A group of young men and their coaches from the Richmond Boys Fastball Association won bronze at the B.C. Summer Games in Abbotsford.
Representing the Vancouver Coastal Zone 5, the team went 2-2 in the round robin portion of the tournament and lost their first playoff game to the eventual gold medal winner from Cariboo North East.
The team rebounded in a big way in the bronze medal game — blasting Thompson-Okanagan 16-5.
The tone was set with the very first batter of the game when second baseman Tanner Roberts hit a towering triple to the gap in left/center field. It ignited a three run first inning.
The pitcher/catcher duo of Brett Shubrook and Josh Purewal-Maclachlan had a strong outing with several strikeouts and numerous ground balls which were easily handled by the infield of Emerson Cooke, Tony Armstrong and Darius Capadouca. The outfield was not as busy but Sandford Lee, Aaron Chiang and Jonah Pipke had a couple of long balls that they had to be run down for outs. Thomas Gorelik, Evan Statham and Sean Eagles saw duty throughout the tournament and were instrumental in helping their teammates during the game.
“I am very proud of this group of young athletes,” said coach Dan Cooke. “Rather than going to a Games’ sponsored Rave Saturday night, they elected to stay at the dorm to rest and prepare for their chance to win a medal at the early game the following morning.
“They showed up with focus, intensity and a desire to win. They all competed to the best of their abilities and played one of their best games of the season.”
Sharing the coaching duties with Cooke were Dawn Stadel and Norm Pipke. Team manager Suzan Maclachlan also did her part for the team — tracking opponents’ hits. She could be clearly heard advising players where the opposing players had hit in their previous at bats.
