The Richmond Midget AA Expos beat out 11 teams to take first place in the Ross Memorial Tournament, held over the Victoria Day Weekend in Surrey.
The Expos powered up the bats to the tune of 46 runs over five games, including two home runs. They also relied on solid pitching and strength behind the plate in catcher Stephen Watanabe.
In the first game on Saturday, intermittent showers didn't stop play but made the ball harder to hang on to in an 8-2 win over the Ladner Red Sox. The Expos took the lead in the first inning with an RBI double by Niko Hill and they added four more in the sixth thanks to an RBI double by Dev Williams and a two-run single by Angus Doyle. Starting pitcher Hill held the Red Sox hitless over four innings, and closer Liam Flynn nailed down the game. Marc-Andre Hervieux was named game MVP for his hitting and success in left field.
Richmond fought hard in its second game but came up short in a 11-9 loss to Surrey. Pitcher Brandon Leung earned game MVP for his stint on the mound.
In Sunday's game, the Expos shut the door early on the Cloverdale Spurs with a 12-4 victory. An RBI double by Leung in the first inning ignited the offence. The runs piled up, helped by an over-the-fence home run by George Eliopoulos in the sixth - earning him game MVP - and Flynn stealing home in the seventh.
With a three-way tie in their pool, Richmond advanced to the semi-finals as the wild card. Taking on top seed North Delta Cardinals, the locals built an early lead with four runs in the first inning, and added one more in the sixth on Sean Rosenhek's sacrifice bunt - his third of the tournament.
The Cardinals managed just one hit off game MVP Luke Yam in a 5-1 Expos win.
The final proved to be a rematch of the tournament opener against Ladner. Again, the Expos took control early with a four-run first inning. They continued to pound out the hits with Hill racking up four RBIs. Eliopoulos hit another home run out of the park and finished with five RBIs in a 12-6 win.
Also contributing to the Expos' tournament success were Watanabe with his quick thinking behind the plate and his wheels around the bases, Williams' flawless fielding at first and centre field, and Connell O'Brien playing third base and right field, and doing anything to get on base.
The Expos are coached by Ted Watanabe with assistance from Ron Leung, Scott Robertson and Andrew Jeffers.
