Hot bats and solid pitching led the Prince George Knights to a tournament victory in Kelowna last weekend.
The Knights, a local bantam double-A baseball team, edged Chilliwack 5-4 in Sunday's final for the win, their fifth straight of the tournament.
"Having an undefeated record... hats off to our first-year players who really stepped up," said Knights co-coach Shane Taylor. "Everybody contributed from top to the bottom of the lineup. Our on-base percentages and batting averages were excellent."
In Sunday's final, the Knights scored four runs in the first inning, thanks to outfielder/infielder Michael Taylor, who led off with a ground-rule double. Cole Schwing was on the mound for the final five innings and fanned five Chilliwack batters.
Pitcher Quinton Astorino, who hadn't tossed in a game until the final, got the save for the Knights.
In the semifinal, the Knights had their rally caps on, finding themselves trailing 8-0 after two innings. Prince George bounced back and won the game 11-10.
The Knights also beat Vernon and Kelowna in preliminary games.
"It was a great team effort and a bonding experience," said coach Taylor. "It showed what kids can do when they're relaxed and having fun."
The competition was the second of two tryout tournaments as Taylor and his coaching staff, which also includes co-coach Connor Flynn and assistant coach Rod Walters, attempt to trim the roster from 17 players to 12 by the end of this week.
The Knights fielded a 2-2 record at a triple-A tournament last month in Kamloops.
After practicing individually on indoor turf for the last few months, the team will finally practice as a team, outside on a regular diamond this week.
League play begins next week, prior to the Knights traveling to a tournament May 17 in Tsawwassen.
