Blue Jays salvage a split
Christian Alvarez de Araya of the North Delta Blue Jays takes a lead off first base during a B.C. Premier Baseball League game against the Fraser Valley Chiefs Sunday afternoon at Whalley Stadium. The two teams split a doubleheader.
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Updated: June 25, 2009 2:24 PM
An extra-inning 2-1 victory over the Fraser Valley Chiefs allowed the North Delta Blue Jays to split their B.C. Premier Baseball League double header Sunday afternoon at Whalley Athletic Park.
The contest, which followed a 7-1 Chiefs triumph in the first game, was a pitcher’s duel between Fraser Valley’s Adam Masse and North Delta’s Cam Challand. Masse went all nine innings for the Chiefs, giving up one earned run in five hits and a pair of walks.
Challand got the win after throwing eight innings, allowing the one run on four hits and two walks. Anthony Kops pitched in the ninth inning to get the save.
Matt Gross with two hits and an RBI, and Alec Manierka with a double and the game-winning RBI led the Blue Jays offence.
Brodie Hawkins drove in Ryan Pidhaichuk for the lone Fraser Valley run.
Chiefs right fielder James Zamko went three-for-three with a double, scoring two runs to lead his team to a win in the opening game. Pidhaichuk had a pair of hits, scoring one run and driving in another, while Masse tripled and was credited with two RBIs.
For North Delta, Gross and Christian Alvarez de Araya each hit a pair of singles.
Both teams are in the top half of the standings in the PBL, with the Blue Jays in a four-way fight for second place. North Delta, winners of 14 of their past 17 contests, has a 23-12 won-loss record. In fourth place in the 12-team 18-and-under league, the Jays are one and one-half games back of the White Rock Tritons, a half-game behind the North Shore Twins, and lead the Victoria Mariners by a game.
Fraser Valley, at 17-16, is along in sixth position, four back of Victoria but three up on the Nanaimo Pirates.
The Blue Jays play twice this weekend, hosting the 15-15 Vancouver Cannons for two games tomorrow at noon at Mackie Park.
Fraser Valley travels to Vancouver Island for four games, facing the 13-18 Pirates in a double header tomorrow (Saturday) before heading north for another two games against the 7-27 Parksville Royals Sunday.
- Brock Greaves of the Chiefs has climbed into fourth place in the PBL batting race with a .340 average. The North Surrey Secondary graduate has a 32 hits, all singles, in 94 at-bats.
Another Chiefs among the top 10 batters is Justin Atkinson, currently hitting .329.
C.J. Pentland of the Blue Jays is 10th with a .321 average.
Jerod Bartnik of the White Rock Tritons, a student at Tamanawis Secondary, leads the league with a .362 average. His eight doubles ranks second in the league, as does his .451 on-base percentage.
Chiefs pitcher Adam Masse continues to be among the league’s earned run average (ERA) leaders. Masse, who turns 18 today (Friday) has a 1.05 ERA in 53 and one-third innings pitched, the fourth lowest figure among PBL pitchers.
Matt Tompkins of North Delta is ranked fifth with a 1.26 average. in 50 innings pitched.
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