Welcome to the home of the 2010 Junior Provincial Tournament! This year Coquitlam is proud to host 4 teams battling for the rights to represent BC at the Canadian National Tournament in Lethbridge, Alberta. Provincials are set to run from July 13-21 at beautiful Blue Mountain Park. The tournament has been scheduled in a "double knockout" format, with a game 7 if necessary.

Disclaimer: posted boxscores are not official. Official pitch counts and scorebooks are available in the scorer's booth at Blue Mountain Park

Game 1 ~ A battle of the Vancouverites will showcase Cypress Park vs. North Vancouver Central. A nooner at Blue, this game promises to be an exciting matchup to kick off our Provincial Tournament.

Result: Billed as a #1 matchup, the teams from D5 set out for battle at the nooner at Blue. In what turned into a lop-sided affair, North Van. Central hit Cypress Park's pitching... hard. After scoring 8 in the first 3 innings, N. Van was unable to pull off the mercy, much to the credit of Cypress Park coming alive in the 4th. Too little, too late however, and N. Van took the first victory of the 2010 Junior Provincials 14-6. Boxscore

The game however, was not without a few fireworks. North Van's #9 hitter Manny Restrepo was ejected from the game in the bottom of the 6th inning after arguing a call at the plate. N. Van manager, Joe Marklundtried to intervene, in an attempt to save his pitcher, however to no avail. Cooler heads would prevail and the game concluded without any further antics.

Game 2 ~ A long rivalry between these two clubs is set to put a charge into this tournament. Coquitlam vs Whalley is being billed as the "Clash of the Titans" as Whalley looks for redemption from the 2009 Provincials against the defending champion Coquitlam A's. The battle began on July 2nd as both these teams squared off in the KR3 U14 tournament in Oliver, and will end on the field at Blue Mountain Park.

Result: This clash of D3 heavyweights lived up to its hype and the players left everything out on the field. We all know that both Coquitlam and Whalley can talk the talk, but this game proved both squads can walk the walk, needing extra innings to declare a winner!

Mitchell Anderson got the nod for Coquitlam, and Robbie Bevaqua started for the Warriors in what would turn out to be a pitching duel between squads. Whalley jumped ahead early scoring once in the first and again in the second, only to be answered by Coquitlam run in the bottom half of the second. The A's shut Whalley out in the next inning, and took the lead on back to back doubles by Austin MacDonald and Alex Romanowski. Heading into the top of the 6th, Coquitlam was ahead 3-2, however, Whalley would tie it up with back to back doubles by Robbie Bevaqua and Breadon Alaman. Whalley threatened to re-take the lead with a close play at the plate but A's catcher Javeed Khankashi stood his ground and denied them the go-ahead run. Tied 3-3 after 7, this game headed to extras! A's closer Austin MacDonald shut out the Warriors in the 7th and 8th to give his team a shot, and the A's took advantage. Coquitlam jumped on Warriors' closer Breadon Alaman, loading the bases in the 8th with no outs. With Kevin Heidema pinch hitting for Coquitlam,the Whalley infielders were crashing, and Heeds laid down a perfect bunt crossing up the Warriors' 3rd baseman scoring the winning run!

A great game by both teams, Whalley drops down to the loser's bracket where they face Cypress Park, and Coquitlam moved on to face N. Van Central in a battle of today's winners. Boxscore

Game 3 ~ Whalley will be looking for blood after a heartbreaking loss to Coquitlam yesterday and Cypress looks to play spoiler against the favoured Whalley club. Because of the "double knockout" format the loser of this game will be the end of the line for one squad.

Result: Jack D would get the start for Cypress and Will Gladwell started for the Warriors. Again Whalley jumped ahead early scoring 4 in the top of the first, but Cypress wasn't laying down as they answered back with 2 of their own in the bottom half of the inning. Whalley continued their attack as Will Gladwell shut down the Cypress offence after the first. Tacking on another in the second, and 6 in the third, Whalley took advantage of Cypress Park's errors and was up 11-2 heading into the 5th inning. Needing a run for a mercy victory, Whalley plated 2 for insurance and closer Mason Verge shut the door on any chance of a Cypress comeback. A tough loss for Cypress Park, they head home looking to make some noise next year in the 2011 Jr. Provincials. With a 13-2 victory, Whalley moves on to face the loser of Coquitlam vs N. Van later this afternoon. Boxscore

Game 4 ~ A rematch of a pre-provincials exhibition game, Coquitlam faced N. Van Central in the winner's bracked Sunday afternoon.

