In dramatic fashion, the Surrey-Newton Canadians booked a trip to Southern California this weekend.
The Peewee AA baseball team won the U13 provincial title on home turf Sunday (Aug. 5), edging a Penticton squad 6-4 in the final played at Lionel Courchene Park in Guildford.
The team of preteens went undefeated in the tourney until the championship game.
“They (Penticton) jumped out to a three-nothing lead, we pulled it back and managed to get up 6-4 and held on from there,” said Mark Wright, an assistant coach with the Canadians.
“They loaded the bases in the seventh (and final) inning, so it was a real nail-biter, for sure,” he added.
The win earned the Canadians a flight to San Diego to represent British Columbia in a Summer Sizzle international tournament on Aug. 11-12.
“It’s a quick turnaround for us,” Wright noted.
The roster includes Bailey D’Cruze, Joshua Swart, Cameron Wright, Katelyn Foubert, Parker Sarai, Max Michaud, Marcus Janovsky, Harley Vaughan, Diondre Thomas and Jacob Ouellette.
“They’re all 11 and 12 years old,” Wright explained.
“The same association got to the (provincial) semis last year, but it’s nice to seal the deal this year,” he added.
The team is coached by Brad Swart, with assistance from Wright, Jeff Vaughan and Dave Ouellette.
At Gofundme.com, a fundraiser aims to raise $2,500 to help get the team to San Diego this weekend.
“In an effort to defray some of the costs the families will incur we are hoping that some of our friends and neighbours will help out with whatever they can,” notes a post on the “Team BC trip to SanDiego” page.
