The Gibsons Cubs capped off a midget AA season to remember, winning their interlock league championship at the Ryan Dempster field against the Cloverdale Cardinals.
Both teams pitched well and played solid defence on a wet field with the Cubs prevailing 5-1 victory.
David Diether pitched the first five innings, and although the Cardinals got many runners on base, key defensive plays by star shortstop James Duff and catcher Evan Murphy limited the visitors to just a single run. Chris Hanchar came in to pitch the last two innings and preserve the win.
Two keys hits by Danny Beyers, one a screaming line drive into the left field corner, provided most of the offence.
A display of great sportsmanship was shown at the conclusion of the game when trophies were presented and Cubs coach Drew Murphy and the Cardinals coach thanked players and fans for their support.
Overall, the Cubs finished the season with a staggering 30-1 record, with the lone loss coming late in the season to their arch-rivals from Sechelt.
The season included a tournament championship in Newton during the May long weekend and during regular season play, the Cubs dominated with many lopsided victories, but the playoffs were a different story.
Although the Cubs' run totals were down in their six playoff wins, again it was the pitching and defence that made the difference in most games.
In the semifinal against the Cloverdale Spurs, lefty ace Thomas Scarr pitched a seven-inning complete game, allowing just a single run.
At the plate, James, Danny and Evan contributed the RBIs that were needed in the 9-1 win.
In the four round robin games leading into the final two games, the Cubs won three of the four games by two runs or less.
The Cubs got things rolling with a 14-2 drubbing of Newton on June 12, highlighted by a rare triple play initiated by a fine catch in centre field by Jason Chung that sealed the win.
On June 13, Gibsons beat Cloverdale 7-5, paced by four strong innings from Thomas and strong relief pitching by Malcolm Leinberger.
On June 17, in the best game of the season, the Cubs prevailed against a determined Sechelt squad when David Diether hit a hot smash to centre to drive in Evan with the winning run in the eighth inning.
A gutsy effort by Malcolm in relief in the final three innings against yet another Cloverdale team on June 19 was the key as the Cubs held on for a 4-2 victory.
With the midget house league championship now in the rear view mirror, the Cubs are looking ahead to the summer all-star season and a trip to the provincial championships in Prince George at the end of July. Brian Scarr and Dave Diether will be coaching the team, while Murphy heads off to Europe for the summer, taking star catcher Evan with him.
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