Sixteen shutout innings weren't enough for the Coquitlam Reds to stave off elimination in the B.C. Premier Baseball League (BCPBL) playoffs.
The Abbotsford Cardinals knocked off the Reds 4-1 in Sunday's Game 3 after the teams had split the first two games of a double-header on Saturday.
Curtis Taylor delivered a masterful performance in Saturday's opener, giving up just one hit and striking out nine over seven innings for a 4-0 victory. Max Hollingworth went 2-for-4 at the plate with a pair of RBIs, while Jordan Zazulak and Jonathan Keltie each went 2-for-3 and Austin MacDonald was 1-for-3 with two RBIs.
Ryan Mose picked up where Taylor left off in Game 2, pitching a shutout into extra innings before the Cardinal bats finally came alive in the 10th.
It started innocently enough, as Liam Kano-McGregor lifted a towering pop fly between home plate and the mound. Four Reds players converged, but communication proved problematic as all four stood aside and watched the ball hit the grass.
After a sacrifice bunt, Jae Kim ripped a ground-rule double to score pinch runner Joel VanEe. Coleton Besse followed with an RBI single to drive in Kim and make it 2-0.
Daniel Koo, who had come on in relief of Emilio Foden, shut the Reds down in the bottom of the 10th, and the series was level at 1-1.
The Cards got another terrific pitching performance in Sunday's rubber match from Kano-McGregor, who kept Coquitlam off the board for six innings. Abby made its offensive push in the fifth, as Tanner Rempel smacked a two-run double and Kim drove him in with an RBI single. The Cards stretched the lead to 4-0 in the sixth.
Kano-McGregeor got into some trouble in the seventh, giving up two quick singles, but Koo came in to pitch and limited the damage to one run as Abby won 4-1. Keltie took the loss, giving up three runs and striking out four over four innings. Austin MacDonald went 2-for-3 for the Reds, while Kevin Heidema drove in the lone Coquitlam run.
In other BCPBL playoff action, the Vancouver Cannons played the role of giant slayer, knocking off the No. 1 seed Langley Blaze in three games. They'll be joined at the Final Four by the Nanaimo Pirates (2-0 series winners over the Victoria Mariners) and the Victoria Eagles (2-1 series winners over the North Shore Twins).
