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Vernon Canadians bag baseball bronze

C’s defeat Nanaimo at B.C. 11U finals in Cloverdale; Vernon, Salmon Arm advance to 15U provincials

The Vernon Canadians are returning from the B.C.U11 Mosquito Division Baseball Championships in Cloverdale with medals around their necks.

After beating West Kelowna, Penticton and Salmon Arm at home in the zone championships last weekend, the Canadians claimed bronze at the provincials Sunday, July 31, with a win over the Nanaimo Pirates.

The team arrived in Cloverdale on Thursday evening where they participated in the tournament’s opening ceremonies.

In their first game of the provincials, Vernon tied Prince George 6-6 Friday morning, then fell 8-6 to Ladner Friday afternoon.

Friday morning they tied Prince George 6-6.

Friday afternoon they lost to the undefeated team from Ladner but it was a close one with a final score of 8-6.

On Saturday morning, the C’s battled Vancouver Island’s Campbell River to a 9-9 draw, then, in the sweltering heat against Abbotsford, Vernon came alive and beat the Fraser Valley squad 9-3. The Canadians had strong pitching performances from Beckett Kibblewhite and Emmett Davis, and strong efforts from all players as they played amazing defence.

Vernon’s 1-1-2 record was good for a semifinal spot Sunday morning, where they lost to North Delta.

This weekend wraps up their summer season. The team sends out a huge thank you to coach Jerry Mazu, coach Jeff de Vries, coach Tom Belanger and manager Terista Mazu.

“The baseball community is so fortunate to have these volunteers on board,” wrote the team. “Not only did they advance the skill of this group of boys immensely in a short six weeks, but they always reminded them the importance of having fun while always keeping a positive attitude on and off the field.”

The Canadians roster includes:

Kashius Belanger; Emmett Bengtson; Emmett Davis; Easton de Groot; Preston de Vries; Odin Engleheart; Beckett Kibblewhite; Cooper Krause; Von Lee; Liam Locke; Keagan Mazu; Blake Sakakibara; Blake Vandenbrand; Coach Jerry Mazu; Coach Jeff de Vries; Coach Tom Belanger; Manager Terista Mazu.

15U

The Vernon Canadians and Salmon Arm Hornets punched their tickets to the B.C. 15U baseball championships starting Wednesday in Pitt Meadows.

The two met in the Zone Championship final Sunday morning, July 31, at Vernon’s Marshall Fields with the C’s coming out on top 14-4.

The win gives Vernon a higher seeding over Salmon Arm at the provincials.

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roger@vernonmorningstar.com

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Roger Knox

About the Author: Roger Knox

I am a journalist with more than 30 years of experience in the industry. I started my career in radio and have spent the last 21 years working with Black Press Media.
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