The Gibsons peewee Dodgers captured a provincial baseball title last weekend in Burnaby with a thrilling 7-6 win over the Aldergrove Braves.
With the Braves leading 6-5 in the bottom of the eighth inning, Jarred Bothwell started the inning with a single then stole second. James Bradwell laid down a perfect bunt and reached first safely. Then it was Tim Walters' turn to play the hero, as he crushed a ball to deep left centre that hit the top of the fence and drove in two runs to give the Dodgers the championship.
The final game was an epic battle, according to Dodgers head coach Eric Olsen, as it featured the only two undefeated teams at the tournament. Both teams left everything on the field and had the packed crowd jumping out of their seats on seemingly every play.
Facing a formidable Aldergrove pitching staff, the Dodgers countered with pitchers Luke Petreny and James and a solid defensive effort to keep the game close until the offence could get on track.
The Braves took an early 3-0 lead, but the Dodgers got one back in the bottom of the third when Ryan Babor drove in James and another run back in the fourth when Matt Olsen stole home on an over-throw to third.
In the fifth inning, Aldergrove added one more, but the Dodgers scored two runs on hits by Luke and Josh Mowbray, followed by an RBI by Terrance Josephson to tie the game.
After a scoreless sixth inning, Aldergrove took a one-run lead in the top of the seventh, but Callum Fallis hit a clutch single to right centre to score Matt in the Dodgers' seventh to tie the score. Aldergrove scored one in their at-bat in the extra inning, which then set the stage for the dramatic finish in Gibsons at-bat.
Entering the tournament as the top seed from the Lower Mainland Division, the Dodgers began play on Aug. 4 with a double header. Their first game was against the Duncan Devil Rays. Tim, Matt and Josh combined to pitch a two-hitter as Gibsons mercied the Devil Rays 12-2 in five innings.
The second game was a marathon battle against the Richmond Chuckers that started in bright sunshine and ended under the lights three and a half hours later.
In a back-and-forth, high-scoring game, the Dodgers found themselves trailing the Chuckers 10-9 going into the seventh. But singles by James and Ryan started things off, then Liam Rankin followed with a triple, Matt with a single, and Logan Nattall hit a home run, as the Dodgers scored five runs to win 14-11.
On Friday, the Ridge Meadows Royals provided the opposition and the Dodgers were engaged in a high-scoring affair that was close right until the last inning.
The offence was led by Logan who went two for three with a home run, Tim, two for two with a home run, Matt, four for four, and Josh, three for four as the Dodgers again scored five runs in the final inning to win 16-8.
Following the game, all the players entertained the spectators with a skills competition. Players from all 10 teams competed in four different skill events, and after combining the scores, the Dodgers were declared the overall winning team. Individual awards were also presented to Logan and Callum as the winning team in the home run derby (Logan as the individual winner), as well as Tim, Matt, Luke and Callum as the winning team in the around-the-horn competition.
On Saturday, the Dodgers played the Cloverdale Spurs in their final round robin game. Both teams entered the game undefeated, but it was the Dodgers who showed their superior pitching depth and offensive ability to come away with a well-deserved 9-5 win. Both Jordan and Terrance were terrific on the mound, recording three outs each on only seven pitches each. The offence was fueled by a six-run third inning that broke the game open.
Sunday saw the Dodgers face the Surrey Spartans in the morning semifinal game. The first inning had lots of offence from both teams with the Dodgers holding a 4-3 lead after one. In the second inning, Logan came on to pitch and proceeded to hold the Spartans to just two runs on two hits over the next five innings, while the Dodgers built a big lead. The offence was led by another home run by Logan, Josh and Ryan each going three for three, and Matt going three for four with two doubles as the Dodgers powered their way to a 13-5 win.
"This was a terrific season by a great group of young men who represented the Gibsons Minor Ball Association and the entire Sunshine Coast very well with great sportsmanship and class throughout the season," said coach Olsen.
