The host Chemainus Reds battled hard through four games during the annual Chris Fenton Memorial baseball tournament for Peewee teams at the Chemainus Ball Park.
The Reds came up with a tie in their first game Friday, 6-6 against the Duncan White Sox. They fell short in their remaining games, but not from a lack of effort by a gung-ho group of players.
The Reds put some decent run totals on the board, but were just outmatched 15-9 by the Duncan Padres and 20-9 by the Tri-Port Angels Saturday and 19-6 by the Ladysmith Orioles Sunday.
Two Ladysmith teams wound up playing for the tournament title, with the Cardinals beating the Orioles Sunday.
There weren’t quite enough kids for a second Chemainus Peewee team this year and almost too many for one team.
“We have 16 kids,” said coach Matt White. “It’s really tough.
“But they’re there to learn the game. We’re not too worried about how the competition goes.”
“We have a real mix this year, too,” added co-coach Glen Williams. “We have players who haven’t played before and a few veteran guys who’ve been around for a few years.”
The eight teams in the tournament each played four games and the top four went into the playoffs.
The Reds will now continue with league play, leading up to a two-week double knockout playoff before the finals at Evans Park in Duncan June 22.
The next major event at the Chemainus Ball Park is the Hopwo Mosquito Tournament in early June.
