Ladner baseball talent helped the Langley Blaze and North Delta Blue Jays win their respective provincial championships over the B.C. Day Weekend.
The North Delta Blue Jays capped a perfect run in Nanaimo with a 3-1 triumph over Langley to capture the B.C. Junior Premier Baseball League title.
The Jays roster features Shoma Sasaki and Jordy Cunningham, while the team is coached by Gerry White - one of the most successful mentors in the history of Ladner Minor Baseball.
It was Sasaki's second straight B.C. title after playing a leading role in the Vancouver Mounties' run to the provincial Bantam "AAA" crown a year earlier. The centre fielder batted lead-off for North Delta and went 2-for-3 in the final with a run.
The Blue Jays defeated Abbotsford 5-3 in the semifinals after capturing their round-robin group with earlier wins over North Shore (7-5), Victoria (10-5) and Coquitlam (4-1).
Cunningham was the winning pitcher against Coquitlam, surrendering just one run and striking out two in four innings of work.
The final featured the top two teams in the regular season with Langley (41-7) edging out North Delta (3612) for first place.
Meanwhile, Toronto Blue Jays draft pick Tom Robson helped the Langley Blaze win the B.C. Premier Baseball League title at the Final Four Championships at Nat Bailey Stadium.
The right-handed pitcher saw limited but effective duty as the Blaze proved they are the class of the league. Langley finished with just a 25-23 regular season record but had been docked 12 wins for using ineligible players.
A key 2-0 opening win over regular season champion Nanaimo provided momentum. Robson picked up the save in that game.
