North Delta Pirates Defeat Richmond City Chuckers in Final Game of the Season; Clinch 5th; Sail on to Provincials
In a game that fans thought might never occur, the BC Minor Baseball Association found a way to bring together two cross-town rivals to have one last regular season kick at the can. And although all eighteen BC Minor 18U AAA teams knew whether they would or would not be playing in the Provincial tournament later this week, the round robin contests in both Pool A and Pool B for qualifying teams depended on the North Delta / Richmond result.
With the regular season standings set for five teams (Penticton - 1st, Cloverdale - 2nd, Prince George - 3rd, Aldergrove - 4th and Vancouver - 8th), the fates of Victoria, Richmond and North Delta hung in the balance. A North Delta Pirates win and they would finish 5th while Victoria would finish 6th and Richmond would finish 7th. A Richmond win and Victoria would finish 5th with Richmond finishing 6th and North Delta finishing 7th.
Please see a recap of the North Delta / Richmond game below:
The North Delta Pirates got on the board first in the first inning when Tyler Bernabe scored, pacing North Delta to an early 1-0 lead.
In the top of the third, North Delta added three runs to their lead when Ryo Ikeda, Sammy Wong, and Tyler Conway all crossed the plate.
It was 7-0 North Delta at the middle of the fourth on runs scored by Bernabe, Ikeda, and Jared Goumans.
And the North Delta Pirates capped off their night with two more in the sixth to finish the game as 9-0 victors.
The North Delta Pirates went with a trio of pitchers who combined to pitch seven scoreless innings. Ikeda, Wong and Nathan Strang shared the load surrendering two hits and seven walks over the game while striking out eight combined. Strang was awarded the win as the pitcher who faced the lion’s share of the batters.
Four North Delta Pirates batters scored twice: Bernabe, Ikeda, Wong and Conway.
North Delta did not commit an error in the game.
With the North Delta victory, the Provincial Pools are set:
Pool A includes Penticton - 1st, Aldergrove - 4th, North Delta - 5th, and Vancouver - 8th.
Pool B includes Cloverdale - 2nd, Prince George - 3rd, Victoria - 6th and Richmond - 7th.
Each team in each pool will play each other in a round robin format with the top two from each pool advancing to the semi-finals (Thursday, July 25th - Saturday, July 27th)
The semi-finals will see the top team from Pool A play the second place team from Pool B and the top team from Pool B play the second place team from Pool A (Sunday, July 27th)
The winners of the semi-finals will then face-off against one another for the 2024 18U AAA BCMBA title (Sunday, July 28th @ 4:30pm).
All games will be played at Hillcrest Field in Surrey, BC.
Below, we have included a copy of the draw, for those who like to know the details. The team in italics is the home team.
Thurs July 25 (Hillcrest Field)
09:00AM - Pool A - 4 VS 8 (Aldergrove VS Vancouver)
12:00PM - Pool B - 3 VS 7 (Prince George VS Richmond)
03:00PM - Pool A - 1 VS 5 (Penticton VS North Delta)
06:00PM - Pool B - 2 VS 6 (Cloverdale VS Victoria)
Fri July 26 (Hillcrest Field)
09:00AM - Pool A - 4 VS 1 (Aldergrove VS Penticton)
12:00PM - Pool B - 3 VS 2 (Prince George VS Cloverdale)
03:00PM - Pool A - 8 VS 5 (Vancouver VS North Delta)
06:00PM - Pool B - 7 VS 6 (Richmond VS Victoria)
Saturday July 27 (Hillcrest Field)
09:00AM - Pool A - 8 VS 1 (Vancouver VS Penticton)
12:00PM - Pool B - 7 VS 2 (Richmond VS Cloverdale)
03:00PM - Pool A - 4 VS 5 (Aldergrove VS North Delta)
06:00PM - Pool B - 3 VS 6 (Prince George VS Victoria)
Sunday July 28 (Hillcrest Field)
10:00AM - 1st Pool B VS 2nd Pool A (TBD)
1:00PM - 1st Pool A VS 2nd Pool B (TBD)
4:30PM - Final (TBD)
Come out and cheer on your North Delta Pirates at Hillcrest Field in Surrey as they seek to cap off an excellent season in tremendous fashion.
For more information about the North Delta Pirates and to view player and coach profiles, visit www.northdeltapirates.ca. Follow the team on Instagram (@northdeltapirates), Facebook, and Twitter (@piratesnd) for exclusive content and updates throughout the season.
To become a team sponsor or for media inquiries or interview requests, please contact:
Matt Grant
Director with the North Delta Pirates
northdeltapirates@gmail.com
