The host District 3 Firebirds will play for third place in the Canadian Intermediate Little League Championships, Wednesday at Coquitlam’s Mackin Park.
A 15-2 loss to Quebec in Tuesday’s first semi-final was not the result Firebirds’ manager Jason Swan was hoping for his charges, who are from Coquitlam League. Especially after the team had defeated the visitors from Mirabel 1-0 in round robin play.
“The kids seemed prepared,” said Swan after the game was called following the completion of the fifth inning. “But nothing went our way and it sent us on a bad path.”
That path seemed destined right from Quebec’s first batter, Noah Duverger, when he swatted a double off Firebirds’ starting pitcher Brayden Wilson.
After advancing to third on a wild pitch, Duverger scored two batters later on an RBI single to right centre by Nathan Malette.
Ludovic Berger’s two-out, two-run homer over the fence in left field made it 3-0 and ended Wilson’s time on the mound.
But his successor, Hudson Penonzek, didn’t fare much better, as he gave up two more runs before the top half of the first inning finally came to a close.
The Firebirds got two runs back in their half of the inning when Santiago Acosta belted a liner over the right field fence with Owen Swan on base on a walk.
But that’s as good as it got for the hosts.
Quebec added another run in the second inning and five more in the third to put the game pretty much out of reach.
“Their bats were absolutely alive, their running was on point, their defence was excellent,” Swan said afterward of his Quebec opponents. “They’re a tremendous ball club.”
But the manager said he’s confident his players could regroup for Wednesday’s third place game against Team Atlantic, which lost Tuesday’s second semi-final 4-1 to Team BC, represented by Layritz Little League in Victoria..
“We’ll just continue to come out and play with pride,” Swan said. “Tournaments are so tough at this level, one day can be totally different from another.”
• Wednesday’s third place game will be played at 1 p.m. at Mackin Park. The championship final between Team Quebec and Team BC goes at 5 p.m. with the winner earning a trip to the Intermediate Little League World Series in Livermore, CA.
