By Bob Elliott

As they say in the Ontario dugout:

"Never in doubt."

At the national midgets in 2007, hosted by Quebec City, the Toronto Mets won the Baseball Canada championship with two runs in the bottom of the 10th.

And this year coach Jason Chee-Aloy's Mets scored twice in the bottom of the seventh to edged Quebec – the same Quebec midget all star team that won our Mets tourney five weeks ago at the Shrine known as Talbot Park.

LHP Josh Wood (Toronto, Ont.) and Samuel Ouellet (St-Eustache, Que.) both pitched complete games in Halifax, N.S.

Québec took a 1-0 lead into the bottom of the seventh, when an error allowing the tying run to score. A walk then loaded the bases and Brett Sanders (Toronto, Ont.) also walked to force hom the tying run and give Ontario the national title.

Quinn Cumming had led off the seventh with a single for Ontario. Then, Skye Irwin bunted him up  a base and Maxx Tissenbaum singled. Sean Pisarki then reached on error, as the first run score.

Ryan Panas  walked to load the bases and then Sanders did the same.

Cue the celebration.

Pisarski (5 2/3 innings) and Jordan Glover combined on a three-hit shut out in a 1-0 win in the opener as Saunders' first-inning RBI stood in a 1-0 win over New Brunswick.

Kris Muccilli (three innings) and Ryan Panas  (two innings) combined on a two-hitter in an 11-0 romp over Prince Edward Island. Cumming knocked in three runs, while RF Skye Irwin, LF Geoff Johnston and 2B Jarrod Ivan.

Scott Donnelly pitched a complete game in a 6-1 win against Saskatchewan as Greg Densem had two doubles to drive in a pair as did Panas, who knocked in three runs.

Matthew McClements (five innings) and Stefan Sawicky combined on a one-hitter in an 11-1 win over the host Halifax team. Panas homered, while Pisarki has two doubles, with Tissenbaum and Johnston each doubled.

Ontario moved to 5-0 with a 10-4 win against Alberta. Sawicky gained thw mound win. Pisarski homered, singled and knocked in three runs, while Jesse Bartle, Irwin and Ivan each doubled.

Ontario beat British Columbia 9-2 with Glover pitching 6 2/3 innings for the win, while Sanders homered, singled and drove in a pair.

British Columbia's Jordan Kolberg (Surrey, BC) threw the complete game in a 7-3 win over Alberta in a quarter-final match up.

Daryl Ellis (Winnipeg, Man.) hit an RBI triple to drive in the winning run as Manitobe edged Prince Edward Island 6-5.

Quebec knocked off Manitoba 10-2 in the other semi-final game as SS Kevin Tremblay doubled, homered and plated four runs.

British Columbia beat Manitoba 12-0 to earn the bronze, as Nick Alexiou tossed a one hitter. DH Alex Condon, RF Matt Leschuk and C Greg Dealy each had a pair of hits.

BANTAM GIRLS: British Columbia beat Québec 4-1 to win the bantam girls title in Mascouche, Que. Jodi Hynek (Surrey, BC) and Kendra Lennie (Vancouver, BC) held Québec three hits.

Saskatchewan captured bronze with a 13-3 win over Nova Scotia. Bailey Habshied (Wymark, Sask.) led the way going 4-for-4 with four RBIs, while Karli Reeve (Yorkton, Sask.) threw the complete game, fanning eight.

MEDAL STANDINGS: (two championships declared): Quebec 1-1-0; B.C. 1-0-1, Ontario 1-0-0,  Saskatchewan 0-0-1.

WEEK II: Baseball Canada Cup in Medicine Hat, Alta. begins Aug.13. ... The juniors decide the title Aug. 14, n Charlottetown, PEI ...  the bantams play in Mascouche, Que. ... the peewee are in Vaughan, Ont. ... the seniors are in Brandon, Man.

B.C.'s BEST: LHP Griffin Ledingham pitched the North Shore Twins to the B.C. Premier League title with a 6-3 win over the top-seeded, Langley Blaze. The Twins, coached by Hall of Famer John Harr, broke open a 1-1 tie with five runs at the top of sixth inning. Four singles and then a hit batter and three walks brought home the runs.

Ledingham allowed one earned run in 5 2/3 innings. Stefan Reeves came in to get the save.

After losing their first game of the final four tournament 3-2 to Coquitlam as Chris Foreman had a pair of hits, the No. 3-seeded Twins defeated Langley 3-1, the Nanaimo Pirates 9-1 and then beat Langley in the final.

Mike Ellis threw a no-hitter, striking out seven and walking only two as the Langley Blaze opened the tourney with a 2-0 win over the Nanaimo Pirates and Danny Britton-Foster. Rory Young pitched Langley to a 10-1 win over Coquitlam.

AND THE WINNERS ARE: Langley's Mike Ellis was awarded the rookie of the year and pitcher of the year (9-0, 1.08) trophies. Coquitlam Reds catcher Oscar Rodriguez (.383 average, zero homers, 30 RBIs) was named the League MVP before 150 people at a banquet staged at the Coast Bastion Hotel in Nanaimo.

Other major awards went to Jon Mihic (Abbotsford) as league top hitter (.411, one, 26), Wes Darvill (Langley) presented the golden glove award (.280, zero, 11) and Damon Loewen (Abbotsford) was presented with the top offensive player award (.398, four, 33).

Langley Blaze were named Team of the Year and Parksville was voted organization of the year.
 

INTERESTING ITEMS OR NEWS?: A no-hitter on the prairies, a Maritimer (or anyone else) signing a letter of intent to go to college, something you saw that you've never seen before?

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