Ladner Red Sox capped a perfect summer of all-star baseball by capturing the Bantam "A" provincial championship in Kamloops.
The Red Sox headed to the Interior City as the number one seed and the team to beat after going undefeated in qualifying play.
The momentum continued in Kamloops where Ladner had to overcome its opponents and sizzling daily temperatures.
The bats were swinging and connecting right out of the gate as the locals defeated Burnaby 17-7, in a game that was closer than the final score indicated.
Game two featured a rematch of the Diane Cook Tournament back in Newton two months earlier as Ladner squared off against the Cloverdale Spurs.
Both teams displayed excellent pitching and defence as the game went to extra innings tied at 1-1. Ladner erupted for four runs in the top of the eighth inning and held on for a 5-1 victory.
After strong pitching and hitting produced a 10-0 win over Vernon, Ladner closed out round-robin play against number three seed Ridge Meadows. The well-played game saw the lead change hands on a number of occasions before the Red Sox pulled away for a 7-5 victory.
The undefeated locals moved onto the semi-finals where they were matched up against host Kamloops.
It proved to be a tight struggle from the opening pitch until the Ladner bats came through with enough timely hits to win 5-0.
The championship game was a rematch against Cloverdale who were looking to avenge their only loss of the tournament.
The Spurs had played an extra inning game earlier in the day and was short on pitchers for the final. Ladner took advantage and scored early and often on route to a decisive 11-1 victory.
Throughout the season, the Red Sox displayed good skill, matched with enthusiasm and a hard work ethic.
The roster featured Drake Carruthers, Greg Scott, Gord Cooper, Mackenzie Falk, Justin Mackenzie, Ethan Silvey, Tyler Andrews, Thomas Costin, Jared Krueger, Will Robinson, Matteo Corea, Jackson Goodman, Jordan Dawson and Daelen Magcalas.
The team was coached by Brian Yamasaki, Trevor Falk, Jon Andrews and Ray Beisick.
