Pitcher Mike Saunders overcame a partisan crowd of 10,000 spectators by belting a three-run homer to lead Victoria Gordon Head past homestanding Valleyfield, Quebec in the Canadian Region championship game. Saunders' homer helped erase an early 2-0 deficit, and sent the British Columbia champions to the Little League World Series in South Williamsport, PA. Gordon Head's win made the Victoria squad only the second Vancouver Island league ever to win a Canadian championship in the major boys division -- and came in the 25th anniversary season of the Esquimalt Vic-West Little League's pioneering effort in 1974.

Gordon Head was in command throughout the tournament. The B.C. representatives breezed past all five of their round-robin opponents, outscoring the competition by a 29-3 margin in the process. Victoria also benefitted from a pair of no-hitters in round-robin competition.

Gordon Head opened the tournament with a 4-0 win over Alberta's Calgary Fish Creek LL. Pitcher Rajan Nirwan held the Prairie champions to three hits, and also homered in the victory. Adam Splawski supported Nirwan's effort with three RBIs.

After a rainout, Gordon Head faced Sydney, Nova Scotia. Sydney advanced to the region tournament only after preventing longtime Canadian power Glace Bay from making its 14th consecutive Canadian championship appearance by eliminating the Colonels in a three game series in the Nova Scotia District 1 Tournament. Sydney then eliminated New Brunswick champion Kennebacasis Valley in the Maritime championships.

Gordon Head edged Sydney 3-2. The Victoria squad scored a pair of runs in the first without the benefit of a base hit, and Nirwan later added another homer. LaSalle (ON) and Valleyfield also won, leaving all three teams undefeated through three days of the tournament.

Valleyfield then edged LaSalle 2-1 to hand the Windsor-area team its first loss of the tournament. Kevin Lecompte's four-hitter keyed the effort for Les Elites. Victoria kept pace, as Jared Gale and Nirwan combined on a two-hitter in a 7-1 win over Brossard (QC). Gordon Head led only 1-0 through three innings before pulling away.

Sydney also picked up a victory, as the Maritime champions routed Fish Creek 13-2. The win kept Sydney's remote title hopes alive: Valleyfield and Gordon Head led the tournament with 3-0 records, with LaSalle at 3-1 and Sydney at 1-2. Sydney would need to win its remaining games and get help from other clubs to avoid elimination and force knock-out games.

Sydney took the first step Toward that scenario by upsetting Valleyfield 2-1 in seven innings. Sydney pitcher Ricky MacLeod held Les Elites to three hits and outdueled Valleyfield counterpart Stephane Hart in the win. The Cape Bretoners scored the deciding run in the top of the seventh when Jennifer Sheppard reached on a bunt single and then went station-to-station via a fielder's choice, a stolen base, and a passed ball.

Gordon Head provided Sydney with part two of its comeback scenario by blasting LaSalle 10-0 in five innings. Saunders fired a no-hitter for the winners, and Victoria sent 14 batters to the plate in the top half of an eight-run first inning. The win clinched a spot in the championship game for Gordon Head, while Valleyfield (3-1), LaSalle (3-2), and Sydney (2-2) all hoped to claim the other berth.

A pair of make-up games failed to produce an opponent for Gordon Head. Sydney edged winless Brossard 2-1 in 10 innings in the first game, while Nirwan's no-hitter paced Gordon Head past Valleyfield 5-0 in the nightcap. The make-up game results left all three hopefuls with identical 3-2 records. Valleyfield then swept a knock-out doubleheader from Sydney and LaSalle to claim the second title game berth. Hart held Sydney to three hits as Valleyfield rolled in the opener by a 7-0 score, and Les Elites then outlasted LaSalle 2-1 in twelve innings in the nightcap.

The four-team logjam at the top of the round-robin standings forced the tournament to use knock-out games for the first time since the region tournament last came to Stade Roland Boyer in 1992. The most recent four-team knock-out scenario occurred in 1984, when South Coquitlam, British Columbia claimed the title after four clubs finished round-robin play with 3-2 records.

Toward the past

Toward the present

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