As the summer approaches and many teams at UFV prepare to hit the beach in the offseason, the men’s baseball team continues to hit other things, like home runs. The Cascades, who are now the only active team playing at UFV that is not in its offseason, has put forth a solid effort leading up to the championship tournament they almost won a year ago.
After opening weekend saw the Cascades pick up three wins, they faced the rival Okanagan College Coyotes in a four-game season series the following week. After being blown out by a score of 13-2 in their opening clash, UFV lost by only a single score in their next matchup (4-3). The third game saw Cascades’ pitcher Dylan Emmons take over, giving the Cascades their lone win of the weekend by throwing 12 strikeouts. The fourth went again to the Coyotes, who won 10-4. The rematch with the team they had met the year prior in the CCBC championship game didn’t entirely go their way, but that wouldn’t stop the Cascades.
Then they met the Calgary Dinos for a four-game stretch, and the Cascades did not disappoint. They opened up with a 7-1 win which was helped by star hitter Riley Jepson who homered twice and ended the game with a five RBI showing. Calgary came back at the Cascades, winning the second game by a score of 4-1. That was all the Dinos could get, as UFV went on to win the two remaining games of the series by scores of 9-4 and 4-3.
Then it was a rematch with the VIU Mariners. In a matchup that rarely disappoints, the two teams went at it, but it was the Mariners who got the first win, taking down the Cascades by a score of 6-2. UFV had to readjust, and they did just that. Trailing in the second game, the Cascades showed off their character by coming back to win 9-8, in part due to standout performances from Riley Jepson, Dylan Merritt, Travis Klein, and Alex Deluca.
On came the TRU Wolfpack for the Cascades. TRU and UFV went back and forth early, but it was the Wolfpack who came through for the win in the bottom of the ninth. The following game showed promise, as UFV came back to win 8-5, but they still had a game to go. TRU blasted the Cascades in the fifth inning of the final game of the weekend, eventually winning 8-0. UFV once again had to make some adjustments if they were to keep their winning record heading into the postseason.
In yet another regular season matchup with VIU, the Cascades showed noticeable improvement. The hometown UFV squad won the first game of the weekend by a score of 12-2, with a whopping 11 runs in the first three innings. Their second meeting didn’t go all that differently, as UFV triumphed again, this time with a score of 8-2. It was an important weekend for the Cascades, who are now 11-8 on the season.
The Cascades now look to close out their regular season at home when they take on Edmonton Collegiate in a four-game series this upcoming weekend.
Image: Dan Kinvig, UFV Athletics
