The Burnaby Braves did themselves proud at the B.C. bantam 15-and-under AAA provincial baseball championships.
The Braves – riding a three-game win streak through the wild-card playdowns – blanked top seeded Cloverdale 3-0 in the opening game, before finishing pool play with a 2-2 record.
Burnaby ace Cole Dalla-Zanna, a second-year lefthander, overwhelmed the Spurs with his side-arm delivery not allowing a run through six innings. Aaron Gardner came on to successfully close the game in the seventh inning.
The unlucky Braves were denied a spot in the final four following a three-way tie for second place in their pool that was decided on run differential.
Ironically, it was Cloverdale Spurs that beat out the Braves for the semifinal berth. The Surrey club went on to beat Abbotsford in the provincial championship final.
