North Delta Pirates Stymied by Richmond Chuckers; Finish 3rd in Quest for Provincial Gold
The North Delta Pirates couldn’t keep up with the Richmond Chuckers and fell 11-5 on Sunday in a game that was much closer than the score indicated, ending their quest for Provincial gold with a 3rd place finish in the BCMBA 18U AAA Provincial Tournament. It was an impressive inaugural year for the North Delta Pirates that saw them amass a 28 win, 10 loss, and 1 tie record; finish 5th out of 18 BC teams; win the Sussex All-Star Tournament in Kamloops, including multiple wins against College Prep teams; qualify for the semi-finals of the Provincial Tournament, and finish in a tie for 3rd. The gold medal game will be held this evening at Hillcrest Park and feature 7th place Richmond Chuckers versus 1st place Penticton Tigers.
Please see a recap of the North Delta / Richmond semi-final game below:
The Richmond Chuckers got on the board first in the second inning after Lucas Aubin laid down a sacrifice bunt, scoring one run.
The North Delta Pirates took the lead, 3-1, in the top of the third thanks to a Tyler Bernabe single that scored Payton Harper followed by a Ryo Ikeda single that scored Lucas Stebbings and Bernabe.
Richmond whittled away at the North Delta lead when, in the bottom of the 3rd, C. Yamazaki scored on a passed ball.
The score stayed that way until the bottom of the 5th inning when a Richmond single scored one run and a double scored two more, resulting in a 6-3 Richmond lead.
But North Delta wasn’t going to go easily. They rallied in the top of the sixth to close the gap to 6-5 when Sammy Wong hit a fly ball and an error scored Bernabe and then Brendan Grant hit a hard ground ball that produced another error and Ikeda scored.
North Delta made a pitching change in the bottom of the sixth. The first Richmond batter hit a single, the second batter reached on error, and the third was intentionally walked, and Richmond had loaded the bases with none out. The wheels had come off for the North Delta Pirates and Richmond scored runs in each of the next four at-bats: a batter was hit by pitch, scoring a run; a single scored a run; a wild pitch scored a run; a fly out scored a run, and another single scored a run. At the end of six, Richmond held a commanding 11-5 lead.
For a moment, hope for the North Delta Pirates remained alive when Harper singled to lead off the inning but the next three batters went 1, 2, 3 on a fielders choice, strikeout and line out and just like that the North Delta Pirates dream inaugural season came to an end.
Tyler Liaw earned the win for Richmond. They surrendered four hits and five runs over five innings, striking out six and walking five.
Noah Grant took the loss for North Delta. They went five innings, allowing six runs (three earned) on four hits, striking out five and walking two.
Liam Jones pitched one inning in relief for North Delta giving up three hits and five runs (two earned) while walking two.
C Yamazaki pitched two innings in relief for Richmond, giving up just one hit while striking out two.
Ikeda went 1-for-1 at the plate as they led the team with two runs batted in. They also stole two bases.
Bernabe was 1-for-2 with 2 runs scored, 1 RBI, 1 walk, and a stolen base. Bernabe was named North Delta’s game MVP.
Stebbings, Harper, and Jared Goumans had the North Delta Pirates’ other hits.
Stevenson provided pop in the middle of the lineup, leading Richmond with three runs batted in.
Jerome St. Louis was three-for-three at bat.
Carros was two-for-four.
Richmond turned one double play in the game.
With the semi-final loss, the North Delta Pirates 2024 single season officially draws to a close.
Next up - Fall Ball with a program that will begin September 3rd. Registration is open but space is limited. Register now to reserve your spot.
For more information about the North Delta Pirates, 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
