South 麻豆传媒映画12 - 0 Beacon Hill
Walnut Grove -- Emma March took a no-hitter into the fifth and final inning of a Little League provincial semi-final and led the South 麻豆传媒映画all-stars to a 12-0 win over Victoria鈥檚 Beacon Hill.
The 12-year-old pitcher took her count up to 64, struck out seven batters and allowed no runs on only one hit at the George Zarrelli Diamond where North Langley Little League hosted the 2014 B.C. championship semis July 27. March was in the rotation and knew she was slated to pitch the big game. She steeled her nerves by placing confidence in her team.
鈥淚 knew my defence was there for me 鈥� Madjik, Joe, Josh, everybody 鈥� so I felt calm and relaxed,鈥� said March, one of only two girls at the seven-team all-star tournament.
March, whose twin brother catches for South Van, kept Beacon Hill off balance with an arsenal of off-speed pitches.
鈥淚 have a slider and a curve, so I used those pitches today. I do throw a knuckleball but this is one of those games where they can hit slow pitches so I thought I鈥檇 work my slider and curve and fastball,鈥� she said. 鈥淧eople started talking about [the no hitter] in the dugout and I was like, 鈥楽hhh -- Don鈥檛 jinx it.鈥欌��
Beacon Hill got their only hit in the fifth inning when a blooper dropped just out of reach of the infield and Joe Sinclair鈥檚 extended glove.
South Van defeated the Victoria visitors 2-1 in their round-robin meeting July 22. In today's win, they found new offensive power in the third inning with four runs on just as many hits and a slew of stolen bases on unpredictable Beacon Hill pitching.
South 麻豆传媒映画built a 6-0 lead (including a two-RBI double off March's bat). Madjik Mackenzie ended the game in the bottom of the fifth with a two-run, walk-off homer that pushed the score into mercy territory and ended the game before the sixth inning.聽
This season marks the first time since 1978 that South 麻豆传媒映画has competed in the B.C. Championship when they were not hosting. The have never won the provincial title since their 1956 founding but their Minor team, incluidng eight players on the current Majors' roster, won the B.C. Championship in 2012.
The semi-final games were rescheduled because a rain delay postponed Wednesday's round-robin games.聽
The championship final begins 5 p.m. July 28.
Little Mountain eliminated
White Rock 10 - 4 Little Mountain
The Little Mountain all-stars took an early, four run lead against the 2013 B.C. Champions from White Rock but couldn't score again once the first inning ended.
White Rock chased Little Mountain for four innings before scoring the go-ahead run in the fifth and taking a 5-4 lead. Little Mountain couldn't rally and then in the top of the sixth, White Rock spread the gap with a definitive hit by Noah Bryerton. The first baseman drilled the ball over the centre-field fence after fouling off five pitches and expertly working the count.
