WAVERLEY: The Tri-County U-18 A Rangers overcame some deep adversity to prevail as champions at a tournament in Cape Breton.
The Rangers lost the first two games so in order to move on had to limit the runs against to under four in their third game and they did that to advance to face Dartmouth, who had beaten them handily in round robin.
Tri-County beat them to then make the final against Richmond, where a team effort led them to capturing the championship.
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Coach Shawn Ryder said the team had perfectly executed hit and runs, defensive double plays, catching in the heat, which all keyed the wins.
Along with incredible pitching performances, players playing in different potions, strong outfield defense, and a line drive to third that the player snagged like a pro all played a part in the Rangers victory.
The team also overcame two-and-a-half weeks of cancelled games due to wet weather so the team was rusty going into the tournament.
The first game saw them down five teammates and two coaches and they rallied four runs back in the last inning but still lost 6-5.
Game MVP Rylan Benoit closed out the game with beautiful pitching and the field keeping the defence tight.
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On day two, the Rangers got behind Dartmouth and couldn’t catch up despite some great pitching by MVP Jaxon Murphy.
With two losses things were looking like the weekend would be cut short when game MVP Liam Kays rejoined his team defeating the Strait team 11-1.
Keeping the defensive runs to a minimum the Rangers squeaked into fourth for the playoffs the next day to again face the Dartmouth Arrows, who were first.
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The final day of the championship the Rangers started strong against the Arrows and held the lead throughout the contest.
Tri-County won the game 8-5 sending them to the final.
Facing off against Richmond County, the Rangers started strong with MVP Brayden Watson back on the mound and for the third time that weekend. Watson made the most of every pitch into the sixth and relied on his team to keep the game in their favour until the end.
The Oaklee Bagley Sportsmanship Award, given to a player or team who best displays sportsmanship, great teamwork, and a true love for the game of baseball, was given to Cole Howell from the Rangers and a player from the Richmond team.
