For the sixth time in club history, the Howe Sound Cannons have captured the Dayrod Midseason classic championship.
The local baseball club travelled to North Vancouver to take part in the annual tournament and kicked things off on Saturday (July 6) with a pair of games.
It turned out to be a dominant opening day, with the Cannons beating the A's 12-0 and besting the Vernon Diamondbacks 12-1 . Brent Dunsford led the way offensively with five hits and four runs batted in (RBI) over the two games. Troy Morphy contributed with a pair of triples against Vernon.
Pitcher David Jones started against the Diamondbacks and continued his streak of strong outings on the mound.
The manager wanted the ball again and didn't disappoint, said Jeremy Galley of the Cannons. Coming off a perfect game, he continued his hitless streak to nine innings until finally a bloop single found some grass in the fourth inning. After that he pulled himself Patrick Roy-style in order to keep his earned runs average (ERA) low.
The tournament continued on Sunday (July 7) and the Cannons continued their winning ways with a 7-1 victory over the North Vancouver Reds. William Kerr whiffed 12 batters on the mound and Alex Wishnicki went three for three with two doubles and two RBIs.
The win against the Reds set the Cannons up for a date in the finals against the only other undefeated team at the tournament the Brewers. Despite falling behind 2-0 in the first inning, Howe Sound battled back and Matt Taylor drove in the winning run in the top of the seventh inning to secure the 4-3 win.
"The North Shore Brewers and their former UBC pitcher thought they could ambush Jeremy in the first, said David Jones, noting that Galley gave up two runs on four hits in the opening inning. They were pumpedand they thought they had the game in hand but little did they know that Galley cleared his head and it was shut down time after that - and we all know the Cannies are coming back.
Dunsford, who hit .500 over the course of the tournament, was named most valuable player on the weekend.
The Cannons return to regular season action in the North Shore Men's Baseball Association (NSMBA) on Thursday (July 11) with a make-up game against the Reds in North Vancouver.
Howe Sound returns home with games against the A's and the Brewers on Saturday (July 13). The Cannons welcome the A's at 11 a.m. and the Brewers at 1:15 p.m. Both games take place at Laroy Watt field. This weekend also features Fan Appreciation Day, with a barbecue and other festivities taking place.
For more information on the Cannons, visit www.ballcharts.com/hscannons.
