The host Vernon Canadians ran out of sizzle in the final of their own recent seven-team U15A baseball tournament.
The first Okanagan Sizzler was held at the Vernon Army Camp on diamonds 6 and 7, where Cs’ parents spent hours doing a fabulous job building a couple of pitching mounds, and moving the bases out to 80-feet required at this level from the 65-foot softball dimensions.
“The parents of this team also put in countless hours maintaining and readying the fields for play over the tournament weekend, as we dealt with rain and sun,” said Vernon coach Dan Braddick.
The final saw the undefeated North Langley Trappers beat the host Vernon Canadians 13-3. The Trappers scored one in each of the first three innings before Vernon was able to get on the board when Colby Restiaux hit a double to score Cooper Hanson. Terry Johnson would then knock in Restiaux to cut the Trappers’ lead to just one.
North Langley would respond by scoring two of their own in the bottom of the inning to retake their three-run lead. The Cs’ only other run was scored by Ben Thompson, who got on with a double to right, stole third and scored on a sacrifice bunt by Adam Hansen. Hanson got the start for the Canadians and he pitched a great game, going five innings, allowing only five runs in the first four innings before the Trappers would get to him in the fifth, scoring five and seeing Hanson exit the game. Reece Holmes took over on the bump but could not stem the tide of Trappers batters, allowing three runs to end Vernon’s hope of taking the title of the inaugural Okanagan Sizzler.
The Canadians went 2-1 in the round-robin to finish third.
Vernon played Nanaimo in the rain in its opening game and under the lights of DND 7, a first-time experience for all the Canadians’ players. Pwalxken Joe opened the game with a three-run triple in the first to give Vernon the lead, something they held onto for the game until the seventh inning, when the Island crew went ahead 10-9. Hansen started the bottom of the seventh with a walk, followed by Dylan McGee and Nolan Smyth hitting hard singles to load the bases. Hanson then came to the plate hitting a solid ball to the outfield, scoring a pair for the walk-off win.
Game 2 saw the Canadians face North Langley, who scored a 12-2 decision. Smyth opened the scoring for Vernon by hitting a single and then stealing both second and third. He was then driven in by Hanson. The Canadians gave up five in the first inning to trail 5 to 1. Starting pitcher Brennan Braddick settled in after the first inning and allowed only one run in the next three innings before leaving the game due to injury. Smyth scored Vernon’s only other run of the game again with a single and two stolen bases, and then being driven in by Hanson.
In their final preliminary game, the Canadians routed the Calgary Strive 14-1. The first inning went well for both starting pitchers, allowing no runs. Vernon scored five runs in the second to take a lead they would never relinquish. Starting pitcher Johnson went four strong innings, facing 16 batters and only allowing one run before being replaced by Joe, who finished off the next three Strive batters with the help of his defence to end the game. Thompson and Smyth led the Canadians by crossing home plate three times each.
The Cs advanced to the final by downing the Kamloops River Dogs 13-4. Vernon jumped out to a 5-0 first-inning lead, only to have the bats go cold and the River Dogs pull to within a run. Brennan Braddick started a two-out rally with a double to centre in the fifth inning, and he scored on a Smyth single. Smyth then scored on a base hit by Reece Holmes. Vernon scored five more in the sixth and one in the seventh.
Hansen was solid behind the plate, catching a great game. Starting pitcher Johnson went five innings and only allowed six runs before turning the game over to closer Thompson, who finished off the Kamloops team, facing the final seven batters and allowing only one hit and no runs.
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