By Bob Elliott
Canadian Baseball Network
The Ontario Nationals are known as a team with strong pitching.

Coaches Shawn Gillespie and Dan Mendham took theirstrong-armed staff to the WWBA National Qualifier staged at Perfect Game Park South in Cartersville, Ga.

The Nationals went 3-1 in the 64-team tourney, the best record of the three Canadian teams on hand. 

After losing the opener, 6-4 to the Team Elite 16s Prime, the Nationals allowed five runs over their final three games scoring a 15-1 win over GATA Wolf Pack\DeMarini Sports 16U, a 9-4 decision over Team First Baseball Wegemz and then they edged the Georgia Warhawks 17U 1-0.

The Toronto Mets 18U and Toronto Mets 17U each went 2-2. 

RHP Jordan Bahnuk (Woodstock) pitched a complete game in the Nationals opening-game loss to Team Elite. He gave up seven hits and five walks accounting for six runs -- one earned -- while fanning five. 

C David Mendham (Dorchester) had a pair of hits and drove in a run, while Jacob Parsons (Guelph) singled in a run. 

The Nationals scored six in the second and then eight in the fourth as they boat-raced GATA Wolf Pack/DeMarini Sports. 

Drew Caspi (London, Ont.) doubled and knocked in three runs, while Mendham had a pair of hits and knocked in a run. Brady St. Denis (London) and Colton Fountain (Stratford) each had a base hit and drove in two runs.

Austin Young (London) pitched five innings, needing only 38 pitches -- 31 strikes -- to dispatch with the GATA, He allowed one hit and struck out three. 

David Bruinsma (Kitchener), Craig Carscadden (Guelph) and Hunter James (Stratford) combined to beat Team First. Bruinsma allowed three runs in two innings. Then Carscadden took over working three innings allowing two hits and one unearned run, while whiffing four. James pitched a scoreless seventh allowing two hits.  

Carson Burns (Cambridge) and Jake Hawkins (St. Marys) each had a pair of hits, while Rhys Cornell (Branchton) tripled for the Nationals to provide the offence. 

RHP Joey Hagen (Halifax, NS) went the distance as the Nationals finished with a 1-0 win over the Georgia WarHawks 17U. Hagen pitched a one hitter and walked five, as he struck out seven.

Parker Morris (Simcoe) walked to lead off the scoreless game in the bottom of the sixth, advanced on a Jacob Van Boekel (Bright) grounder and scored on an a EJ Martinez (Guelph) ground-rule double. And that was all Hagen would need. 

Mike Duwyn (Delhi), Mendham, Morris and Martinez had the four hits for the Nationals. 

* * *
Tyler Black (Stoufville) had a perfect day going 3-for-3 with a double and three RBIs in a 10-2 Mets 18U tourney-opening win over the Georgia Bombers 10-2. Danny Mahoney (Toronto) had a pair of hits, while Mitch Osborne (Whitby) doubled home a pair of runs and Daniel Carinci (Ajax) singled and drove in a pair. 

Hayden Malenfant (Whitby) pitched the complete-game win for manager Chris Kemlo.   

Then the Mets dropped to 1-1 losing 6-5 to Nelson Baseball School in extras. The Mets scored a run in the top of the eighth to break a 4-4 tie, but Nelson scored a pair for the walk-off win. 
 
Adam Plouffe (Toronto), Black and Carinci each had two hits and an RBI.      
    
Adam Parker (Scarborough) worked 7 1/3 innings allowing six runs on five hits and six walks, while striking out four. 

RHP Tom Murphy (Ajax) pitched a gem in the next one but wound up on the wrong end of a 1-0 loss to Team Elite West. Murphy allowed one run on three hits and four walks. He struck out nine in his 107-pitch outing (59 strikes). 

Matt Turino (Scarborough) had a pair of hits and Carinci had one.

The Mets got back to 2-2 thanks to Osborne and four pitchers in a 3-1 win over Chain 16U Burress. 

Kyle Smyth (Whitby), Aidan Findlay (Peterborough), Devon Robb (Kingston) and Jonah Offman (Thornhill) combined on the three hitter. Smyth pitched 2 1/3 scoreless, followed by Findlay who worked the next two scoreless innings. Robb allowed a run in his inning and then Offman pitched a scoreless 1 2/3 for the save. Smyth, Findlay and Offman each struck out three.   

Osborne hit his three-run double in the first. Michael Rourke (Whitby) had a pair of hits as Nick De-Ra (Toronto), Turino and Black had one each. 

* * *
The Mets 17U opened with 3-1 win over the BigStix Gamers with Ryan Capuano (Toronto) pitching a complete-game three hitter. Capuano struck out six.  

The Mets scored three in the sixth as Cameron Howard (Toronto) walked, Ben Mitchell (Greenwood) was hit by a pitch and Aaron Federman (Toronto) walked. Howard scored on a passed ball, Mitchell scored on a Sam Jones (Toronto) grounder which was booted.

Anthony Vavaroutsos (Toronto) and Howard each singled for the only hits by the Mets 17U.  