Result: Coquitlam put rookie Johnathan Keltie on the mound against N. Van's tough lefty Graddy Z. The A's took advantage of batting first and plated their lead-off hitter Javeed Khankashi in the first inning. Johnny Keltie was absolutely dealing: striking out 6 over 4 1/3 innings of work. Unfortunately he was pulled at a 50 pitch count so that he will be eligible to pitch if needed Wednesday night. Curtis Taylor came in for relief in the 4th and got into a jam early. With the bases juiced he forced an inning ending double play to escape unscaved. Still scoreless N. Van's bats came alive in the 5th as Coquitlam's defence fell apart. The Reds were able to plate 5 after the dust cleared, and had taken a 5-4 lead! Coquitlam quickly answered back tying it up in the 6th, and then took advantage of North Van. Central's tired arms and scored 7 in the 7th to claim a 12-5 victory. Boxscore

N. Van now faces a tough Whalley squad on Monday night. Each with a loss, the loser will be knocked out and the winner will move on to face Coquitlam in the Finals on Tuesday night. Coquitlam receives a day off Monday and looks forward to Tuesday's final.

Game 5 ~ Whalley vs North Vancouver Central. In a must win game for both teams, players will be firing on all cylinders. This game promises to be an intense battle between powerhouses hungry for victory. First pitch is at 6:30pm.

Results: North Vancouver threatened to end Whalley's chances at a Provincial Title early tonight, as they cooled Whalley's hot bats and held them to a single run through 4 innings. The Reds however, couldn't muster any offence of their own, as Whalley pitcher Mason Verge held them to a single hit through 5 2/3 innings. Whalley broke it open in the 4th and tacked on in the 5th to take a 10-0 lead into the 6th inning. The Warriors were lead by Robbie Bevaqua who went 4-5 with 2 doubles and 3 RBIs. North Van Central broke the goose egg in the 6th with an RBI single by Rowand W. Boxscore

Congratulations to both teams on playing hard in the Junior Provincials. North Van came up just short, but played well over the weekend and showed heart on the field when down late in the game. Manager Joe, worked his players hard, and his intensity was unfortunately mistaken for over-coaching. Kudos to North Vancouver Central for a well played game, and congrats to Whalley for the win!

Game 6 ~ With the win Whalley looks ahead to a rematch with defending champs the Coquitlam A's on Tuesday night. The A's have a slight edge as they have a Finals berth with an unblemished record, needing to be defeated twice to be dethroned. Whalley is in a do-or-die situation, so look for tomorrow night's game to be just as thrilling if not more so than Saturday's afternoon affair. First pitch is set for 6:35pm.

Results: Wow... What a game! Coquitlam vs Whalley is always billed as a thriller and this year in the Junior Provincials, there have been absolutely no disappointments. Starting for Whalley was hard throwing lefty Jordan Adkinson, facing off against Coquitlam righty, Mitch Anderson. Coquitlam scored early to take a 1-0 lead, but that would be all they could muster with just 3 hits on the night. After 5 complete, the A's coaching staff elected to pull their starter as the top of the order was due up for Whalley for the 3rd time in the game. Coming in for relief was hard throwing right hander, Brandon Becking, who looked to use past experience pitching in Provincial, National and World Series games in 2009 to his advantage and close the door on the Whalley Warriors. Unfortunately, he did not have his A game and couldn't get overtop of his curveball. Whalley managed a couple of base hits, and capitalized on key Coquitlam errors to plate the tying run in the 6th, giving Whalley's starter, Jordan Adkinson a no decision after pitching a masterful 6 inning 2 hit game. Catcher/Pitcher Breadon Alaman came in for relief looking to keep the A's bats quiet, and to give his team a shot at victory. Tied at 1 a piece after 7 innings, this game was heading to extras! In the top of 8, the Warriors again capitalized on another Coquitlam mistake, and as the go-ahead-run crossed the plate cheers from Whalley fans shook the grounds of Blue Mountain Park. Coquitlam re-entered Mitch Anderson as a pitcher to get the final out in the 8th, as the home team A's needed 1 to force another inning, 2 for the win. Unfortunately for A's fans, the Coquitlam boys went 3-up, 3-down and Whalley took a thrilling victory to tie the series at one a piece. Boxscore

