Torrington Riptides win Clash at the Coast tournament

In only their second year of entering, North Devon’s baseball team, the Torrington Riptides, won the regional pre-season Clash at the Coast tournament.

The Riptides beat the Plymouth Mariners 13-7 in the final, after beating the Exeter Wyverns 15-4 in the semi-final earlier in the afternoon.

The annual tournament is hosted by the Mariners and raises funds for two local cancer charities – It’s in the Bag Testicular Cancer Support and Breast Cancer Now.

“When we entered this tournament last year, we were the new team on the block,” Riptides player-manager Jess Cooper said after the game.

“I was the only member of the team who had ever played baseball. Most of the others had never even watched a game, let alone played one. We had only done a few months of indoor training, not even practised outside. We had no idea what we were doing, so, of course, we got beaten in every game.

“What an incredible difference a year makes. Everyone has worked so hard to make us a better team and it’s been so great to watch as our skills and confidence and team spirit have grown.”

In back-to-back matches on Saturday, Torrington beat the Cornish Pioneers 10-9 and 14-12 to qualify for the semi-finals. Ed Willmott and Ed Keech impressed in both pitching and batting, with Willmott audaciously stealing home plate at one point.

Josh Owen excelled at base stealing, and there was some heroic fielding from new team member John Lewis at first base in his first games with the club.

The strong teamwork continued on day two, as Exeter were held to just four runs by great pitching from Fred Batt and disciplined fielding from the whole team.

The Mariners went into the final as favourites, but hits from Cooper, Willmott and Mike ‘Juggernaut’ Curtis gave Torrington an unassailable lead, while Willmott’s and Batt’s pitching and another strong all-round performance on the field prevented Plymouth from catching up.

“I hope this is the first of many trophies for this team,” Cooper said. “We’re going to go to every league game this year looking for a win. The Torrington Riptides are going to be a force to be reckoned with.”

To join or sponsor the team, email Jess Cooper at torringtonriptides@gmail.com