As newcomers to tournament-level baseball, the Roga Contracting Knights needed a couple games to make the proper adjustments. Once they did, they pounded out two impressive victories.
The Knights, in the mosquito age group (9-10), played to a 2-2 record in Lynden, Wash., on the weekend. They started out with two losses, 7-5 to Nooksack, Wash., and 12-7 to the White Rock Tritons. In their final two appearances on the diamond, the Knights thumped a second White Rock team 17-9 and hammered out a 31-13 win against Mount Baker, Wash.
"It was a good weekend for the players to get their feet wet, to learn how tournaments are, and to realize the level of play gets better at tournaments," said Knights coach Jason Schwing. "They had a lot of fun, scored a lot of runs, put the ball in play a lot, and our pitchers threw a lot of strikes, which was great to see. As is always the case with players this age, we have a lot of defensive practicing to do to get ready for our next tournament."
Zach Swanson and Devin Sutton were the losing pitchers in the opening two games. In their next outing, the Knights got winning pitching from Ethan McLeod, as well as an inside-the-park home run. In their tournament capper, the P.G. boys erupted for 26 runs in the second inning and never looked back. Nigel Thompson was the star of the game for the Knights. He picked up the win on the mound and also connected for a pair of bases-loaded hits in the big inning.
Next up for the Knights is a Kamloops tournament, scheduled for the long weekend in July. Provincials for the team will be in Kelowna.
"We're seeing great strides already in so many areas, and as they learn to focus more on the game being played, this team will do very well," Schwing said.
