NEWTON — The schedule was tough on them - and so was the heat - but the young Cloverdale Spurs (white) battled through it to take home some hardware for their trophy cases.
The 9U Tadpole summer-ball squad was just two runs shy of a gold medal, earning a silver at the annual Cook Tournament, held at Unwin Park and hosted by Newton Canadian Baseball.
After going 2-1 in round robin play, the Spurs fought off their red counterpart Spurs 9-7 in the semifinal and fell to White Rock 12-10 in the final on Monday afternoon.
"The boys played their hearts out," said head coach Beau Simpson, who is also editor of the Now. "After the final, parents and family members from our competitor's side of the field came up to me and told me how impressed they were by our team's grit, determination and sportsmanship. I couldn't be prouder of them."
Tournament MVP awards went to: Tyler Armstrong (for his dramatic grand slam), Keanan 'Taz' Leclerc (who earned two MVP awards for closing out games in quick fashion), Noah Simpson (for consistently shutting teams down on the mound) and Sawyer Laven (for a big hit at a crucial time - and for playing with heart and determination).
The team's assistant coach is Steve Wegwitz.
The Cloverdale Spurs (white) next tournament is July 9-12 in Maple Ridge.
The Now