Morning Star Staff
Nicholas Hawthorne struck out five of the last six batters he faced as the Vernon Vipers posted a 6-5 Pee Wee baseball win over Vernon #8 Wednesday night at Creekside Park.
Hawthorne also recorded a gorgeous pick-off at second base for the final out.
Jaeden Rossner started on the Viper hill and shut down Vernon #8 in the first inning with outfielders Blake McPherson and birthday boy Ryland Crosswell making sweet catches.
Hawthorne drove in Rossner and then swiped home for a 2-0 lead after one inning.
Vernon #8 answered with two runs in the second inning, posting a nice double-play.
Crosswell marked his 12th birthday by pitching the three middle innings. Braden Schiegelt and Levi Orchard showed some heads-up base stealing and the Vipers went ahead 6-5 in the bottom of the fifth.
In Tuesday night Mosquito action, the Rotary Blue Jays came from behind in bottom of the sixth to outlast Browns Badgers 14-13 at Lakeview Park.
Riley Cormier started off the sixth with a single and stole home for the tying run. Luke Gardiner hit Jaden Anderson home for the winning run.
Ty Preston walked three times and scored twice, while Tex Turnbull also scored twice to boost the Badgers.
Nolan Blaeser of the Badgers had a solid game blocking balls behind the plate for the last three innings. He was 2-for-3 with a double. Theo VanWyk pitched the final two innings, fanning three batters and was 3-for-3 with the stick.
Jamie Campbell had a double in the third to spark a four-run inning by the Jays. Adam Hansen struck out two and was helped by a solid defensive play by Logan Killingbeck to shut out the Badgers in the open sixth inning.
Oregon product new coach of Falcons
Bryan Donohue will hit the ground running in his first season as field manager of the Kelowna Falcons.
While the 32-year-old from Gresham, Oregon is new to Kelowna, the West Coast League club isn’t entirely unknown to Donohue.
He played, coached and has built a friendship over the years with former Falcons’ head man Billy Clontz, who has provided Donohue with some invaluable knowledge heading into his first head coaching assignment in the WCL.
“Knowing Billy was huge, having someone you trust was monstrous for me,” said Donohue, who also coaches at Mt. Hood Community College in Oregon.
Donohue and his new crew of Falcons open the 2016 WCL season tonight at Elks Stadium against the Bellingham Bells. Featuring free admission, game time is 6:35 p.m.
Donohue inherits from Clontz a program that is coming off the best season franchise history. Kelowna won the Eastern Division title and advanced to the WCL championship for the first time last August.