It was a rough weekend on the ball diamond for the White Rock Tritons, as the BC Premier Baseball League squad returned home winless from Vancouver Island.
The Semiahmoo Peninsula squad lost a pair of doubleheaders – on Saturday against the Victoria Eagles and Sunday against the Victoria Mariners – and saw their win-loss record fall to 10-27. They now sit 11th out of 12 teams in the under-18 circuit, and are six-and-a-half games back of the final playoff spot, making the post-season nearly impossible with just five games left on the regular-season schedule.
Earlier this month, Tritons’ head coach Russ Smithson predicted the team would need to win at least eight of the last 11 to sneak into the post-season.
Making the team’s Victoria trip even more frustrating – from a playoff-contention point of view – is that all four games were close, and a few lucky bounces could have spring-boarded the Tritons up the standings.
White Rock began Saturday with a 7-6 loss to the Eagles, and followed with a 3-0 loss in Game 2. Sunday’s results were much the same, with the Mariners winning the first game 6-3 and the second 4-1.
In Game 1 against the Eagles, the score was tied 6-6 after seven innings, but the home side won the game in extra innings, scoring a single run in the bottom of the eighth when Tyler Duncan – who singled and stole a base – scored from second on a single from Fynn Chester.
Victoria junior call-up Noah Doorschot pitched all eight innings for the victors, while White Rock’s pitching duties were split between starter Gavin Wilson and reliever Tanner Carmont.
Quin Hall and Jason Hill led the Tritons’ offence with one double apiece, while Hill also added a stolen base.
Offence was in short supply in the second game, as White Rock managed just four hits – all singles – against Chester, who struck out 10 batters en route to a complete-game shutout.
On Sunday, White Rock and the Mariners went back-and-forth in the opening game, with the home team scoring in each of the first four frames.
The Tritons answered back themselves, with three runs through five innings, but were stymied over the final two en route to the three-run loss.
Dawson Veeneman had a pair of doubles to lead the offence.
In the nightcap Sunday afternoon, White Rock managed just a single run, which came in the fourth inning when Jeremy Kelleway doubled to plate Hall.
White Rock returned to the field Tuesday with a road game against the Whalley Chiefs, but the game was played after Peace Arch News’ deadline. On Sunday, the Tritons will host the Langley Blaze for two games, while the completion of a third – originally started June 1, but not finished due to rain – will also be held.
That game is currently tied 8-8 in extra innings.