VAB continues dominance as they sweep at home tournament

By Cole Parkinson

For Taber Times

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The winning streak continued this past weekend for the Vauxhall Academy of Baseball Jets as they played their final home games of the spring season. Heading into the Haven Agencies Invitational, the Jets had one 14 straight games and were looking to tack on four more. 

In game one, the Jets took on the Lethbridge Elks and VAB once again turned in a complete effort with an 11-4 win. Brett Getz got the tournament underway with a five-inning start and collected the win. Alex Laurence was a big factor at the plate as the infielder went 3-3 with a homer run and six RBI. Meanwhile, Kyle Yip was 3-4 with three RBI, Brennan McTavish had a pair of hits, Colin Fisher was 3-4 with a double and an RBI, while Stevyn Andrachick and Erick Reiling each had a single hit in the win. 

The streak continued against the Premier Blues as the Jets once again steamrolled their opponent with an 11-2 win. Jimmy Boulanger gave the Jets a complete six innings on the mound as the offence continued to hit the ball all over the ballpark. Fisher was great against racking up two extra-base hits (HR, 2B) and six RBI while Yip also had a homer and four RBI. Rounding out the offence, Andrachick went 1-1, McTavish was 1-3 with an RBI, Laurence and Raphael Ranger were each 1-3, and Karsen Haney went 2-3. 

In the third and final round-robin game, the Jets would see their offence explode late in the game to take a 14-4 win over the Webber Wildcats. Fisher continued his great tournament with another 2-3 game including a home run, double, and four RBI. Yip went 1-2 with two RBI, Laurence and Seth Christie each had a hit while Ranger had a triple with two RBI, Carson Boyko was 2-2 with a double and two RBI, Wheatley was 1-1 with an RBI, and Ty Clemett was 1-2 with an RBI. Drew Lenehan got the start while Hudson Kozicki finished ish things off. 

With an undefeated round-robin, the Jets saw their semi-final game go on Sunday afternoon against Medicine Hat. Another double-digit effort led to a 15-5 win as the Jets punched their ticket to the final. Patrick MacInnis and Rory MacDonald guided the team to the victory on the mound while the offence continued to find multiple ways to score. The predominant way in the semi-final was by hitting the ball out of the ballpark as the team combined for six round-trippers. Laurence had a pair while Fisher, Ranger, McTavish, and Reiling all hit one. 

 Andrachick had a pair of triples and a double in the game while Fisher, Yip, and Christie also all had a double. 

Looking to complete the undefeated tournament, the Jets saw a rematch in the final against the Webber Wildcats. Like the first game, the Jets were once again able to get a big win — this time 17-7. Jack Baxter, Jacob Burgess, and Keegan McNeil all found their way to the mound en route to the win. The lineup continued to be extremely dangerous as the Jets saw Andrachick go 2-2 with an RBI, McTavish was 2-3 with a grand slam, a double, and five RBI, Fisher 3-3, Yip was 3-5 with a home run and five RBI, Laurence had a double and an RBI, Reiling was 2-2 with a home run and two RBI, Clemett went 1-4 with an RBI, and Ranger had a hit. 

With the season rapidly approaching its end, the Jets only have a handful of games left on the calendar. This upcoming weekend, the team heads back out on the road as they go south for the Missoula Memorial Day Tournament. The season then officially ends with the annual TCMM game against the Bulls on May 31 at Spitz Stadium.