hall, Wyatt Emery and Aidan Saunders led the offence with multi-hit days and Andrew Statton clubbed a homerun over the center field wall.
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The bantam AA Cougars were home for their April 6 opener, hosting the Delta Rays in a double header at Fairfield Island.
The locals fell 8-5 in game one.
Hari Dhaliwal banged out two doubles and drove in three runs while Zach Cavanagh smacked three singles.
Chilliwack was blasted 19-3 in the second game.
Jackson Parr led the offence with two singles and two RBIs, with Trevor VanderHoek adding a single and a walk.
The Cougars got back on track Sunday.
Traveling to Hillcrest Park in Vancouver, they hammered the Vancouver Community Vipers 16-3.
Carter Larson had a double, two singles and Daxton Vanderkooi added a double, and a single.
Both players drove in two runs and Vanderkooi delivered three and a third scoreless innings on the mound, throwing 22 pitches.
Hari Dhaliwal, Brady Merritt, Kaydin Corbett and Zach Wolter all had two hits in the win.
