Giants Find Silver in River Rush

Peewee A Report: Sometimes the best lessons come from close losses and this is hopefully the case as Abbostsford Giants PeeWee team lost to a hand-picked Campbell River Tyee team in the final on Sunday, at the annual Mission River Rush Baseball Tournament. After an inconsistent season, the Giants gelled on defence and offence to be a formidable team. Stellar pitching by Aidan Kelly and Aidan Schweinbenz was not quite enough, as the Giants lost 12-7 in the final on Sunday evening, after a great tournament. First-year player Jordan Fogarty hit doubles all weekend long, along with Troy Garner finding his hitting stride. Riley Janzen and Nicolas Messer were stalwarts on defense all weekend, while Lucas Messer put on a pitching clinic in the semi-final against Chilliwack, firing strike after 65 mile-an-hour strike, to help his team rally from a 6-1 deficit. Mosquito call-up Brodie Kelly contributed with great defense, while fill-in Cole Jessamine showed why he might have the best hands amongst PeeWee first-year players! Tristan Shayler, new to baseball, showed great athleticism and strength on several diving catches, while the Jones brothers Ryan and Jarrod contributed with a couple of hits each and steady defense. MVP awards were given to Aidan Kelly in two games for clutch hitting and solid pitching, Aidan Schweinbenz for his terrific play as catcher and multiple RBI hits, and Lucas Messer for his pitching and all-around play! Coaches Mark Schweinbenz and Shawn Kelly say that the team never gave up during the tournament despite being down on many occasions, and were impressed that many of their new players contributed at all aspects of the game. The Giants were awarded the Team Most Sportsmanlike Award, as we showed great attitude and enthusiasm all weekend long. Congrats Giants!