Young gets Blaze off to good start in young season

By Bob Elliott

Canadian Baseball Network

One night in Seattle on opening night for the Toronto Blue Jays I asked DH Paul Molitor what was the difference between Game 1 or Game 72 or Game 139?

Molitor replied: “Because this is what we have worked out all winter for ... this is why we spend endless hours in the batting cage ... this is why we did soft toss and hit off the tee. All to get ready for this moment.

“Who knows maybe this year they’ll never get me out .... maybe I’ll hit 1.000.”

Who knows what Langley Blaze C Russ Young was thinking when he stepped into the batter’s box as the BC Premier League began against the White Rock Tritons. He swung at the first pitch and tagged a home run.

Welcome to the 2020 season. Even if it got off to a late start. Langley scored four times in the first on the way to a 12-2 win at the South Surrey Athletic Park.

Leif Friedrich, is on the mound for the White Rock Tritons against the Langley Blaze. That’s former Kansas City Royals farmhand Gary Blouin calling the balls and strikes.

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And bantam play opened as Langley beat White Rock 12-0.

Leif Friedrich, started for White Rock. He worked three innings allowing one earned run and striking out four. Friedrich has his velocity clocked at 74 MPH.

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Besides Young, Carson Chorpita tripled twice and Jacob Zibin tripled and doubled as eight of the Blaze’s 13 hits were for extra-bases. The other doubles were by Brody Alexander, Pierce Radke and Nick Holdershaw.

Johnny McGill, Chorpita and Zibin each drove in a pair of runs.

Loreto Siniscalchi, Caleb Caissie, Zac Laird, Cole Bruhaug and Jacob Sedun all had scoreless outings for Langley.

Starter Logan MacNeil, who is headed to Douglas College, settled in after the first putting up three zeros.

C-OF Mack Lake had the best blow for the Tritons, a double to the left field wall.

SS Kole Turner made a the defensive play of the game, a sliding play in six-hole.

Chase Marshall (Surrey, BC) a University of Washington commit, pitched Game 2 of the season against the Blaze.