TWO KEY PIECES OF THE CROWDER ROUGHHRIDERS PUZZLE ARE 3B KOBE MORRIS (VICTORIA) AND OF TYLER DUNCAN (SOOKE, BC)

By Bob Elliott
Canadian Baseball Network
Seven Canucks will be partaking in the 60th annual Alpine Bank Junior College World Series which begins Saturday in Grand Junction, Col.

There may be seven players at the World Series but there is only oone team most Canuck ball fans are rooting for: The Crowder Roughriders. Crowder has six Canucks on the team from three different provinces, while the Cowley County Tigers have LHP Matt Krutsch (Essex, Ont.).

Besides Crowder and Cowley, also competing at Sam Suplizio Field are the Chipola Indians, Dyersburg State Eagles, Florence Darlington Tech Stingers, Wabash Valley Warriors, Wallace-Dothan Governors, San Jacinto Gators, McLennan Highlanders and Southern Nevada Coyotes.

Crowder is led by OF Tyler Duncan (Sooke, BC), INF Kobe Morris (Victoria, BC), OF Kyle Blackwell (Waterdown, Ont.), C Kyle MacDonald (Mississauga, Ont.), C Jacob Charron (Ottawa, Ont.) and RHP Cyprienne Dussenne (Montreal, Que.).

1B MacDonald homered and hit a pair of doubles knocking in two runs as Crowder bested the Seminole State Trojans at Joplin to advance to the JUCO World Series, Mo. 3B Morris doubled in a run, while RF Duncan also knocked in a run.

Crowder opened with a 10-8 win against Delgado, scoring six runs in the last three innings. 1B MacDonald doubled, homered and drove in two runs, while DH Blackwell had two hits, including a homer, and plated a pair of runs. 3B Morris doubled in a run, while RF Duncan also doubled.

Next, Crowder fell 2-1 to Seminole State as 3B Morris homered and singled, while RF Duncan and 1B MacDonald each singled. DH Jonathon Lacroix (Montreal, Que.) singled and drove in a run.

Then, Crowder beat Delgado 9-5 as Duncan homered twice to drive in four runs, while DH Blackwell hit a solo shot. 3B Morris singled helping the Roughriders reach the final.

On the season ... Duncan is hitting .364 with 19 doubles, eight triples, 10 homers and 75 RBIs in 63 games with 44 steals and a 1.099 OPS ... MacDonald takes a .346 average into tournament play with 19 doubles, a triple, 15 homers and 68 RBIs with a 1.085 OPS ... Morris hit .365 in 62 games with 13 doubles, three triples, 59 RBIs, while stealing 20 bases ... Blackwell batted .261 with two doubles, four homers and 15 RBIs to go with an .813 OPS ... Charron batted .217 with three doubles, two homers and 11 RBIs plus his .681 OPS ... And on the mound Dussenne appeared in five games with a 6.43 ERA as he walked 11 and struck out 12 in seven innings.

Krutsch was 3-1 with a 3.81 ERA in 13 games -- four starts for Cowleyy County. He has walked 15 and fanned 21 in 26 innings.

Elliott: Year of the Roughrider at Grand Junction?