18U College Prep team now off to nationals in Wild Rose Country
The Cloverdale Rangers 18U College Prep team are provincial champs.
The Rangers smashed the Township Blue Sox 14-2 on Aug. 4 to win the title at the championship tournament held in Trail.
The Rangers cruised to victory in the title game on Linden Gemmell’s pitching and some early bats. Gemmell threw three strike outs and gave up only three hits over five innings, with two walks.
Cloverdale got on the board early when Matthew Fortuna drove in an RBI after hitting into a fielder’s choice in the 1st.
Township tied the game 1-1 in the bottom of the 2nd before Cloverdale started to break the game open in the top of the 3rd. The Rangers’ Riley Walters grounded out, scoring one run. Then Fortuna added another RBI on a sac-fly as the Rangers went up 3-1.
Cloverdale scored five runs on four hits in the top of the 4th to go up 8-1, sealing the game.
“Sam Moar doubled, scoring three runs, Jase Ferguson singled, scoring one run, and Fortuna doubled, scoring one run,” noted Brien Gemmell, a team parent and father of Linden.
Dylan Bird closed it out for the Rangers, pitching one inning and garnering two Ks.
Cloverdale knocked Township starting pitcher Brendan Rohrer out of the game after three innings by smacking in four runs on four hits.
The Rangers accumulated 11 hits over the course of the game, with Ferguson and Duncan Gair connecting for three each. Fortuna, Moar, and Lucas Michaud each got three RBIs in the game.
“Overall, the team had a strong eye at the plate, collecting six walks for the game,” noted Gemmell.
GAME 1
In their first game of the tournament, Cloverdale downed the Township Blue Sox 7-2 on July 31.
“Noah Simpson stepped on the bump first for (the Rangers),” said Gemmell. “(He) allowed two hits and two runs (one earned) over five and two-thirds innings, striking out two and walking three.”
Cloverdale got 12 hits in the game, with Brydon White going 3-for-4.
GAME 2
In their second game, played Aug. 1, the Rangers snatched a late victory from the North Fraser Nationals.
“The game was tied at two in the bottom of the 6th when Fortunas hit an off-field home run, scoring one run,” said Gemmell. This solo shot propelled the Rangers to a 3-2 win.
“Both teams were strong on the mound,” he added. “The Rangers … pitchers struck out seven, while North Fraser Nationals … sat down six.”
GAME 3
In their third and final round-robin game, the Cloverdale Rangers faced hosts Trail Orioles on Aug. 2.
A late Orioles run cost Cloverdale the victory as Trail emerged victorious 7-6.
“The game was tied at six in the top of the 6th,” Gemmell said. “Raiden Dobie drew a walk, scoring one run.”
Trail opened the scoring in the top of the 1st and the Rangers took the lead in the bottom of the inning. Trail again took the lead in the 6th after the base on balls, going ahead for good.
SEMIFINAL
Cloverdale finished the round robin first in Pool A and played the second place North Shore Knights from Pool B in the semifinal.
In a close battle, the Rangers overcame the Knights 5-3 to earn their birth in the championship game.
North Shore scored two in the 2nd to get the first lead of the game, but Cloverdale replied in the bottom of the 3rd and went up 4-2 off hits from Matthew Fortuna, and Brydon White.
“Fortuna and White were a force together in the lineup,” noted Gemmell. “They each collected two hits. Overall, the team had patience at the plate, piling up six walks for the game.”
The Rangers now travel to Fort McMurray, Alta., for the national championship tournament to be held Aug. 13-18.
This article was first published in the Cloverdale Reporter:
https://www.cloverdalereporter.com/sports/cloverdale-rangers-win-provincial-championship-8177495