With the double knockout format, tomorrow night's game is do or die for both squads, as both have now tasted a bitter defeat in extra innings. The "IF" game is necessary, so come out to the park and support your local clubs! Game time tomorrow night is 6:30pm with first pitch at 6:36.

Game 7 ~ In a winner take all game, this is the biggest of the post-season so far. Whalley is looking for redemption after falling just short in the 2009 Provincial Tournament at Ambleside Park. Coquitlam is looking to defend their title as reigning Provincial champs! First pitch is scheduled for 6:36pm, however the boys for both teams are at the park by 4:30pm at the latest getting prepared for battle. The field is groomed, grass is cut, bags are painted, lines are drawn, its a beautiful day for baseball at Blue Mountain Park.... PLAYBALL!!

Results: Whalley sent hard throwing righty, Robbie Bevaqua to the mound in his second start against Coquitlam this tournament, while the A's countered with young right hander Johnathan "the dealer" Keltie. This was also the second start for Keltie, who made his first appearance in game 2 verus North Van Central. He was hot on Sunday, and he was smoking on Wednesday.

The game started tight, just as their previous games had with both teams failing to score int he first. The A's took a 1-0 lead out of the 2nd however, as Alex Hunt made the Warriors pay for walking #5 hitter Curtis Taylor. Johnathan Keltie found his rhythm and utilized his team mates' defence to shut down Whalley's bats and keep runners off base. A 1-run lead is never enough between these teams, and the A's broke it open in the 3rd scoring 4 with big hits by Alex Romanowski and Brandon Becking. Chasing the Warriors ace early paid in dividends for the A's as they looked to take advantage of a depleted Whalley pitching staff. Jonny Keltie got the A's as deep into the game as he could, only allowing 2 runs in the 5th as he maxed out his pitch count at 92. The inning was ended on a FANTASTIC catch by A's 3rd baseman, Cameron Williams as he picked the ball on a short-hop to tag out the runner trying to advance.

After 5 complete the score was Coquitlam 5, Whalley 2. Handing the ball to A's closer Austin MacDonald for a 2 inning save, Mac was quick and effective at shutting down the Whalley offence, and was supported by the A's tacking-on another 3 runs in the top of the 7th! With the Whalley infield playing in to cut-off runs, the A's hit the ball hard and were rewarded with base hits capped off by a massive double by Alex Hunt. With the Warriors only behind 8-2 in the 7th, they were very capable of pulling off an upset, but the A's never waivered. With 1 out, and the bases loaded for clean-up hitter Braedon Alaman, he stroked a MASSIVE shot to right centre which was sure to be extra bases, if not for speedy centre fielder Kevin Heidema!!! In a full out sprint, he extended his arm to make a game saving catch, and proceeded to get the ball in to his shortstop Brandon Becking as quickly as possible. With the Mason Verge tagging up at 2nd on the catch he was going to attempt to score. Becking threw a strike to catcher Javeed Khankashi from shallow centre... and the park erupted as plate ump Howard Maisey called the runner out on the tag!!

Coquitlam takes the Provincial Title for the 2nd year in a row, and is now practicing hard before they leave for Lethbridge, Alberta to defend their National Title.

This tournament's excitement factor registered an 11 on a 10 point scale due to such great baseball played by these two clubs. Impressive offence AND defence lead to 2 games needing extra innings, pitching was fantastic and most importantly both teams left everything they had on the diamond. Thanks for all the great baseball this week: North Vancouver Central, Cypress Park, Whalley and Coquitlam!!!