The Interior Utility Management Yellow Jackets used a four-run fifth inning Wednesday night to stop the Fraternal Order of Eagles Black Knights 9-5 and claim the best-of-three Vernon Pee Wee baseball playoff final series in straight games at Creekside Park.
Eric Foufoulas and Matthew Hansen each pitched one solid inning for the Jackets, with Powell Connor going the next two and his brother Lincoln Connor closing.
For the Black Sox, Jackson Soucy pitched well in the first inning and then gave the ball to Shaun Huzinga for the next two innings.
Hansen drilled a liner near the fence for a double and Izaac Lowe hit him home on a double to right. Jackets’ shortstop Ethan Eisenhauer made a nifty double play in the third, tracking a pop up and gunning out a runner who was trying to tag up at first. Brayden Beacom was steady at shortstop and third base.
Foufoulas sparkled behind the plate, throwing out a runner at third in the fourth inning. Jacob Soucy did the same in the first.
Both teams played well defensively to keep the score low through the first few innings. The difference came in the fifth when Lowe, Emily Wilson and James Eustache all had hits with two outs as the Jackets pushed across four runs. Lincoln Connor finished 2-for-4.
The Jackets grounded the Black Knights 13-6 in the series opener Monday night at Creekside.
Eustache delivered a two-out, two-run single in the bottom of the first for the Jackets, bringing in Darryl Bloor and Powell Connor, who had each walked.
Bloor singled and drove in two runs in the second inning.
Hansen pitched the first two innings, allowing three runs while striking out one. Powell Connor, for the Jackets, and Maguire Lauridsen, for the Knights, each fanned two batters in the third.
Connor mowed down a pair in the fourth before giving the ball to Lincoln Connor. Lauridsen recorded two marvellous defensive plays at third.
The Yellow Jackets dusted off the Sun Valley Source For Sports Royals 8-4 in Game 3 of the semifinal series Saturday at Creekside.
Kalvin Blaeser of the Jackets struck out two and ran down a bunt and threw to first for another out in the first inning. Blaeser knocked in Foufoulas with an infield grounder, and Powell Connor swiped home in the same inning.
Hansen pitched the fourth and fanned one and snagged a line drive to the mound. Foufoulas scored on an error, Hansen knocked in Lincoln Connor, and Blaeser came home on an error in the fourth.
Dalton Stenberg and Landen Harison pitched well as the Royals outlasted the Jackets 9-8 to even the series earlier Saturday.
Powell Connor pocketed two RBI, while Lowe singled, moved to third on Bloor’s single and swiped home to pace the Jackets. Lincoln Connor doubled to right, scoring Wilson and Eustache.
Red Sox shade Blue Jays
The Best Western Red Sox outlasted the Five Star Awards Blue Jays 13-12 in the Mosquito final Wednesday night at Lakeview Park.
The Red Sox evened the series at a game apiece by clipping the Jays 5-4 Tuesday night.
It all came down to the final open inning Wednesday with Sawyer Bliss driving in the tying run with a single, and the Sox getting the winning run on a steal.
Blue Jays’ ace Jace Weir held the Sox to two no-hit innings, making it 4-0 Jays after two. The Sox put up three runs in the bottom of the third with slugging lefty Ryan Vandesande smacking a two-run double.
The teams traded runs in the fourth and fifth innings and the Sox went into the open inning down by a pair.
Vandesande pitched for the Sox, who also got clutch hits from Michael Wende, Teja Sheldrake, Gordon Harmon and Bliss. Justin Joe coached the Sox.
Weir, Nathan Thompson, Damon Cover and Quinn MacAulay had strong at bats for the Jays, coached by Marlon Schaper-Kotter and Neil Thompson.
In Game 2, Jack Tolpinrud and Bliss were defensive standouts for the Sox with Sapien Joe taking the win and striking out three of the Jays’ top hitters, on only 15 pitches, in the last inning.
Bliss and Vandesande also pitched for the Sox, while Michael Preston, Nolan Stein and Kassidy Schaper-Kotter handled the hill for the Jays.
C’s swing into summer
The Kal Tire Pee Wee AA Canadians open their summer season tonight against the Richmond Pirates in the Kamloops Invitational.
The C’s went 3-1 in the Okanagan spring league playoffs last weekend in West Kelowna, losing 6-0 to the Kelowna Reds in the final.
Jaden Parsons went 2-for-3, while Colton Schaper-Kotter ripped a single off the right centre field fence.
Vernon’s Dawson Chase started on the mound, giving up one run on two hits while fanning four. Nick Cherkowski went the final three innings, allowing five runs on nine hits.
Earlier, the C’s drilled the West Kelowna Diamondbacks 13-2, blasted the Rutland Blues 20-8 and grounded the Kamloops River Dogs 15-5.
Cherkowski and Zach Orchard pitched against the D-Backs, while Isaac Olson, Caden Doyle and Carter Morris manned the hill against the Blues. Cherkowski was 4-for-4, while Jarod Leroux was 3-for-4 versus Rutland.
Schaper-Kotter and Leroux pitched versus Kamloops with Morris supplying three hits. The C’s, coached by Rick Leroux, are 30-10-1.
Canadians runners-up in Rutland
The Vernon Sun Dial Lighting Canadians, coached by Darren Zupp and Doug Hartwig, finished the 10-team Rutland Bantam tournament tied for second.
The C’s finished by posting a 12-2 win over Kelowna #2 with Tyler Lacktin-Doyle pitching and taking MVP. Dylan Cleland got on base three times, scored three runs and had an RBI, while Matthew Eso was 3-for-3 with an RBI. Brenden Zupp was 2-for-3 with two ribbies and Kristian Currie also supplied two hits.
Sun Dial opened play by ripping Rutland #1 8-2 with Zupp reaching base four times, including a double, RBI and two stolen bases. Rodger Sewell was on base three times and pitched a stellar game for MVP, while Currie was 2-for-4 with two RBI and Keenan Joly was magic in relief
In Game 2, Sun Dial lost 8-5 to Rutland #2 with Ryan Cunningham driving in two runs and Sewell and Zupp each collecting two hits. Joly was MVP.
Currie pitched a fabulous game until he maxed out on pitches to earn MVP as Vernon fell 5-4 to Kelowna #1. Zupp provided two hits and two runs, while Eso drove in a pair.
