Team BC (Midget Royals) Go 2-2 in California
Posted August 5, 2015
After winning the Provincial Championship in Nanaimo, the Midget Royals became Team BC and traveled to Fremont California to take part in the CABA West National Championship tournament.
Team BC opened the tournament with a pair of games last Friday. In the opener, they took on Vallejo Babe Ruth. Seth Injates got the start and went 5 innings allowing only 1 run on 3 hits while striking out 3 to pick up the win in a 9-1 victory. Domenic Baptista went 2-3 with a triple and 2 runs batted in. Trevor Biggin also had a solid game at the dish, going 3-3 with a triple and a run batted in. Pick-up Nate Doleman, from Nanaimo, chipped in with a double and 2 runs batted in. In the second game of the day, Team BC took on the Thundersox. Trevor Reed got the call on the bump, and was solid throughout the game, which remained scoreless through 6 innings. In the 7th, Team BC's defence let them down, which led to 5 unearned runs for the Thundersox. They were able to bounce back in the bottom half of the inning, getting within a run and having the tying run in scoring position, but were unable to push it across and ended up losing by a score of 5-4. Reed's line finished with 6.2 innings pitched, 5 hits allowed, and 8 strikeouts. Nick Peters led the way offensively with a double and 2 runs batted in. Brayden Slaughter (1-3, RBI) and Tristan Reed (2 walks, run) also chipped in.
On Saturday Team BC took on B.A.T., knowing that a win would secure a spot in the playoff round. However, they managed only 2 hits against a strong team and wound up on the short end of an 8-0 score. With that result, they had to wait until the round robin portion of the tournament was completed later that day to determine whether or not they would qualify for the playoff round. With results not going their way, Team BC ended up playing in a consolation game.
On Sunday morning the Midget Royals (now Team BC) played their 91st and final game of the season. In a fitting end, they mercied the Fremont Eagles 9-0 in 5 innings. Pick-up Bryant Jameus, from Kamloops, threw a no-hitter to pick up the win. The victory evened Team BC's record in California at 2-2. Trevor Biggin was named Team BC's player of the tournament, finishing 5-9 with a double, a triple, 2 runs scored, and 3 runs batted in.
Unfortunately, the tournament itself was very poorly run and took place on a field that wasn't fit to hold a game of stick ball. There were only 7 teams in the tournament, meaning that a completely unbalanced schedule led to a crapshoot as to who qualified for the playoff round. There was no tournament director to be seen, no scorekeepers, and an overall poor atmosphere for baseball. It is unfortunate that such a great season had to end on such a bad not.
Nevertheless, the trip itself had some high points, including a trip in to San Francisco and attending an MLB game in Oakland between the Athletics and the Cleveland Indians.
