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Campbell River Tyees break Vernon Canadians’ hearts

Island team scores 6-3 extra-inning win in B.C. 11U AAA Baseball semifinal at Vernon
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Morgan Hackman of the Vernon Canadians collides with Hunter Auramenko of the Campbell River Tyees at home plate in the in BC U11 AAA baseball Provincial Championship semifinalSunday at Lakeview Park. The Tyees doubled the Canadians 6-3 in eight innings. (Lisa Mazurek/Morning Star)

The Campbell River Tyees know a little Cale is good for you.

The Vernon Canadians would prefer not to hear the word again for quite some time.

Cale Livingston hit a two-out, three-run home run in the top of the eighth inning, the second extra inning, to give the Tyees a 6-3 win over the Canadians in the B.C. 11U AAA Baseball Championship semifinal at Lakeview Park’s Vardon Field Sunday morning.

The win pushed the Tyees into the championship game at 2:30 p.m. at Vardon Field against the Cloverdale Spurs, 14-13 winners over the Ladner Red Sox.

The Cs and Red Sox meet for the bronze medal at Lakeview’s Batchelor Field at 2 p.m.

Campbell River relief pitcher Hunter Auremenko struck out the side in the bottom of the eighth to propel the Tyees into the provincial final.

The Island squad began the game with a solo homer from Linden Robertson in the top of the first. Vernon looked to answer in the bottom half when Vincent Sanfillipo got on with a single, went to second on a passed ball, then was thrown out at the plate trying to score on a single by Dariusz Szwed.

The Cs did answer in the bottom of the 2nd when Morgan Hackman singled, went to second on a sacrifice bunt from Micah Davyduke and scored on a one-out single by Drew Christensen.

Campbell River snapped a 1-1 tie in the top of the fifth by putting the first two runners on, advancing to second and third on a double steal, and scoring twice on a sacrifice fly and a wild pitch for a 3-1 lead.

Vernon tied the game in the bottom of the fifth when Devin Sorensen lashed a two-out single up the middle to score Hackman and Davyduke, each getting on-base via a walk.

The Cs threatened to walk-off the game in the bottom of the six.

With one out and runners on first and second, Jonah Lee hit a frozen rope directly to the rightfielder, who made the catch for the second out and nearly threw out the runner at first for what would have been a spectacular inning-ending double play.

After a Sanfillipo walk loaded the bases, Auremenko got Szwed on a third-strike foul tip, hung onto by the catcher.

Vernon won the bronze medal game, 14-11 over Ladner, with Hackman driving in four runs.