It was an all-Alberta final as the Sherwood Park Dukes defeated the Spruce Grove Sox, last year’s champions, 7-3 at NorBrock Stadium on Monday to win the 12th annual Daley and Company Canada Day Classic baseball tournament.
The host Kamloops RiverDogs, meanwhile, went 1-3 to finish fifth in their pool.
Kamloops which had opened with a 2-1 loss to Prince George on Friday, lost 9-4 to the Edmonton Cardinals on Saturday afternoon. Kamloops gave up seven runs over the first two innings, with Tyler Cousineau going 4 1/3 innings in the loss. Jordan Kealty finished the game on the mound for Kamloops.
Jackson Lowes had two hits, including a double, drove in a run and scored another, while Blayne Halland stroked two singles and scored a run.
Kamloops picked up its only victory of the weekend on Saturday evening, topping Calgary-Pro Baseball Force, 13-5. Colton Thompson went six innings, striking out 10, with Kyle Pouncy working the seventh inning.
Halland had two singles and a double, stole a base, scored four runs and drove in one. Dylan Luison had a single and a double and drove in five runs, while Mike Gilfillan walked three times, stole two bases, drove in a run and scored four times.
Kamloops finished with an 8-7 loss to the Sherwood Park A’s, with the winners scoring their runs in the fifth inning. Leyton Edye started and went 4 1/3 innings — he allowed eight runs, but only two of them were earned. Jake Harris took over and pitched the final 2 2/3 innings.
Steven Rintoul had two singles and four RBI, while Dylan Luison and Colin Rintoul each hit two singles and scored twice. Luison also drove in a run.
The Cardinals finished fifth, beating the Cowichan Valley Mustangs 9-7 in a consolation game Monday, while the Okanagan A’s defeated Prince George 12-8 in Monday’s seventh-place game.
* * *
The Kamloops Sundevils lost in a Monday semifinal at Kelowna’s Canada Day Blast baseball tournament.
The Sundevils, who were undefeated to that point, lost 11-6 to Nanaimo. Warau Asaoka pitched six innings in the loss, allowing 11 runs, six of them earned.
Kyle Dhanani was 3-for-4 with a stolen base and an RBI, and Dave Hole also had two hits and an RBI.
Kamloops went on to lose 11-1 to Thurston County in a consolation game Monday. Pat Brown took the loss. Dave Hole went 1-for-3 and drove in a run, and Cam Strachan stroked a double.
The Sundevils had defeated Calgary 18-0 in a Sunday quarterfinal that was shortened by the mercy rule to five innings. Jordan Holloway pitched five innings in the victory, striking out four.
Adam Halland was 3-for-3 with four RBI, with Jeff Paz and Cody Pendergast each driving in three runs and going 2-for-2. Ben Bradford also had two RBI, stroking three hits.
Dhanani had three hits, including a home run, and four RBI as Kamloops finished the round-robin with a 5-3 victory over Thurston County on Saturday. Paz went the distance on the mound, allowing three runs on five hits and striking out four.
On Friday, Kamloops dumped Coquitlam 9-1, with Lee Ingram going the full five innings to earn the victory.
Halland had a huge night, swatting two home runs and driving in seven, while Bradford also hit a home run and drove in a pair.
* * *
Brendan Langlois of Kamloops finished fourth in his Pro Late Model debut at New Smyrna Speedway in New Smyrna Beach, Fla., on Saturday night.
Langlois was to have driven his first race there in March but it was rained out. He made the trip back a couple of weeks ago in order to get in some track time.
On Saturday, he qualified sixth for the 17-car 100-lap race, which was part of the FASCAR Series, and then wound up fourth, behind, in order, Devi McLeod, Justin Larson and Alan Bruns.
Langlois actually was running second, behind McLeod, late in the race, but lost position after two late restarts.
Langlois and McLeod were driving for the TRI Driver Development Team that is owned by Tim and David Russell. The next race is scheduled for July 21.
* * *
Roger Sloan of Merritt tied for fourth and earned $6,600 at the Canadian Tour’s Syncrude Open presented by AECON in Fort McMurray, Alta.
Sloan finished at 11-under 277 to finish six back of Cory Renfrew and Matt Hill. Renfrew, from Victoria, earned his first Canadian Tour victory by beating Sarnia’s Hill in a playoff that lasted four holes.
Sloan posted rounds of 69-68-69 to go into the final round three back of leader Nate McCoy of Des Moines, Iowa. But both men were passed by Renfrew, who shot a course-record 63 on Sunday, and Hill, who closed with 66. McCoy finished third at 274.
The Canadian Tour will be in Saskatoon for the Dakota Dunes Casino Open, scheduled to start Thursday.
