It was a game to remember, with leads, lapses, and comebacks that defied the normal pace of baseball, but in the end, with a playoff berth on the line, the Trail All Stars stayed alive by beating Forest Hills 15-11 Tuesday night at the B.C. Little League championship at Andy Bilesky Park.
The two teams were winless going into the game, and Forest Hills grabbed an early advantage in the third inning loading the bases and scoring the first run of the game on a passed ball. Ethan-Nelson Hunt then stepped up to bat and knocked a three-run home run out of the park to make it 4-0.
Forest Hills added an “insurance” run in the top of three to make it 5-0, when Trail stormed back. Trevor Vancamp’s lead off double set the tone as Ross St. Jean walked, and Brendan Makay came up and parked a two-strike pitch over the fence to make it 5-3. Kian Johnston followed that up with single and Quin Hall hit a two-run bullet out of Bilesky to tie it at 5-5.
But Forest Hills wasn’t done either. They bounced back in the fourth inning scoring three runs to retake an 8-5 lead.
Cue yet another Trail comeback. The host team exploded for nine runs in the bottom of the fourth inning highlighted by a Derek Green three-run bomb that shook the trees half way up the mountain.
Forest Hills would still not go gentle into that good night, as they scored three more runs in the bottom of the sixth thanks to a two-run blast by Riley Shanks. However, the host team would end it in style as they turned a double play to douse the Hills rally.
Trevor Vancamp had a great game going 4-for-4 with two doubles, while Hall was also perfect at the plate going 3-for-3 with two homers and three RBIs. Makay leads the Trail team in hitting, .667, thanks to a 3-for-4 night, with a home run and four RBIs.
Hastings 19 Dunbar 4
After losing to White Rock Tuesday, Hastings was not in a good mood and the Vancouver/Burnaby squad took out their frustrations on Dunbar with an 19-4 pasting on Wednesday.
Steve Moretto led the charge going 4-for-4 at the plate with two home runs and five RBIs.
Moretto leads the round robin in hitting with an incredible .857 average, going 12-for-14, including three doubles, a triple, and four home runs to go along with 15 ribbies.
Kolby Buljevic also homered and doubled for Hastings, while Will Andrews hit a two-run home run for Dunbar.
Forest Hills 10vsWhite Rock 8
District 5 Forest Hills shocked undefeated White Rock in its final game of the B.C. championships Wednesday by holding onto a 10-8 win.
Forest Hills went out on a high note as the previously winless team built up a 4-2 lead in the top of the third inning, and manufactured two runs in each of the final three to outlast a White Rock team that already secured top seed in the playoffs.
Leading 8-5 in the top of the sixth inning, the Hills’ Riley Stephen and Riley Shanks hit back-to-back home runs to put the Hill up 10-5.
The runs proved crucial as White Rock would score three more on back-to-back jacks by Nolan Webster and Kallaghan Collet to make it close.
White Rock is seeded first with a 3-1 record by virtue of its win over Hastings also at 3-1. Dunbar is third and either Trail or Beacon Hill fourth.
The first playoff game goes at noon on Friday, followed by a 3:30 p.m. semifinal. The championship game goes at noon on Saturday.