The Campbell River Peewee AA Tyees are going to the big show.
With three wins and a second place overall finish in the Island zone tournament last weekend in Duncan, the team qualified for a spot to challenge for the BC Provincial Championship in Mission which began today and wrap up on Sunday.
In game one of the Island zone tournament, the Tyees got off to a slow start.
They found themselves down 8-0 to Powell River after three innings before they got their bats working and scored seven runs.
Unfortunately it was too little, too late, as they fell to their opponents 9-7.
Game two had the Tyees facing off against the Comox Cardinals. Robert Gurney and Ethan Millar took care of the pitching duties, while the rest of the boys supported them with some stellar defence. Millar helped his own effort with a second inning home run over the left field fence as the Tyees went on to win 10-6.
Saturday morning the Tyees played the Oceanside Reds.
In one of the tightest defensive games of the tournament, the boys from Campbell River came away with their most important win, 5-3. Riley Sutherland got the start on the mound, and was relieved by Laine Rogers and Millar to close out the win. Bryce Idiens was the winning run, as he got himself on base with a great hit to the gap in left-centre field.
The Victoria Eagles were the Tyees’ opponent for game four, which saw Campbell River win by a score of 16-6. After losing starting pitcher Greyer McLain after only five pitches, Austin Gurney took the mound and threw three innings. It was a close contest until the bottom of the fourth, when Laine Rogers burst open the floodgates with a three-run home run over the left field fence.
The Tyees continued to rally through the next two innings with great base running, and solid defensive plays by Millar and Austin Gurney to keep the Victoria team off the scoresheet.
Sunday’s game was against the undefeated host, Duncan River Cats, for first place. The Tyees played a very sound defensive game, helping out starting pitcher Cameron Bell, and closer Robert Gurney. Isaac McKenzie made several great plays at second base, but was noticed mostly for his timely bunt on a squeeze play to break the Duncan shutout in the fifth.
The Tyees got a small rally going and scored three runs, but it was the River Cats with the 11-3 victory.
The Tyees were the only team to not lose by a mercy rule, and the only team that took Duncan to the full seven innings.
And it was enough to give the Tyees a spot in the provincials which are now underway.