The Lomak Knights were one win from the championship game at a weekend baseball tournament in Kamloops.
The Knights, an 11- and 12-year-old all-star team from the Prince George Youth Baseball Association, advanced to the semifinal round of the Sussex Insurance Invitational but lost 8-2 to Vancouver. The Knights swing their bats at the double-A level while Vancouver is a triple-A club.
In the game, the Prince George boys had an early 1-0 lead but found themselves in a 4-2 hole in the fourth inning. Then, a Vancouver home run and a series of Prince George errors sealed the result.
Against Vancouver, starting pitcher Devin Sutton went 3.1 innings. He struck out three batters, walked one, and was later named player of the game for Prince George. Sutton also rapped out two hits.
The Knights finished the contest with nine hits. Offensively, they were led by doubles from Cole Schwing, Jarin Sutton and Scott Walters. Other members of the team are Nigel Thompson, Michael Taylor, Michael Schwab, Zach Swanson, Dustin Aldana, Jeremy Gervais, Cole Beacom and Jordan Arnett.
In the final, Vancouver beat Kelowna 14-4. Kelowna had defeated Kamloops in the other semifinal.
The Knights were 2-1 in pool play. They dumped the Sherwood Park Athletics 11-0, edged the Vernon Canadians 6-5 and fell 5-4 to Kamloops. Winning pitchers against Sherwood Park and Vernon were Jarin Sutton and Aldana respectively. Beacom took the loss against Kamloops but was chosen as Prince George's top player.
The Knights will now prepare for the Valley of Champions tournament, July 13-15 in Kelowna. Provincials for the team are on the August long weekend in Chilliwack.
