When the Prince George Roga Knights single-A baseball team went down to Pitt Meadow on the weekend they meant business.
The Knights finished the tournament with a perfect 5-0 record, capping off the trip with a 16-4 win in the gold-medal game. Braden Wheeler staked the Knights to an early lead when he pounded out a home run in the first inning, while Kolby Lukinchuck threw five and one-third innings for the win. Brady Pratt was on the mound when the final pitch was thrown.
It was the first time the Knights faced the Lower Mainland teams so they didn't know what to expect when they arrived. Knights assistant coach Russ Pratt said they were confident their hitting would stand up to the southern teams, but were unsure where their pitching and defence stood.
It didn't take long to find out. The Knights knocked off Richmond 8-6 in Friday's opening game. Joseph JenVenne earned the win for the Knights on the pitcher's mound and Richard French picked up the save.
Prince George improved to 2-0 with a 6-5 win over the host Ridge Meadows team. Kaelon Gibbs pitched the complete game for the Knights. In their final round-robin game, the Knights beat North Delta 13-8, with Wheeler earning the win and Nolan Minck striking out the final batter.
The Knights faced a tough challenge in the semifinal against Penticton. Heading to the bottom of the fifth inning the Knights trailed 8-6 when JenVenne blasted a two-run home run over the fence to tie the game at 8-8. The homer set the stage for Keith Arnett to play hero in the bottom of the sixth inning when he delivered a walk-off single to score the winning run for the 9-8 win.
French was on the mound for the Knights through four innings and was replaced by Lukinchuck to close out the semifinal game.
Pratt said catcher Ryan Bachand was outstanding in his leadership, directing the pitchers and infielders while Colin Desrocher played almost every position and did well in all of them.
Brady Pratt is also on the Knights roster and the team is coached by Hans Minck, Pratt and Murray Lukinchuck.
Next for the Knights is the peewee single-A provincial championship in Surrey, Aug. 1-4.
