Baseball Canada Cup: Saskatchewan is golden

By: Adam Morissette

Canadian Baseball Network

OTTAWA- For only the second time in the 28-year history of the event and for the first time since 1994, the Baseball Canada Cup is heading to Saskatchewan after an unprecedented run today at Shell Place in Fort McMurray that saw the Prairie boys down three-time defending champion British Columbia, 6-1 in the gold medal contest.

The win was made even more impressive given the fact that Saskatchewan rallied from eight runs down to defeat Québec, 11-10 in 11 innings in an emotionally charged semi final game just hours before the start of the gold medal game.

After winning the last three events at the select 17U level, BC comes away with the silver medal, their 24th medal overall and tenth silver at the event since it began in 1989.

After a tough semi-final loss, Québec rallied to defeat Newfoundland & Labrador for bronze with a 4-2 win. The medal is Québec’s 19th all-time at the event and seventh all-time bronze, while the fourth place finish is the best ever result for Newfoundland & Labrador.

Gold - Saskatchewan 6 BC 1

Tyler McWillie’s (Watrous, SK) two-RBI single in the top of the sixth proved to be the difference as Saskatchewan took their first lead of the game and they went on to defeat BC 6-1 to win the gold medal. Nolan Machibroda (Saskatoon, SK) had come up with an RBI double earlier in the inning to pull even after BC had taken a 1-0 lead in the second on a Thomas Neal (Vancouver, BC) RBI ground out. After Danny Berg’s (Saskatoon, SK) two run double put Saskatchewan up by three in the seventh, Machibroda was at it again as his two run single iced the victory for Saskatchewan who dropped the title game to BC just one year ago in Saskatoon. Saskatchewan starter Parker McRae (Nipawin, SK) was solid over five and two-thirds innings of work, while Dylan Bells (Regina, SK) closed the door over the final one and a third innings.

Bronze – Québec 4 Newfoundland & Labrador 2

Québec avenged an opening day loss to Newfoundland & Labrador by doubling up their Pool B counterparts, 4-2, to win the bronze medal.  A two-run single off the bat of Martin Vincelli Simard (St Eustache, QC) gave Québec a two run lead before in the second before Newfoundland & Labrador evened the score in the fourth thanks to a Cole Tucker (Mount Pearl, NL) RBI single before Andrew Janes (St. John’s, NL) was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. Remi Patry (Gatineau, QC) then went to work putting runs across in the fifth and seventh on a pair of RBI groundouts to give his side the go ahead and an insurance run before starter Pierre Olivier Avoine (Gatineau, QC) closed the door to earn the win. Edouard Savoie (St Eustache, QC) recorded the final out of the game to record the save.

Semi – BC 4 Newfoundland & Labrador 0

BC rode the right arm of Sam Shoemaker (West Vancouver, BC) who tossed six scoreless innings to shutout Pool B winners, Newfoundland & Labrador 4-0. Shoemaker scattered just three hits and two walks and fanned four to lead BC to the title game for the fifth consecutive year. BC did all the scoring they would need in the bottom of the first as Rhys Cratty (Langley, BC) doubled home Steven Moretto (Burnaby, BC) before they added one in the second and two more in the fifth. Moretto also picked up a double and an RBI while Stephen Horner (Vancouver, BC) and Jayden Knight (Langley, BC) collected two hits each. Daniel Rice (St. John’s, NL) had both hits for Newfoundland & Labrador.

Semi – Saskatchewan 11 Québec 10 (11 innings)

It ain’t over till it’s over, is all Saskatchewan needed to hear as they overcame an eight run hole to come away with an 11-10, 11 inning win over Québec that will go down as one of the most exciting games in the 28-year history of the Baseball Canada Cup. After a walk and single put runners on first and second in the home half of the 11th, a one error allowed Danny Berg (Saskatoon, SK) to scoot home with the winning run and send Saskatchewan to the title game for the second consecutive year.

Québec came out firing on all cylinders in the top of the first as they strung together four hits and three walks to score seven runs before adding another in the second to go up by eight. The comeback began in the third as Saskatchewan put up two runs in each of the third, fourth and sixth frames before scoring four in the seventh to send the game to extras. Brody Frerichs (Muenster, SK) led the Saskatchewan 17-hit attack as he went 4-for-7 with a home run and drove in three, while teammates Nolan Machibroda (Saskatoon, SK) and Logan Frizke (Swift Current, SK) had three hits each.

Québec spread out their offence as nine different players had hits including Marc Antoine Lefebvre (Varennes, QC) who went 3-for-4 and drove in a pair. Connor Angel (Lachine, QC) was tagged with the loss as the only run he allowed through four and a third innings on the mound turned out to be the winning one. Logan Hofmann (Muenster, SK) tossed four scoreless innings of relief and fanned six to pick up the win.

In placement games, it was New Brunswick 4 over PEI 1 in the 9/10 game, while Nova Scotia topped Manitoba, 8-7 in the 7/8 game and Alberta blanked Ontario, 7-0, in the 5/6 game.

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