By: Tyler King

Canadian Baseball Network

Through the first 88 innings of play at this year’s Tournament 12 - a span totaling more than 12 games - scouts, players, and fans were still waiting for that first home run.

The power drought had even left some wondering if they were ever going to see a ball carry the Rogers Centre wall.

What a difference two innings makes ...

After the tournament’s 90th inning, the concrete rafters of the old SkyDome had finally reverberated with the distinct sound and flight of not one but two home runs.

With Alberta Red and Atlantic Maroon locked in a scoreless tie in the fifth inning, Sexsmith, Alta. native Greg Student put three runs on the board with one swing, sending a 1-2 changeup over the wall in left.

A half-inning later, Maroon’s infielder Brett Platts hit a solo shot to nearly the exact same spot.

Student’s three-run knock helped propel the Alberta side to a 6-1 victory, their first of the tournament in four games. 

Boxscore: Alberta Red 6 Atlantic Maroon 1

Although the win likely won’t be enough for Alberta to advance, Student was happy he got to savour what is now his most memorable baseball moment before flying home.

“It was an unbelievable feeling,” Student said about his first home run in a big league park. “The Blue Jays have been my favourite team ever since I was a little kid.”

You can forgive Student if he was a bit caught off guard when he realized the ball had left the yard. The Okotoks Dawgs outfielder has always been known more for his speed than his power. 

The home run was just his first he’s hit all season, and if he had run the 60-yard dash as fast as he rounded the bases he may have rivaled teammate Clayton Keyes for the title of the tournament’s fastest man.

But when asked if he wished he had of slowed down his home run trot and prolonged the moment, Student laughed.

“When I rounded first and heard the big cheer, I didn’t actually see the ball. But once I heard the crowd noise, I just went ‘Oh man, this is real.’ It was all a blur from there. 

“Anytime I hit a home run I just go. I get that burst of adrenaline.”

Until that moment, there hadn’t been bursts of any kind for the Alberta offence. They had managed just one hit prior to their fourth and final game.

“It’s pretty difficult [hitting] with the 1-1 count,” Student said of his team’s struggles adjusting to the tournament format, where every at-bat starts with a strike and a ball. “You have the best pitchers in Canada and they have the advantage of a strike on you already. And maybe there was a bit of pressure being in the Rogers Centre and in front of so many eyes, it’s tough.”

Platts - who hit the tournament’s second home run - also acknowledged that hits have been hard to come by.

“It’s always tough with the 1-1 count,” Platts said. “But I got a changeup in and drove it over the fence. Power is a big part of my game.”

Despite the home run, the loss left Platts a little more subdued and puts Atlantic’s tournament hopes in jeopardy. They’ll likely need a win their fourth game later in the afternoon to have a chance at advancing to the semifinals.

The game against the struggling Alberta side seemed like a great opportunity for Atlantic to punch their ticket to Monday's action. But both sides were stymied in the early going by solid starting pitching.

Alberta starter Joshua Fisher (Spruce Grove, Alta.) shut down the Atlantic side through four innings, allowing just two hits and one walk while striking out six - including the side in second.

Atlantic starter Joshua Tardif (Dieppe, NB) kept pace striking out seven in his five innings, but ran into trouble in his final frame.

After hitting the leadoff batter in the fifth, a successful pickoff attempt followed by a strikeout made it appear as if Tardif was going to keep the game scoreless. But after giving up a walk to Alberta infielder Levi Muth, Tardif hit his second batter of the inning, setting the stage for Student’s three-run home run.

The Atlantic side made up some of that deficit in the top of the sixth when Platts hit his two-out solo shot. However, that’s as close as the team from the east would get.

After a bases-loaded walk by Muth in the bottom half, Platts gave back his home run and then some with a fielding error that allowed two Alberta runs to score.

The six runs-scored was the lone bright spot in an otherwise disappointing tournament for the Alberta side.

It was an especially tough week for Keyes - a member of the Canadian Junior National team who usually poses a significant offensive threat - as he was held hitless through all four games.