After opening with a convincing victory over Strathmore (Alberta), the North Delta Blue Jays lost three straight and fell short of the playoff round at the B.C.’s Best tournament in Parksville.
And adding to the Blue Jays’ woes was that Sunday’s 11-1 loss to the Parksville Royals also counted as a B.C. Premier Baseball League (BCPBL) regular season contest.
Ten teams, including seven from the BCPBL and two from Alberta, participated in the four-day tournament, played Friday through Monday. North Delta began the tournament with a 7-0 win over Strathmore on Friday afternoon, but were then edged 4-3 by Okotoks, Alberta Saturday morning, and lost 7-3 to the Okanagan Athletics later that afternoon.
Out of playoff contention heading into their final game Sunday afternoon, the Blue Jays were hammered by the host Royals, who went on to win the tournament for the first time in its 17-year history.
North Delta and Parksville were tied 1-1 after two innings, but the roof fell in over the next three frames, as Parksville scored five runs in the third, three in the fourth, and added two more in the bottom of the fifth to end the game on the 10-run mercy rule.
Shane Wlodarczak doubled then scored the lone Blue Jays run on Matt Pentland’s single in the second inning. The hits were the only two of the game for North Delta.
North Delta’s won-lost record fell to 8-8, leaving the team in sixth place in the 13-team 18-and-under league.
The Blue Jays play three home games over the next two days, hosting the Abbotsford Cardinals tonight at 6 p.m. at Mackie Park, then playing twice tomorrow against Parksville. The first game is scheduled for noon.