The Parksville Royals played their first game of the B.C. Premier Baseball League season, emerging with an 8-5 win over the visiting Mid-Island Pirates at Springwood Park on June 16.
After a scoreless first inning, the Royals offence heated up and they loaded the bases. Keitaro Adachi ripped a double that drove home three runs and provided the lead that Parksville maintained throughout.
Seth Gurr was solid on the mound to earn the win for Royals, going four innings, allowing two runs on three hits and striking out seven. Liam McNamee and Ethan Dean closed out the game in relief. Dean recorded the last three outs to get creditted with the save for Royals.
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Ryan Deagle went 2-for-3 with two RBIs at the plate to lead Royals.
On June 19, the Royals played a doubleheader against the Pirates and ended up with a split, scoring a close 8-7 win in the first game but dropped a 4-3 decision in the second.
The Royals will play a 25-game season not including the tournaments they plan to enter on the Mainland.
Meanwhile, Clyde Inouye, one of the founders of the BCPBC, is retiring as executive director. He served as president from 1995 until 2002 and executive director from 2002.
Mike Addy will take over the position. He will work with Inouye this summer and fall, with the goal of allowing Inouye to retire in December.
The Royals are back in action tonight on the road against the Pirates at Mariner Field in Nanaimo at 6 p.m. They return home at Springwood Park on Sunday (June 27) for a doubleheader match against the Pirates again with the first game slated at 12 noon and the second at around 2:30 p.m.
On Canada Day, both teams will again play a doubleheader at Springwood Park with the first game at noon and at 2:30 p.m.