The University of the Fraser Valley baseball club opened the season in promising fashion, taking three of four weekend games against the Thompson Rivers WolfPack.
Playing at Chilliwack’s Fairfield Island Park, the Cascades swept Saturday’s doubleheader by scores of 3-2 and 2-1, and split Sunday’s twin bill, winning the opener 10-5 and dropping the finale 10-8.
“It was a fabulous weekend for us,” Cascades head coach Shawn Corness said. “To open conference play and take three out of four against a team that was in the final last season is a great start for us. We competed well, and the pitching the first three games was outstanding.
“It was a full team effort all weekend – it wasn’t just one guy, it was different guys stepping up at different times and getting the job done for us.”
CASCADES 3, WOLFPACK 2
Dylan Emmons was a workhorse on the mound for UFV, pitching a complete game. The sophomore righthander registered six strikeouts and scattered four hits over nine innings. Riley Jepson and Tre Pankratz had two hits apiece, and Josh Berenbaum drove in Stephen Horner with the game-winning run in the bottom of the eighth.
CASCADES 2, WOLFPACK 1
The Cascades’ pitching was once again lights-out – Evan Petersen (seven innings, seven strikeouts) and Liam Campbell (two innings, two strikeouts) combined on a one-hitter. Jepson and Colin Kellington sparked the offence with two hits each.
CASCADES 10, WOLFPACK 5
After spotting the visitors a 4-0 lead in the first inning, the Cascades’ offence caught fire. UFV scored twice in the bottom of the third, then surged ahead thanks to a seven-run outburst in the fifth, highlighted by Matt Legg’s two-run double. Berenbaum, Kellington and Brody Vogel each had a pair of hits, and Jepson went one-for-two with three walks. Cascades starter Parker Logan settled down after a turbulent first inning and tossed five subsequent scoreless innings, with eight strikeouts.
WOLFPACK 10, CASCADES 8
The WolfPack once again got off to a strong start offensively, plating eight runs in the top of the first. The Cascades, though, dug deep and almost battled all the way back – they had the tying run at second base with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, but were unable to complete the comeback. Stellar relief pitching from Riley Ens (seven innings, two runs) helped the Cascades get back in the game, and Jepson continued his scorching start at the dish with two RBI.
The Cascades are coming off a 2017 season that saw the first-year team reach the finals of the Canadian College Baseball Conference. This year’s team features Abbotsford talents Tre Pankratz and Linden Williamson, as well as Mission products Jonah Weisner, Ryan Green and Brendan Martel.
The club next travels to Calgary to take on the Dinos, with a pair of games on Saturday and Sunday.
The next home games for the teams occur on April 8 when the Vancouver Island University Mariners come to town for a doubleheader.
For more on the team, visit ufvcascades.ca.