For the first time since in what many pundits believe dates back to the 1970s, Gander will play for the Molson provincial senior A baseball championship starting later this month.
The Pilots pulled off a big baseball upset over the weekend, shocking the Corner Brook Barons to win the provincial senior B championship at Jubilee Field in Corner Brook.
Gander will now play the reigning champion St. John’s Capitals for the provincial title. The Caps have won 17 of the last 18 championships.
Both Gander and the Mount Pearl Blazers limped through the round-robin of the senior B at 1-3, while the Barons sailed through at 4-0.
Gander was awarded second place and a berth in the final based on a runs-allowed-per-defensive-inning tie-breaking formula.
In the championship game, tournament MVP Riley King shut down the homestanding Barons 2-1. Michael Tavenor was tagged with the loss. Additional game details were unavailable.
It makes the first time in a decade Corner Brook will not play St. John’s in the all-Newfoundland senior A final.
The provincial final opens July 27 at a site to be determined. The Caps are the home team, meaning the first three games of the series has Gander as the home side. However, Gander does not have a ball field that can play host to the senior A provincials.
Grant Vincent of the Barons was the tournament’s top batter and Corner Brook’s Matt Colbourne was the top pitcher. Colbourne recorded 15 strikeouts over seven innings in a win over Mount Pearl Friday night.
Twitter: @telysports
