Our Tigers went into Provincials as the 7th seed, with a regular season record of 19-21.
 
Game 1 saw the Tigers draw Richmond. During the regular season the Tigers and Chuckers had gone the extra innings twice. Both times with the the Chuckers coming out with a win.
It was clear to the boys that just because they were the 3 seed, that didn't mean it was a throw away game.

Tanner Collins took to the hill in the provincial opener, but before he stepped on the mound he already had a 1-0 lead.  Richmond got one back in the bottom of the 1st, but could have had more, leaving the bases loaded. It was a 1-1 ball game until the 6th, where Richmond scored 2. The Tigers answered in fine fashion in the last inning, plating 3. Collins, deciding to help out his own cause, hit a ball into right, landing him with a triple. Ryohei Ito was on 3rd and Brendan Clarke was on 2nd at the time. He later scored on a ground ball hit by Tyler Andrew. Collins was asked to close out the game, and did, giving him the game MVP and a 1-0 record at the provincials. All this was capped off by Kyle Peters' catch of his life. Runners on first and second, 2 away. A soft liner that shouldn't have been caught, was picked out of the air just inches from the grass.
 
Game 2
All season the Tigers struggled vs. Vancouver, going 0-4. At the provincials, nothing changed. The boys went in with an awesome attitude and a desire to win. The Mounties Chipped away, 1 in the first, 1 in the second and then 2 in the 3rd. Going into the 7th the Tigers found themselves 7 down. Bantam player Eythan Brown got a hit in a pinch hit at bat, going 1.000 in the game.
 
Game 3
Before we played our first game, I said to the boys. ``2-1 gives you a shot, 1-2 goes home`` Being 1-1 at the time, it was clear on their minds that it was all up to them and nobody else. Was it going to be Rehbien`s and Andrew`s last high school game?

Taking the boys away from the field on Sat. and going to see Victoria, I think, made them a little hungrier.  Ito took the hill vs. Tri-Cities. It was a collective effort on the score sheet from the Tigers. 8 out of the 10 guys in the line up ended up with hits. It was 1-1 in the 2nd then 2-2 in the 4th, with the final being 7-10. Good job boys in giving yourselves a chance.  Dustin Houle closed out the game in fine fashion, with Ryo Shishido behind the dish, striking out the last batter to finish 2-1.
 
True to my word, 2-1 gives you a shot, 1-2 goes home. Due to 3 teams finishing with a 2-1 record in pool play, we had to play an extra game to get into the semi`s
 
Going from the first game in the morning to the last game of the evening makes for a long day. Not only was it a long one but it also was an interesting one at that. One of the craziest sunsets with the darkest clouds at the same time. Rain, lightning and thunder wasn`t going to stop this game. It was a rematch from the first game in the provincials. Richmond vs. S.O.M.B.A.
After closing out the game vs. Tri-Cities, Houle was on the bump in the 8 o`clocker. Maybe it was the long day, but the boys couldn`t pull it off. Richmond did bring it`s game though. Brendan Clarke smashed a ball deep into the night landing him on 2nd. ``I didn`t see it , I just ran``, said ``Cheese``. Benedetti sliding all over the mound, was still getting the job done. Even though we didn`t get in the semi`s, I think it was one of the funnest games I have been a part of, and a game I will remember for the rest of my life. Thanks, boys.
 
Although I wish I could have gotten the Bantams some more plate appearances, a special thanks still has to go out to you boys. Thank you for helping us out, not only at provincials, but down the stretch as well.
 
Thank you Ian,
Thank you Tyler,
Once a Tiger, always a Tiger!
 
Junior
S.O.M.B.A.
Head Coach