Brendan Bergen put his name in the Okanagan Spring Baseball League record book.
Bergen hit the first home run in league history Sunday, June 23, a no-doubt shot to left-centre field to cap another weekend of action at Marshall Field.
Bergen’s jack paced the offence for the Okanagan Spring Brewers as they jumped out to an early 4-0 lead over the Pabst Blue Ribbons. However the Ribbons would respond, with Jamie Zoethout and Jason Webster each driving in runs to power a six-run third inning. Kristian Currie hit an RBI triple to put the Brewers up 7-6 in the fifth, but Anderson responded in the bottom half with a 2-run single to leapfrog the Ribbons ahead. Ashton Kodiak would come on in relief and shut down the Brewers the rest of the way, to seal the 8-7 win for the Blue Ribbons.
Earlier Friday, the Blue Ribbons set the table for an undefeated weekend with a 7-2 win over the Sleeman Pirates. Jason Nazar pitched a complete game, allowing no earned runs while striking out five, and Al Rutherford had a 3-for-3 day with three RBIs to drive the offence. The Pirates’ Doug Weaving went 4-for-4, but was left stranded each time.
The Blue Ribbons and Pirates played a rematch Sunday morning, with the Ribbons coming out on top once again 8-4. Jesse Clifford reached three times and scored twice for the Pirates, but a four-run third inning propelled the Ribons to victory. Pete Ortman had two hits and two runs scored, while Geoff Cleaveley and Derek Dallorto both reached and scored.
Rounding out the weekend action, the Brewers beat the Pirates Saturday in wild and wacky fashion, holding on for a 17-15 victory. Stu Cleland reached base six times and drove in four runs for the Brewers, Rob Chittick crossed the plate four times, and Shelby Hartwig had three hits and twp RBIS.
The Pirates responded to multiple large deficits, making for a close game in the end on the back of Nick Jacob’s two extra base hits and three runs, another 4-for-4 day from Weaving, and Rodger Sewell tripling and reaching base multiple times.
On the weekend of June 8-9, Anderson pitched five effective innings as the Blue Ribbons held off the Brewers 7-1. Despite plenty of hard contact, Anderson allowed only three hits and one run as the Brewers struggled to find gaps in the defence.
The Blue Ribbons broke the game open with a five-run fourth inning, featuring hits from Jamie Zoethout, Cleaveley, and Derek Dallorto. Taylor Blackburn would score the only Brewers run on a Rob Chittick sac fly, while Currie went 3-for-4.
The Brewers’ offensive woes continued against the Pirates, who ran away with a 10-0 victory to wrap up the weekend. The Pirates’ Jesse Clifford made a plethora of sensational catches in left field, including a running over-the-shoulder grab at the fence to rob Bergen of what would have been an RBI triple. Mike Patitucci took the help from his defence and kept the Brewers quiet the rest of the way, throwing another complete game shutout to add to his collection. Sewell, Jonathan Graham, and Matt Patitucci all reached base multiple times as the run support came easily. Eric Marceau went 2-for-3 for the Brewers on an otherwise quiet day at the plate.
The OSBL hosted its annual Home Run Derby at Creekside Park on June 29, with the final push for the playoffs in the weeks following. Anyone who doesn’t want to miss out on the excitement of playing baseball should contact vernonmensbaseball@hotmail.com.
roger@vernonmorningstar.com
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