The Vernon Kal Tire Canadians were semifinalists at the John Main Pee Wee Baseball Classic last weekend at Kensington Park in Burnaby.
The C’s fell 17-7 to the powerhouse White Rock Blues in the semis.
White Rock went up 9-0 after one inning, but Vernon showed some life in the fourth when they pushed across five runs on three hits. Dawson Chase hammered a grand slam with Jarod Leroux, Colton Schaper-Kotter and Nick Cherkowski on base.
Caden Doyle chipped in with a pair of hits and Issac Olson and Powell Connor each had one. Game MVP went to Carter Morris, who pitched the final two innings, giving up a pair of runs on four hits.
The tire crew opened the 16-team tourney with a 17-7 spanking of Richmond. Cherkowski, Chase and Schaper-Kotter shared pitching duties, while at the plate, Doyle, Jaden Parsons and game MVP Chase each contributed two hits.
Game MVP Caden Bracken tossed four solid innings as the Canadians ambushed the Surrey Sabres 8-3. Schaper-Kotter struck out five batters and allowed no runs in three innings of relief.
Bracken hit 3-for-3 and Cherkowski was 2-for-3.
Needing a win to advance to the semis, and trailing by three runs in the final inning, Doyle cranked a grand slam over centre field with two out as Vernon upended the Vancouver Mounties 8-7.
Doyle, an easy choice for game MVP, also pitched two innings, allowing one run on one hit after Schaper-Kotter had given up five runs on six hits over three innings. Leroux was on the mound for the final two innings.
