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Padres win Senior AA provincial title

South Delta squad has perfect 5-0 weekend
Staff Writer
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The South Delta Padres went 5-0 over the Labour Day long weekend to capture the 2023 Baseball BC Senior AA Provincial Championship. Photo contributed

The 2023 Baseball BC Senior AA Provincial Championship concluded Monday afternoon (Sept. 4) in Maple Ridge with the South Delta Padres completing a perfect 5-0 weekend, to win gold with a 13-8 win over the defending champion Poco Blue Jays.

The Padres opened the round robin with a 19-3 win over the Poco Phillies before sneaking past the Vancouver Gunners (VRBL) 2-1.

A 3-0 win over the South Delta Brewers (BC Minor) in its final round robin game gave the Padres a direct berth into the semifinals.

Championship Monday began with a marathon as the eventual champion Padres outlasted the Brewers 5-4 in 10 innings.

The Padres battled back down a run twice to extend the game before plating the winning run in the 10th.

The Blue Jays got revenge for an opening night loss to the Kelowna Pirates in the other semifinal, cruising to an 11-1 win.

In the final, South Delta rallied early, hammering three home runs in the second inning to take a 5-1 lead.

After the Padres tacked on six more runs in the third, the Blue Jays chipped away with five runs over the next two innings to keep it a game. As it did all tournament, the South Delta defense stepped up in big moments with a double play to stall a Poco rally in the sixth before shutting the door in the seventh.

The Padres became the fourth different team from the fourth different league to win the Senior AA Provincial title, in the event’s four-year history.

Timely hitting, clutch defense and gritty pitching allowed South Delta to manage their way to the bye and then ultimately the championship. The Padres will look to rally around each other again this Sunday Sept. 10th as they face-off vs the Vancouver Mounties in the LMBA semifinal (4 p.m. at Latrace Field).

The Padres will also represent BC at next year’s Western Canadian Championships expected to be held in Tsawwassen.

The Padres roster includes: Andrew Gillon, Christian Jolley, Colin Hutchison, Damon Hutchings, Evan Douglas, Jackson Gooch, Keegan Lott, Kyle Dhanani, Matteo Manzi, Nick Fry, Nick Loney, Scott Nevison, Tori Malinoski, Ryan Buchanan and Matt Paculan.