Zone 2 (South Central) put together an outstanding bottom of the seventh inning to pull out a 7-6 victory over Zone 5 in the Baseball Alberta Zone Championships Sunday afternoon at Great Chief Park.
Zone 5, which includes Sherwood Park, St. Albert and Stony Plain, scored there times in the top of the seventh to grab a 6-3 lead. However, Zone 2 got a two-run single by winning pitcher Clay Sinclair and a two-run, two-out single from Mitchell Donst to pull out the victory.
Ryan Klinck of Olds, who plays with the Red Deer Braves bantam AAA team, had a single and was hit by a pitch. Reese DeBeaudrap of Three Hills pinch ran in the seventh and scored the winning run.
Zone 2 reached the final with a 9-8 win over Zone 6 (Edmonton) while Zone 5 beat Zone 3 (Calgary) 10-3.
Zone 3 stopped Zone 6 18-0 in the bronze medal game.
Meanwhile, Zone 4 (Parkland) lost 10-0 to Zone 1 (Sunny South) in the fifth-place contest. Joel Mazurkewich and Riley Guntrip of the Braves pitched for Zone 4 and Levi Moon, also from the Braves, had a single and a walk. Zone 8 downed Zone 7 3-2 in the seventh-place game.
Pitcher Mitch Vanson of Zone 4 and the Red Deer Braves, was named pitcher of the tournament for his no-hit bid that lasted until two out in the seventh inning.
l Meanwhile, in Canada Cup midget play in Moncton, N.B., Team Alberta failed to win any of their seven starts.
Wyle Cunningham and Reign Letkeman of the Red Deer Carstar Braves and Dylaney Brown of Lacombe were members of the team.
Cunningham started the team’s opening game against B.C. and pitched six innings, allowing four hits and two runs. Alberta lost 4-0.
Cunningham also worked in relief in two games and was the losing pitcher in their final game — 7-4 to Quebec. He worked 2 1/3 innings, allowing two hits and two runs. He pitched 2/3 of an inning in a 6-4 loss to Quebec, not allowing a hit. Letkeman worked two games, throwing 1 2/3 innings of one-hit, no run relief in a 5-0 loss to Quebec and took the loss in a 5-3 decision against B.C. when he went one inning and allowed one run. Brown went the distance in a 3-2 loss to Ontario, allowing two hits.
Sunburst final set
The Red Deer Riggers and Fort Saskatchewan Athletics open their best-of-three Sunburst Baseball League final tonight in Fort Saskatchewan.
The second game goes Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. at Great Chief Park with the third game, if necessary, Wednesday in the Fort.
The Riggers will use the games to prepare for the Canadian championships, set for Aug. 25-28 in Miramichi, N.B. Riggers manager Curtis Bailey added six players to the roster for the nationals.
Pitchers Dustin Northcott and Cole Stober both played for the Riggers at the provincials. Matt Davis, who was with the Red Deer squad last year prior to playing with Medicine Hat in the Western Major Baseball League this summer, will give the team a left-handed pitcher. Red Deer Stags shortstop Byron Whitford was added to the roster along with pitchers James Fischer and Kiel Vertz of Fort Saskatchewan.