Pitchers Adam Craig and Oscar Aitken Salmons combined for a no-hitter Wednesday, as Central Saanich defeated West Vancouver 11-0 in the Division 9/10 provincial little league baseball tournament.
Co-coach Brad Weinmeyer says the game was a great comeback for the Central Saanich Little League squad, after a tough 12-11 loss to Highlands (North Vancouver) on Tuesday. One more win on Friday (July 21) and the local players will get into a Saturday semi-final game — and that one game away from the provincial final.
Hot bats for Central Saanich (2-2) backed up the great pitching. Robert Scalzo was three for three, with a big two-run homer in the first inning. Nolan Weinmeyer was two for two, with a triple and a double.
“They were just going off yesterday!”
The shutout victory means the team plays tomorrow at 2 p.m. against Little Mountain.
“We’re still alive,” said the coach from Central Saanich.
Most of the team is making the commute off-Island to North Vancouver for the tournament - coming home last Sunday and going back for a few days and returning Wednesday on the 8 p.m. ferry. Weinmeyer said they’ll be on the ferry tomorrow morning.
The commute is being done to save money and some, like the co-coach, still have day jobs. He added he hopes to go with the team on Saturday to the semi-final game.
This is the Central Saanich team’s first trip to provincials since the tournament was started in 2010.
“No Central Saanich team for this age group has ever competed at the provincials,” the coach explained, adding when current NHL player Jamie Benn was on the team in 1998, the provincials didn’t exist.
