The Burnaby Bulldogs did what they do best – lead the pack.
The senior men’s baseball team captured its seventh provincial title – and first since 2010 – by beating the Coquitlam Angels 7-2 earlier this month in Nanaimo.
Powered by a lineup of mashers, the Bulldogs rolled through its five-game schedule, outscoring the opposition 48-9.
In the final, they put four runs on the board in the second inning and looked poised to add more.
“Our bats have been hot since the second half (of the season),” said manager Mike Sinclair. “They really carried us. All tournament long the bats were swinging and hitting.”
Catcher Brodie Hawkins turned on a fastball in the sixth and lifted it out of the yard for two runs, clinching the game.
In Pacific Metro league head-to-head play, the two teams won three games apiece. But Coquitlam just couldn’t answer Burnaby’s balanced approach, said Sinclair.
“We were swinging our bats really well and had our No. 1 pitcher ready to go,” said Sinclair, who spent the past two weeks cheering on sister Christine, captain of the Canadian women’s soccer team. “We got some quick runs and had it in hand the rest of the way.”
Righthander Mitch Hodge picked up his second win of the provincials, pitching a complete, seven-inning game while allowing four hits. For his efforts, Hodge – a one-time Kansas City Royals prospect – was named the tourney’s MVP.
Also enjoying strong tournaments were outfielder Jeff Bouchard, who launched one homer and finished with a .430 batting average, scoring six times and driving six runs home, and Burnaby native Sean Hotzak, who’s .545 batting average was tops at the provincials, and added six RBI.
The Bulldogs finished the Pacific Metro regular season in second place behind Coquitlam, and needed to beat Langley in a best-of-three playoffs to advance.
A key turning point in the season, Sinclair said, came in a strong performance at the annual Grand Forks International tourney on the July long weekend.
Burnaby advanced to the Forks’ final where they were edged out 2-1 by the Seattle Studs, despite a stellar outing from Hodge.
“We were up 1-0 after six innings,” recalled Sinclair. “It was a tough way to lose, a tough pill to swallow. But it was where we kind of found our stride.”
