Vinny Martin’s clutch two-out single with the bases loaded scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the seventh inning Sunday as the Victoria Eagles won the B.C. Premier Baseball League championship.
Martin’s timely hit allowed Ben Goertzen and Zane Takhar to cross the plate as the Eagles fought back from a 2-0 deficit to defeat the Nanaimo Pirates 3-2 in the all-Island final in Abbotsford.
Down 2-0, the Eagles finally chased starting Nanaimo pitcher Devon Geary in the sixth inning as Takhar scored on Martin’s sacrifice fly. Relief pitcher Luke Skingle replaced the starter and managed to get through the rest of the sixth as Victoria left the bases loaded.
But the Eagles clawed out the win in the seventh as Mitch Hawkins, Ben Goertzen and Kyle Murai all singled. Takhar had reached base on a fielders’ choice, then scored the winning run behind Goertzen.vin
Martin had all three runs batted in for the victorious Eagles.
Skingle allowed four hits and two runs after Geary had surrendered the one run on one hit over 5-2/3 innings.
Ethan Skuija made the start for the Eagles, who had advanced straight through to the Sunday final while Nanaimo defeated the Abbotsford Cardinals 4-1 in the semifinal at noon at Delair Park.
Skuija allowed two runs on three hits over six innings before giving way to Brandon Feldman.
Feldman gave up just one hit in the seventh to keep the Eagles within striking distance.
It is the first BCPBL championship for the Eagles, who are in just their fourth year of existence.
