It will be another St. John’s-Corner Brook matchup for the all-Newfoundland senior baseball championship again this summer.
While the Capitals, who call St. Pat’s Ball Park home, have known all along they’ll be in the provincial final this summer — St. John’s won the championship last year — the Barons needed a victory over the Gander Pilots in the provincial senior B championship over the weekend.
At Corner Brook’s venerable Jubilee Field, the Barons swept the Gander Pilots in three straight games to win the best-of-five final.
That sets the stage for the senior A final which opens July 28 with the first three games of the best-of-seven series in Corner Brook.
The final shifts to St. Pat’s for the final four games, if necessary, starting Aug. 4.
St. John’s has won the last four provincial senior baseball championships, and 17 in the last 18 years.
The Barons last won in 2013.
Corner Brook won the Game 3 clincher Saturday evening by a 6-1 result. Brian Bennett pitched the win over Riley King.
The Barons’ Greg Whelan and King were selected players of the game.
The Barons won the series-opener 4-0 Friday night on a complete-game shutout by Michael Tavenor. Game 2 was a 13-3 win for the home team.
Tavenor the top pitcher, and the Barons’ Aaron Flood was the top batter (.571 average) and MVP.
Regardless of the outcome from the all-Newfoundland tournament, the Caps will be representing the province at the nationals which open Aug. 22 in Victoria, B.C.
Victoria was also the site of the 2017 senior nationals, and Newfoundland and Labrador was represented by the Gonzaga Vikings from the St. John’s Senior Baseball League. The Vikings failed to win a game at the event.
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