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The Kelowna Sun Devils’ much-anticipated meeting with the Cowichan Valley Mustangs produced mixed results at a baseball tournament in Kamloops on the weekend.
Leading the B.C. 18U AAA (midget) Baseball League with an 11-0 record, the Sun Devils have Cowichan nipping at their heels in second place with a 10-2 record.
The two top teams had yet to meet each other in regular-season play, so the Kelowna Minor Baseball Association team was looking forward to putting their skills to the test against their nearest rivals.
It didn’t go so well early on.
In their second game of the tournament, the Sun Devils — the top defensive team in the B.C. loop — fell 11-2 to the Vancouver Island representatives.
But refusing to dwell on the setback, the Sun Devils bounced back with a 9-1 victory over the Prince George Knights and a 9-0 win against the Vernon Canadians for the opportunity to avenge their loss against Cowichan in a semifinal matchup.
Cue the comeback.
Anchored by the three-hit complete-game performance of Dreyton Nelmes, the Sun Devils downed the Mustangs 8-0 for the right to play in the championship game against the host Kamloops RiverDogs of the B.C. 18U College Prep League.
While the Sun Devils fell 6-3 to Kamloops in the title game, the win over Cowichan is expected to prove a motivating force for the defending league champions going forward.
Two hits apiece by Matt Fuchs (single, double), Nathan Ringness-Law and Brady Renneberg set the pace offensively for the Sun Devils in the win over the Mustangs while Connor Lamb and Blake Badger contributed doubles. Ringness-Law also pitched in with three stolen bases.
In the championship game against the RiverDogs, who had defeated them 9-4 in their opening game of the weekend, the Sun Devils could manage just three hits — by Carson Moberg, Tyson Lamb and Fuchs.
Adam Renneberg went 3 1/3 innings on the mound, giving up three earned runs while striking out five.
In their win over Prince George, Ringness-Law tossed a no-hitter through five innings while striking out eight Knights and giving up just two walks. Adam Renneberg led the Sun Devils with two hits and two steals while brother Brady Renneberg drove in three runs with a triple.
Jordan Laidlaw limited Vernon to three hits over five innings in Kelowna’s second win of the tournament. Adam Renneberg connected for three hits and three stolen bases while James Guidon and Fuchs added two hits apiece.
The Sun Devils are back in league action on Saturday when they take on South Fraser (7-7) in a pair of games at the Lower Mainland. They’ll play a pair of games against cellar-dwelling Chilliwack (1-9) on Sunday.
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