Chuckers Win KR3 Wood Bat Classic!
Posted July 8, 2013
The Bantam AAA Chuckers went 5-0 this past weekend to win the KR3 Wood Bat Bantam Classic in Kamloops, BC.
Richmond opened the tournament on Friday with a 2-1 victory over the North Shore Prep Twins. In a pitcher's duel that matched two lefties, Mitchell Rennie threw 6 and 2/3 innings, giving up a lone run on five hits, with two walks and five strikeouts, to earn the win.
The Chuckers followed up pool play with a 19-1 win against an overmatched Coquitlam A's Jr Little League squad. Nathan Nerona threw a complete game, giving up just a pair of hits with 11 k's and only one walk.
The afternoon game had Richmond face off with the Aldergrove Dodgers. This game was close with excellent defense and pitching on both sides. Isaiah Hayes threw five scoreless innings with 7 k's in the start, and James Hardy closed it, picking up the win as the Chuckers strung some at-bats together in the bottom of the 6th to score a pair for the 3-1 win.
Sunday's semi-final opponent was the Kamloops Riverdogs. Richmond's Tyler Hoefer was masterful, throwing a complete game 2-hit shutout, with 11 K's and a lone walk. Isaiah Hayes had the big hit, a 2-run home run to left field. Final score, 5-0, Richmond. The win pushed the Chuckers into the championship final.
Once again Richmond faced Aldergrove, this time for the tournament title. Mackenzie Marquis got the start, throwing three solid innings before giving way to Ryder Mavis. Richmond's bat woke up, scoring 10 times, with the big blow coming off the bat of Hayes once again, this time a monster 350-foot blast to left-center. Final score 10-4.
For his stellar weekend play, Isaiah Hayes earned MVP honors. In five games, Isaiah smacked two doubles, two home runs, drove in six runs, made an outstanding diving catch in the outfield, and pitched five shutout innings.
The team would like to thank Marty, Ryan and the BLE crew for a great tournament. The boys are looking forward to returning in a little over three weeks to compete for a provincial championship.