An eight-game win streak propelled the Prince George peewee Knights to the championship at the annual Kamloops Fall Classic all-star baseball tournament.
The Knights entered the weekend tournament on a four-game win streak after playing in an exhibition series in Kamloops the previous weekend and they extended their streak by winning all four games of the Fall Classic.
Prince George earned the trophy in Sunday's 11-0 win over the Vernon Canadians in the final. Knights pitcher Ajay Nickolet was dominant in a complete-game performance, where he used 73 pitches to strike out 12 and gave up three hits and one walk.
Jim Swanson, head coach of the Knights, said Nickolet had a confident swagger each time he took to the mound.
"He really likes the atmosphere around these kids and this team and he was almost smiling as he threw strike after strike," said Swanson. "We played very well defensively behind him, which added to his confidence, nine different players scored runs, and every hitter reached base at least once."
The Knights opened the tournament Saturday with a 16-4 win over White Rock before pounding Vernon 15-1. On Sunday, the Knights edged out Kamloops 10-8 for a spot in the final.
"The kids had so much fun, tasting success, and there was an excellent energy around the whole weekend," said Swanson.
Other members of the Knights team include Ryan Hampe, Ryan Bachand, Mikey Schwab, Nolan Minck, Brady Pratt, Jayan Nickolet, Seth Lapre, Quinten Astorino, Richard French, Nicholas Husband, Kolby Lukinchuk, Joseph Jen Venne and Zach Swanson.
