Coquitlam-Moody Reds conquered the competition at last weekend's Lorne Upsdell Peewee AAA baseball tournament in Ridge Meadows.
Now they're set to take on the world.
The Reds erupted for five runs in the third inning to overcome an early 1-0 deficit and sailed to a 12-2 triumph over Cloverdale in Sunday's championship final. The win also served as the inaugural provincial qualifier for the Continental Amateur Baseball Association's Under-12 World Series from July 23-28 in Sylvania, Ohio.
"This will be the first time B.C. has ever sent a team [to the U-12 World Series] so I have not real idea how we'll fair," said Reds head coach Randy Downes. "But we are taking a good team there."
Winning pitcher Reece Huntley was outstanding, while left fielder Aaron Sinclaire bolstered his performance by making two terrific catches. Kyle Johnson rallied the Reds' offence with a pair of hits, while Kyle Henderson clobbered a home run for the victors.
The Reds advanced to the final by crushing Ladner 12-6, sparked by Jordan Dray's two dingers. Kyle Stubbins pitched the win, while Johnson smacked three hits.
The Reds opened tournament play via a 10-10 deadlock versus Vancouver, with Henderson leading the way with three hits.
Next, the Reds whipped Ridge Meadows 13-6 by exploding for five runs in the fourth inning and four more in the sixth.
Dray drilled three hits, while Corey Jackson threw four solid innings to earn the win.
Likely the turning point in the tourney came in the Reds' next affair, where they rallied back from a 4-0 deficit by scoring five runs in the seventh inning on way to a 5-4 triumph over Nanaimo to move on to the semifinal. Dray stole home with two out to knot the scored 4-4, then Matt Clay singled home Riley Engleson for what proved the winning run.
"I was very pleased with how well we played overall as a team [and] our character was evidenced by the great comeback versus Nanaimo," Downes said.
Huntley won the tourney's Top Pitcher honours, while Stubbins took home the Jesse Herman Memorial Award for inspirational play.
After the Worlds, the Reds host the Peewee AAA provincial finals Aug. 18-22 at Town Centre Park.
