In its 56th season, South Vancouver Little League ran away with the nine- and 10-year-old provincial championship pennant, delivering the club's first ever victory in any age group.
The small baseball club that borders Vancouver and Burnaby went undefeated in eight games and defeated Coquitlam 13-7 in the July 22 final at North Vancouver's Zuehlke Park.
"We are very proud of our team," said head coach Brian Perry. "They worked hard and this was a great reward for their efforts. I hope that people will notice that our small league has talented players capable of big results."
The closest game of their championship run came in Monday's opening contest against the host Mount Seymour Little League.
Leading 7-3 in the top of the sixth and final inning, South Vancouver held off a three-run rally and clung to the win.
In Sunday's final, Coquitlam answered South Vancouver's early lead to tie the game 3-3 in the third inning. In the top of the fourth South Vancouver answered decisively with eight runs and didn't let up.
They'd bring in two more and allow four Coquitlam runs, but South Vancouver didn't relinquish their lead.
Defending a 13-5 lead in the bottom of the sixth, South Vancouver stayed sharp.
With runners on first and second, Coquitlam looked to rally late in the game, said Perry.
"The next batter ripped a shot down the left field line into the corner, scoring two runs. The batter tried to stretch it into a triple but a perfect relay from Vic Domingo in left field to Madjik MacKenzie at shortstop to Matthew Suarez had the runner tagged out at third."
The next batter was tagged out at first. South Vancouver Little League had its first championship pennant in club history.
"It was a great feeling," said the coach.
The Vancouver Little League outscored its opponents 101-20 in eight games. It also defeated another Vancouver club, beating Little Mountain Little League 5-0.
Since losing in the final game of the 2005 campaign, this victory is the highest possible achievement in the age group.
The win was a satisfying achievement for the small, 240-member Little League and its supporters who filled bleachers for the week-long tournament, said volunteer Leeann Froese.
"Our league is little. It's probably one of the smaller ones," she said.
"Kudos to the 12 amazing kids who worked together for more than a month to earn to this championship, which has traditionally been dominated by leagues with more than 400, and sometimes five, six or 700 players," said the South Vancouver league president Graham Randell. "This win shines a spotlight on us and is a huge stepping stone in the development of our league."
The South Vancouver volunteer coaching staff includes Perry along with Jonathan Mackenzie and Ric Domingo. The players are Rod Betonio, Ronnel Castro, Nico Cole, Vicarte Domingo, Christian Giron, Madjik Mackenzie, Ryan Mah, Ian Robinson, Joseph Sinclair, Daniel Suarez, Matthew Suarez and Graiden Zweigle.
Twitter: @MHStewart
