 Cannons Explode
despite injury to ace pitcher
When Joe Robbins went down with a severe groin pull in the 2nd inning of the final game, the Rangers - who were trailing 2-0 at the time - had hopes of a comeback victory.
Robbins had been dominant in the semi final win over Gibsons and had "owned" the Ranger bats through 2 innings.
The Rangers quickly bounced back and tied the game at 2 apiece as substitute pitcher Craig Armstrong (pictured) struggled at times with control.
When Ranger player/coach Jason Bedford belted a 2 rbi double, giving the Connaught club their first lead, it looked like the first place money would stay in Vancouver.
Going into the 7th inning, Cannon coach and GM Darryl Robbins reminded his players that they were in still in contention and only 2 runs back.
The club responded by batting through the order against Dan "Gramps" Karr and posting 4 runs to take a 6-4 lead.
In the bottom of the 7th, Karr answered by belting a solo home run but that was all the locals could muster against Armstrong, who was staying ahead on most counts and enjoying stellar defence from his mates, giving the Cannons the tournament win.
The Gibsons Mariners, behind the pitching of Jimmy "Weepee" Peers and the Hawks, with Rob Epp doing most of the pitching, shared 3rd place money. |
