The Gibsons Jays lost their second game of the junior men's baseball season last Sunday to the Red Sox in a one-run, 10-inning game at Unwin Park in Newton.
For the second game in a row, the Jays outhit their opponents but came up short, losing 4-3. Walks and some key infield errors were the difference.
Stefan Reeves pitched an outstanding five innings for the Jays, giving up only one run and striking out five batters.
Zach Ruggles followed and pitched well, but Newton got back into the game with two runs. Brandon Elsdon pitched a strong ninth inning with two strikeouts, but in the 10th, three walks and a hit batter forced in the winning run.
Offensively, Tim Scarr led the way with three hits, Elsdon stretched a single into a double with some great hustle and base running, while in the field, Trevor Nicholson and Nick Pennington made some outstanding plays in the middle infield.
In the first inning, Gibsons suffered an untimely injury when catcher James Pomfret dislocated his shoulder, although he slid safe into home plate to give the team their second run.
Dave Moran came on to play a fine game behind the plate and hit a shot down the third base line for a single. James Duff, who was a call-up player from the Gibsons midget team, played a strong game and was on base all three times.
Coach Gary Pennington said midget players can play up to 12 games for the junior men's team and are a strong element of the team's formula for success this year.
Pennington said a major feature of the day was the dedication of the team name before the game.
"This name was chosen to honour the memory of Jay Pomfret, James' father and a strong supporter of sport on the Coast, who died suddenly last week," said Pennington. "We are very proud to be playing sport in the name of this fine man."
Pennington said the Jays can be very competitive in this elite level league, but it will require much more preparation and hard work on the part of all team members, particularly the pitching staff. He emphasizes that he is very impressed at the team attitude and level of play to date.
Next up for the Jays is a home date tomorrow (Saturday) against the Ridge Meadows Mudhens. First pitch is slated for 3:30 p.m. at Ryan Dempster Field in Gibsons.
Bantam boys
Ryan Dempster Field will be busy Saturday as the Gibsons bantam boys team starts the day with a double header.
First up is the Richmond Braves at 11 a.m. followed by the Richmond Red Sox at 2 p.m., then the Junior Jays game against Ridge Meadows followed by an alumni league game at 6:30 p.m.
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