Last ball season's reigning first and second place teams were pitted against each other this past Friday night in Comox Vallety Men's Baseball League action at Bill Moore Memorial Park.
The Happy's Source for Sports Reds were looking for revenge from the heartbreaking loss in last year's championship game to the Daryl Robbins C.G.A Athletics, and got it to the tune of 12-6.
The Reds' pitchers Adam Berkenstock (3IP, W, 2ER) and Dallas McDonald (2IP, 0ER) were able to hold off the Athletics' powerful offence for long enough while the Reds' bats woke up.
At the plate the Reds were led by Chris Mckague (3-4, BB), Berkenstock (3-5) and McDonald (2-4, 2B, BB). As the ball game moved into the later innings the Athletics' Jay Dzuba (1-4, 2B, BB), Dan Fauteux (1-3, 2B) and Andy Stewert (1-4) pieced together some offence for the A's, to make it a game, but the Reds' pitchers Jeff Meija and Mckague came in late to mop up the win.
In the second game of the night the Temprite Climate Solutions Orioles had a nail-bitter against the Investors Group Blue Jays.
Defence was the key in this game.The Orioles' Issac Alksne and Keenan Egeland made many fine plays in the field to hold off the Jays' bats. The Blue Jays countered the Orioles' defence with strong pitching from Ryan Curtis (3IP, W, 0ER) and Ferris Sterling (2IP, 0ER) to keep the Orioles' bats quiet all game.
With offence at a premium, the Orioles' pitching staff of Jordan Butcher (3IP, 0ER), Hayden Scheck (2IP, 1ER) and Keenan Andrews (2IP, 0ER) was just as dominate. In the end it was just one single run that the Blue Jays needed to win the game, the Jays thwarted a squeeze bunt attempt by the Orioles' Egeland in the bottom half of the seventh inning to win the game 1-0.
In May 30 action, the Daryl Robbins C.G.A Athletics welcomed the Dependable Lawn Care Rockies to the Comox Valley Men's Baseball League by a score of 7-1.
Jake Osborne hit a long home run to provide the spark for the Athletics' offensive fire that never let up on the Rockies' pitching staff.
In the second game of the night the Happy's Source for Sports Reds jumped out to a quick 4-1 lead over the Temprite Climate Solutions Orioles but were unable to hang on, falling 7-6.
The Reds were led by Adam Berkenstock (3IP, 0ER) and Dallas McDonald (2IP, 0ER) on the mound and the Reds' offence was provided by Jake Dojack (2-3, 2B) at the plate.
But the Orioles' bats kept picking away at the Reds' lead until the Orioles were up going into the last inning. The Orioles' pitching staff (Keenan Andrew 2IP, Hayden Scheck 3IP, 1W, Hunter Edwards 2IP, 1SV) got stronger throughout the game, and Edwards struck out the final batter of the game with two outs and the tying run on third to secure the win.
SHORT HOPS The five-team CVMBL plays Friday nights at 7 p.m. under the lights at Bill Moore Memorial Park in Courtenay …
– Comox Valley Men's Baseball League