Coquitlam Little Leaguers eliminated from tournament
‘To me and our coaches they are baseball family,’ says the team’s head coach
A summer to remember ended Monday for a group of 12-year-old baseball players from Coquitlam representing Canada on the hallowed field of Little League baseball in South Williamsport, Penn.
“It’s the end of the journey. It’s a summer all these kids will never forget. It’s the summer of their lives,” said Bruce Dorwart, head coach of the Coquitlam All-Stars. “It’s been quite a journey for this team over the past three months and I couldn’t be more proud. We’ve watched boys become young men.”
The team’s journey ended when they were eliminated from the Little League World Series on Monday after an 8-1 loss to Curaçao. Coquitlam finishes the tournament with a 1-2 record, losing 5-0 to Mexico in their tournament opener and then bouncing back with a 10-0 win over Italy on Saturday.
Curaçao, representing the Caribbean region, got off to a hot start Monday by scoring two runs in each of the first two innings. They added four more in the bottom of the fifth before Coquitlam got on the board with one of their own in the top of the sixth and final inning.
Timmy Piasentin started on the mound for Coquitlam, lasting 4 2/3 innings. He gave up eight hits and seven runs while striking out eight. Keven Rosina went the distance for Curaçao, allowing just three hits and one run in six innings while striking out seven. Two of the three hits for Coquitlam came from Piasentin.
Monday’s loss ends a wild ride that began three weeks ago for Coquitlam with a 5-3 win over Little Mountain to win the B.C. Provincial Little League title and a trip to Ancaster, Ont., for nationals. There, the All-Stars punched their ticket to the World Series by upsetting the tournament favourites from Quebec, 6-3, in the title game.
Dorwart said he thought the outcome of the World Series tournament for his team was a fair one.
“It’s always tough for Canada going into it,” he said. No Canadian team has won the Little League World Series despite appearing in every tournament since 1952.
“We wanted to at least get one win and we competed in all the games we played.”
He said the Coquitlam AllStars’ 10-0 win over Italy was the first time in tournament history that a Canadian team had won with the mercy rule, and that was an accomplishment. In order to prevent blowouts, if a team is up by 10 or more runs at four innings or later they call the game.
Dorwart said it had been a long summer and the coaching staff had grown close to the team.
“I told them in the speech after the (Curaçao) game how much I love them all. I said they all have their own family but to me and our coaches they are baseball family,” he said.
Most of the players will carry on to the next level of baseball, while a few may not play competitive baseball again. Dorwart said one of his players will now focus on his soccer career.
It’s been quite a journey for this team over the past three months and I couldn’t be more proud.” Bruce Dorwart