The B.C. Little League Minor Baseball championship is in full swing, as theTrail 9-10 Orioles emerged from its first two games with a 1-1 record.
After falling to the Hastings All Stars 12-7 on Sunday, the Orioles rebounded to take down Beacon Hill 20-13 to even their record in tournament play.
“We’re happy,” said coach Jim Maniago. “We can do better, but we’re 1-1 which is what we were hoping to be after our first two games.”
The Orioles faced an always tough Hastings team to open the tournament, and were down 10-1 in the top of four, before cutting the lead to 10-7 with three runs in the bottom of the fourth and fifth innings. However, Hastings would close it out in the sixth scoring a pair of runs in the top half, before pitcher Nicola Barba took care of the rest getting a pop-up from Bryce Sookro then striking out the final two Trail batters for the win. Catcher Niko Sigur went 2-for-3 at the plate with a triple and an RBI, while Stefano Dal Sasso was 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs. Darren Issel was 1-for-2 for Trail with an RBI, and Brayden DeWitt went 1-for-2 with two RBIs and a walk, while Bryce Sookro tripled and scored two runs for the host team.
In Trail’s second match on Sunday, the Orioles were up 13-1 in the top of the fourth, but Beacon Hill rallied scoring six in the fourth and seven in the fifth to take a 14-13 lead.
“We had a great start, but the wheels kind of fell off, so hopefully we can learn from that a little bit.”
The Orioles were one out away from calling it due to the 10-run rule in the fourth but a throwing error on a routine ground ball cost them, as Beacon Hill found new life, cutting the lead to 13-8, before surging in front with a six run inning in the top of the fifth.
However, Trail would collect themselves in the bottom half of the inning, reclaiming the lead when Issel smacked a double to plate Will Doerkson in what would prove to be the winning run, as Trail added five more to make it a 20-14 final.
“That was the good news, is that we did bounce back,” said Maniago. “We came back and hit the ball and got it done. And that’s what I said to the kids, ‘At the end of the day we won, and that’s what we wanted to do.’ We’re hoping the runs against won’t hurt us but if we can just take care of business the next couple days, it will be fine.”
Issel wielded a hot bat for the Oriole All Stars hitting a two-run bomb in the bottom of the third inning and a game winning double in the fifth while going 2-for-4 with three RBIs, a walk, and three runs scored. Sookro, Sam McLaren, Connor Stainer and Doerkson all went 2-for-3 at the plate with McLaren smacking a pair of doubles, scoring twice, and netting three RBIs. Doerkson also doubled and knocked in three runs, while Sookro had two stolen bases and an RBI, and Stainer a stolen base and two ribbies.
Beacon Hill’s Hendriks Polis-Bissoon went 2-for-3 at the plate, scoring three times with a double and a walk.
In other Little League action on Saturday, White Rock beat Highlands 13-1, and Beacon Hill downed Dunbar 10-9, while Sunday’s games saw Highlands defeat Dunbar 17-3 and Hastings thump White Rock 14-6.
In Monday’s early matches Hastings beat Dunbar 13-2, and Highlands rocked Beacon Hill 12-2.
Trail played White Rock Monday at 5:30 p.m. but the score was unavailable at press time. Games go all day at Andy Bilesky Park today with Beacon Hill playing Hastings at 10:30 a.m., White Rock versus Dunbar at 2 p.m. and the Orioles playing the Highlands All Stars in the evening match at 5:30 p.m.