By Jacob Noseworthy
Wednesday, the first full day of action at the 2017 Grand Forks International, was a busy one with five games, the Opening Ceremonies, and nonstop action from the first pitch at 8 a.m. to the final one late in the evening at 11:52 p.m.
While the Kitsap BlueJackets, Okanagan Athletics, Highline Bears, and Alaska Goldpanners played their second games of the tournament, the San Francisco Seals, Seattle Studs, Burnaby Bulldogs, Northwest Honkers, Everett Merchants, and North Sound Emeralds all kicked their tournaments off on Wednesday.
Kitsap BlueJackets 5 at San Francisco Seals 11
W: Manuel Ochoa L: Aki Buckson Home Plate Umpire: Blaise Laveay
Fresh off their big win on Tuesday, the Kitsap BlueJackets looked to keep their good run going, but the GFI newcomers faced a tough task against the 2016 quarterfinalist San Francisco Seals.
The Seals were prepared and it looked as if their unique style of warming up in the on-deck circle with a sledge hammer was paying off as San Francisco’s offence led them to a 7-2 lead after four innings.
Kitsap rallied with three runs in the top of the fifth, but it was not enough as San Francisco took the victory 11-5 after eight and a half innings.
The designated hitter for the Seals, Julian Jones, was notable earning a 1.000 batting average, three hits, and two RBIs.
Seattle Studs 8 at Burnaby Bulldogs 4
W: Zander Clouse L: Shawn Andersen Home Plate Umpire: Rob Allen
Tucked away inconspicuously as the 11 a.m. game was arguably the most exciting game of the round-robin stage of the tournament as the Seattle Studs and Burnaby Bulldogs, the last two teams to have won the GFI, faced off in a rematch of the 2016 championship game.
Burnaby looked to avenge the error that cost them in 2016 while Seattle wanted a good start to their attempt to become the first team in GFI history to win three straight tournaments.
The game looked to be a close affair as the two teams traded control of the lead and Burnaby went up 4-3 after five innings played.
It looked like the game would be as tight as the 2-1 2016 final until the Studs seized control of the game with a five-run performance in the seventh inning to win the game 8-4.
The final score did not end up being indicative of the closeness of the game, however, as without Seattle’s seventh inning offensive onslaught, it could have been anyone’s to win.
The Studs’ centre fielder Landon Riker stood out going 3/5 at the plate, hitting a home run in the fifth inning, and earning two RBIs.
Okanagan Athletics 4 at Northwest Honkers 12
W: Spencer Hereford L: David Tongue Home Plate Umpire: Phil Bourgeois
The Northwest Honkers, Money Round participants in 2016, got their tournament off to a strong start with a 12-4 win over the Okanagan Athletics in seven innings.
The Honkers were notable for their speed, with Scooter Turin leading the team with three stolen bases in the game, even though they were caught in two rundowns in the first inning.
Northwest’s pitching and defence shone throughout the game, as they managed to hold Okanagan to only four runs and five hits through the seven innings played.
Notably for Okanagan, Jared Frew and Brandon Becking hit the first back-to-back home runs of the tournament in the fourth inning.
Highline Bears 5 at Everett Merchants 8
W: John Samons L: Mason Harris Save: Max Dwyer Home Plate Umpire: Corey Klein
The 2016 semifinalist and perennial contender Everett Merchants faced a tough challenge against their Pacific International League rivals in the Highline Bears, but were successful through several strong innings en route to their 8-5 win.
Thanks to a good pitching staff that struck out the Bears 12 times over the course of the game and offensive stars like Ty Holm, who earned three RBIs on two hits, and Luke Leonard, who batted .667 with an .800 on base percentage, it looked as if there was no stopping the Merchants.
Although the Bears were up 3-0 through two innings, a strong four run performance in the third inning put Everett in control through the latter part of the game.
Opening Ceremonies
Although the Opening Ceremonies were delayed due to the Highline-Everett game going long, fans local and visiting alike packed into James Donaldson Park for the formal opening of the 2017 GFI.
The ceremonies included a procession of the Grand Forks Pipes and Drums, representatives of all 12 teams competing in the tournament, and Grand Forks Little League players; an introduction by tournament coordinator Gerry Foster; a rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner and O Canada by Laura Jean Cuthbert; and a welcome to the fans and ceremonial first pitch from Mayor Frank Konrad.
Alaska Goldpanners 3 at North Sound Emeralds 7
W: Pat Siler L: Brandon Langan Save: Austin Stump Home Plate Umpire: Steve Boutang
In the featured game of the day under the lights, the North Sound Emeralds surprised the six-time NBC World Series champion Alaska Goldpanners with a 7-3 victory.
Much of the win can be credited to North Sound’s strong pitching, as the Goldpanners struck out 17 times in 30 at bats, with the Emeralds’ pitching staff putting up a K against more than every second batter.
Controversy struck the game, however, as two of Alaska’s three runs were contentious.
In the top of the fourth inning with two outs gone and one man on base, Alaska’s Jake Hazard hit a long fly ball to left-centre field.
North Sound’s outfielder claimed he had caught the ball and trapped it against the fence, but the play had been ruled as a no catch.
While the Emeralds jogged to their bench believing the inning was over, Hazard and Tighe Koehring both scored for the Goldpanners.
After a meeting between the umpires, the runs were considered valid and Alaska earned their first two runs of the game.
Controversy aside, the two runs ultimately didn’t matter in the final result of the game as North Sound took the four-run win in the last game of the night.
