MIDGET ROYALS WIN PROVINCIAL CHAMPIONSHIP!!!
Posted July 27, 2015
This past weekend, the Ridge Meadows Midget AAA Royals capped off an amazing season by winning the 2015 Provincial Championship in Nanaimo, going a perfect 6-0 on the weekend. This marks the team's 2nd title in the past 5 years they have fielded a team, and 3rd in the past 9 years.
The tournament opened up on Thursday with a pair of games for the Royals. In the first game, they took on the 8th place South Fraser Giants. Seth Injates got the start on the mound and did not allow a run through 4.1 innings. The Royals bats pounded out 11 runs in 5 innings, leading to an 11-1 win in a 5-inning mercy. Nick Peters led the offence, going 3-3 with 2 doubles and 4 runs batted in. Injates (2-4, triple, RBI), Domenic Baptista (1-1, double, 3 RBI), and Tristan Reed (2-3, double, 2 runs, RBI) also chipped in with the bats. Trevor Biggin recorded the final two outs of the game in relief.
In the second game of the day, the Royals faced off against the host team, and 6th seed, Nanaimo Buccaneers. Trevor Reed dominated on the mound for the Royals, throwing a complete game shutout while allowing only 2 hits en route to a 3-0 win. Tristan Reed (2-3, double, RBI), Baptista (1-3, double, RBI), and Colton Beard (1-2, RBI), all swung the bat well in the win.
On Friday the Royals' lone game was against the 4th place Richmond Chuckers, who entered the game with an 0-2 record and needing a win to stay alive in the tournament. Chris Bailey got the start and continued a trend of dominant Royals' pitching, as he allowed only 2 hits while striking out 7 in 6.2 innings, leading the Royals to a 6-0 win. Beard had a great game at the plate, going 3-4 with a double and 3 runs batted in. Other offensive catalysts included Kyron Smith (1-2, 2 walks, 2 runs, 2 stolen bases), Peters (), and Tristan Reed ().
Despite their 3-0 record, the Royals entered the last game of the round robin on Saturday against the Tri-City Indians have not clinched a spot in the semi-finals. The Royals played their worst game of the tournament, but still managed to grind out a 2-1 win in 9 innings. Baptista got the start for the Royals and pitched a complete game allowing just a single run on 4 hits while striking out 9. Brayden Slaughter went 2-4, while Santiago Torres was 1-3 with a stolen base. Trevor Reed went 2-4 with a double and recorded a walk-off single in the bottom of the 9th.
Having completed the round robin with a perfec 4-0 record, the Royals won Pool A and advanced to the semi-final to take on the 2nd place team from Pool B. This ended up being the Chilliwack Cougars, who finished second in league play, a full 9 games behind the Royals. Seth Injates, in his second start of the tournament, got the call on the bump for the Royals in the semi-final. The game got off to a rough start for the Royals, as they allowed 3 runs in the top of the 1st inning. However, as they have done all season long, the Royals bounced right back by scoring 2 in the bottom half of the inning to get within a run. Chilliwack scored again in the top of the 2nd inning, but the Royals again countered with a pair to tie the game at 4-4 after 2 complete innings. From there, Injates locked down the Cougars' bats, not allowing any more runs, while the offence continued to score to lead the Royals to a 9-4 win and a birth in the Provincial Championship game. Injates threw a complete game, allowing 4 runs (3 earned) on 6 hits while striking out 8. As usual, the offense was led by a number of players, including Baptista (2-3, RBI, run), Smith (2-4, 3 RBI, 2 runs, stolen base), Trevor Reed (2-3, 2 runs), and Trevor Biggin (2-4, 2 runs).
After the Kamloops Riverdogs defeated the Nanaimo Buccaneers in the other semi-final, the stage was set for a championship game between two of the most successful teams in the league over the past decade. The final game lived up to the hype as a tightly-contest, well-played game between two great teams. The game remained scoreless through the first 3 innings, until the Riverdogs pushed a run across in the 4th off Royals starter Bailey. The Royals answered right back with a run of their own in the bottom half of the inning on a sacrifice fly by Baptista. Neither team scored in the 5th, but in the bottom of the 6th the Royals managed to go ahead on another sacrifice fly, this time by Peters. Trevor Reed, who came on in relief of Bailey in the 6th inning, recorded the first two outs of the 7th, but then allowed a single and a walk to give Kamloops an opportunity to tie the game. Reed fell behind the clean-up hitter 2-0 before battling back to even the count. After three consecutive foul balls, Reed struck him out with a curveball to clinch the Provincial title.
The Royals completed a remarkable tournament, scoring 33 runs while allowing only 7 in 6 games. Tristan Reed was named the tournament's Top Hitter, while Nick Peters was given the Top Outfielder award. The Royals will now travel to Fremont California on Wednesday to take part in the CABA West National Championships.