The Team Elite 17s blanked the Mets 17U 4-0. Vavaroutsos had two hits and Leo Markotic (Etobicoke) tripled. 

Sam Jones (Toronto) allowed three runs on five hits and a walk in 3 2/3 innings, while Max Lojko (Barrie) worked three scoreless innings. 

Next the Darryl Reid’s Mets were edged 6-5 by the Nelson Baseball School on a two-out, walk-off wild pitch. Ethan Edwards (Brampton) singled, doubled and knocked in two runs, while Capuano doubled, singled and drove in a run. Owen Benson (Toronto) had two hits and knocked in a run.   

Eric Parker (Scarborough) pitched five innings allowing nine hits and three walks, while he struck out six. Matt Dean (Mississauga) got the two outs of the final inning.  

And the Mets 17U got to 2-2 by beating Fierce Baseball 5-3 in their final game. Mitchell doubled, singled and knocked in a run in support of Ryan Heighway (Whitby) who pitched a complete game. Heighway allowed seven hits and two walks while giving up three runs -- two earned -- as he whiffed seven.  

Capuano collected a pair of hits, driving in a run, while Jakob Malloch (Whitby) and Vavaroutsos had two hits each. 

* * *
Plouffe was top ranked Canuck headed into the draft of those on hand. He was listed in the top 1,000, according to the Perfect Game staff.

A total of 10 players were selection to the All-Tournament Team

All Tournament Team
Team Players Grad School City Province Country Pos PG Grade
Toronto Mets 17U Owen Benson 2018 Toronto ON OF     
Toronto Mets 18U Tyler Black 2018 Stoufville ON SS     
Toronto Mets 17U Ryan Capuano 2018 Scarborough ON RHP     
Toronto Mets 18U Daniel Carinci 2018  Ajax ON CAN SS     
Ontario Nationals Craig Carscadden 2017 Guelph ON RHP     

Ontario Nationals Joey Hagen 2017 Halifax NS  RHP     
Toronto Mets 17U Ryan Heighway 2018 Whitby ON RHP     
Ontario Nationals Hunter James 2017 Stratford ON RHP     
Toronto Mets 17U Max Lojko 2018 Barrie ON RHP     
Toronto Mets 18U Hayden Malenfant 2017 Whitby ON RHP     

Ontario Nationals David Mendham 2017 Catholic Central London Dorchester ON CAN C     
Toronto Mets 17U Ben Mitchell 2018 Bill Crothers Greenwood ON CAN OF
Toronto Mets 18U Thomas Murphy 2018 All Saints Whitby ON CAN RHP     
Toronto Mets 18U Adam Parker 2018 Scarborough ON CAN LHP     
Toronto Mets 18U Michael Rourke 2017 Whitby ON 1B     

Ontario Nationals Brady St Denis 2017 London ON 3B     
Toronto Mets 17U James St. Marie 2018  Toronto ON 2B     
Toronto Mets 17U Anthony Vavaroutsos 2018  Toronto ON  OF     
Ontario Nationals Austin Young 2017 London ON RHP

Leaders
Hitters
First Name Last Name Team Name PA AB H 2B 3B HR RBI R BB SB AVG OBP SLG
Owen Benson Toronto Mets 17U 8 8 4 0 0 0 3 1 0 4 .500 .500 .500
David Mendham Ontario Nationals 12 11 5 0 0 0 3 3 1 1 .455 .500 .455
Brady St. Denis Ontario Nationals 10 7 3 0 0 0 5 2 1 0 .429 .500 .429
Ben Mitchell Toronto Mets 17U 9 7 3 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 .429 .556 .571
James St. Marie Toronto Mets 17U 7 7 3 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 .429 .429 .429

Michael Rourke Toronto Mets 18U 7 7 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .429 .429 .429
Daniel Carinci Toronto Mets 18U 13 10 4 0 0 0 3 3 1 1 .400 .417 .400
Anthony Vavaroutsos Toronto Mets 17U 13 13 4 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 .308 .308 .308

Pitching
First Name Last Name Team Name GP IP H ER BB SO ERA W-L SV
Jordan Bahnuk Ontario Nationals 1 5 4 0 3 5 0.00 0-0 0
Austin Young Ontario Nationals 1 4 1 0 0 3 0.00 0-0 0
Joey Hagen Ontario Nationals 2 4 2 0 3 4 0.00 0-0 0
Hunter James Ontario Nationals 2 3 2 0 1 2 0.00 1-0 0
Craig Carscadden Ontario Nationals 1 3 2 0 2 4 0.00 0-0 0

Ryan Heighway Toronto Mets 17U 1 3 3 0 2 3 0.00 0-0 0
Max Lojko Toronto Mets 17U 1 3 1 0 0 2 0.00 0-0 0
Thomas Murphy Toronto Mets 18U 1 3 2 0 0 4 0.00 0-0 0
Ryan Capuano Toronto Mets 17U 1 7 3 1 1 6 1.00 1-0 0
Hayden Malenfant Toronto Mets 18U 1 5 5 2 1 4 2.80 1-0 0
Adam Parker Toronto Mets 18U 1 7.33 6 4 5 4 3.82 0-0 0