The Save-On-Foods Parksville Royals went 3-1 at the 2019 Langley Blaze Invitational over the weekend.
It was a good outing and much-needed one for the Royals who have been struggling in the BC Premier Baseball League with 5-23 record so far in the season.
In game one, the Royals took on Vancouver Island rivals the Victoria Mariners and had Jacob Volkers on the hill. They dispatched the Mariners in convincing fashion 6-1.
Next up were the Fraser Valley Cardinals, who currently sit in fourth place in the PBL. Brodie Comerford got the start and the Parksville defence was on the top of its game as the Royals downed the Cards 3-0 to finish the first day of the tournament undefeated.
Game three would turn out to be the pivotal game as the Royals met the Coquitlam Reds, the only team left in the their pool that stood in their way to the semifinals. Parksville started Anson McGorman and found themselves down 4-0 after two innings. But they battled back to tie it up in the fifth inning and forced the match into extra innings. The Royals had opportunities but could not drive home the winners. The Reds scored in the bottom of the eighth to punch their ticket to the semi-finals.
In the final game of the round robin, Parksville started Nolan Macdonald against the Brampton Royals. The Royals cruised to a 9-1 victory and finished up a solid tournament effort.
Meanwhile, the Junior Royals travelled to North Vancouver to take on the North Shore Twins.
The Royals ended up splitting the weekend with the Twins. They lost the first game 8-3 but bounced back in the second game 10-8.
BATTER UP: The Junior Royals head off to Coquitlam for two games vs the Reds on Saturday and then come home to Springwood Park on Sunday to host the Victoria Eagles. First pitch at noon, concession opens at 11:30 a.m.
— NEWS Staff, submitted