Ontario Blue Jays post winning trip to PG BCS at Fort Myers
Isaiah Scott (Mississauga, Ont.) went deep for the Ontario Blue Jays on their trip to Fort Myers, Fla.
September 20, 2021
By Bob Elliott
Canadian Baseball Network
The Ontario Blue Jays had a winning trip to the 16th annual Perfect Game 17U Baseball Championship Series (aluminum) national championship.
The team coached by Mike Steed (Burlington, Ont.) played on big-league spring training fields in the 142-team event staged at Fort Myers, Fla.
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In Game One ... The Ontario Blue Jays thumped Foundation Sports 17u 15-0 as Kansai Sugimoto (Mississauga, Ont.) pitched a three-inning no hitter at City of Palms Park. Sugimoto, headed to Yavapai College, needed only 39 pitches (64% strikes) with his fastball clocked in the 87-90 mph range.
LF Jackson Somerville (Burlington, Ont.) had a productive trip south
SS Manny Alberto (Aurora, Ont.) and CF Jorge Valdes (Milton, Ont.) each had a pair of singles, while DH Isaiah Scott (Mississauga, Ont.) and LF Jackson Somerville (Burlington, Ont.) each singled. Scott drove in four runs, as 2B Alex Ellert (White City, Sask.), 3B Myles Naylor (Mississauga, Ont.) and Somerville knocked in a pair or runs.
The other RBIs went to Valdes (two) and one apiece to 1B Matthew Sargeant (Ancaster, Ont.), Dylan Shepherd (Barrie, Ont.) and Alberto.
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Game Two ... The Ontario Blue Jays fell level at 1-1 in a 7-4 loss to the Palm Beach Selects at the City of Palms Park. Liam Watt (Burlington, Ont.) took the loss allowing four hits and three runs in 2 2/3 innings. Watt threw 44 pitches (65% strikes). He was consistently in the 81-83 mph range.
Quinn Tavares (Missisauga, Ont.) started, pitching two innings and giving up four runs on two hits and five walks in his 53-pitch outing (47% strikes). He topped out at 87 mph. Finishing up was Danny Farsalas (Aurora, Ont.), who pitched a scoreless 1 1/3 innings. He threw 13 pitches (84% strikes) with his fastball at 79 mph.
CF Jorge Valdes (Milton, Ont.) knocked in a pair.
Evan Ashe (Acton, Ont.) went 3-for-3, while Sam White (Aurora, Ont.) was 2-for-4, including a double and is hitting .400 through two games. Valdes had two RBIs and White drove in a run.
For the Selects a pair of southbound Ontario Terriers fared well as the opposing battery: RHP Dylan Oborne (Richmond Hill, Ont.) and C Colin Cymbalista (Pickering, Ont.).
Oborne started and allowed three runs on two hits and three hits. He walked three in his 59-pitch outing (49% strikes). Oborne worked consistently in the 87-91 mph range and complemented his fastball with a 76-mph curve ball. Oborne hit a homer and knocked in two. He is hitting .600 through two games.
C Cymbalista was 2-for-2.
Matt Marzec (Burlington, Ont.) was part of a combined shutout against the Midwest Dodgers.
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Game Three ... The Ontario Blue Jays finished pool play with a 2-1 mark Matt Marzec (Burlington, Ont.) and Jeff Tiw (Burlington, Ont.) combined on a six-hit shutout in an 8-0 win against the Midwest Dodgers at Red Sox 4 at JetBlue Park. Marzec gave up four hits and walked one, while fanning seven in 3 2/3 innings.
Marzec’s fastball sat in the 80-82 mph range during his 58-pitch outing (70% strikes). Tiw had three strikeouts in his 30 pitch session (60% strikes).
Scott had a two-run homer -- scoring Naylor, who had doubled -- in the sixth for a 6-0 lead. He was 2-for-3 to lift his average to .750 through two games.
Valdes went 1-for-3 and is hitting .375. 3B White had a pair of hits, as did SS Naylor, who drove in a run. DH Corey Morro (Cheltenham, Ont.) singled and drove in a run, as did 1B Sargeant. The other hit went to Somerville.
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Isaiah Scott (2023, Mississauga, Ont.) shows a really nice left-handed swing with well-developed offensive talent already. Went 2-for-3 on day two with a moonshot home run and a pair of RBIs. He coils up well into his lower half and unleashes a consistent swing with serious intent to do damage. The bat speed is impressive, and the swing shows real pull-side pop with the ability to hit the other way as well. Good athlete that moves well with a solid foundation at 5-foot-11, 175 pounds. Has put together mature at-bats early in this tournament and shows a developed approach at the plate.
-Ben Komonosky
Pool AA
Team PCT W-L-T RA RS
Ontario Blue Jays .667 2-1-0 7 27
Palm Beach Select 2022 .667 2-1-0 17 17
Foundation Sports 17u Mingin .667 2-1-0 22 12
Midwest Dodgers .000 0-3-0 22 12
Game Four ... Kael Clarkson (Minesing, Ont.) deserved a better fate when the Ontario Blue Jays began their second round of pool play, losing 8-2 to the Dirtbags All Blacks at Clemente Field at the Terry Park Sports Complex.
Clarkson gave up one run on five hits and three walks, striking out two in 4 1/3 innings in his 73-pitch session (52% strikes). Clarkson, who left with the score 1-1, sat in the 81-85 mph range.
White led the way going 1-for-3 with a double. He’s now batting .455 through four games.
Brandon Latter (Caledon East, Ont.) went 1-for-2, with an RBI and is hitting .500 through two games. Morro singled in a run as well. The other hits were by Sawyer Whitaker (Mississauga, Ont.) and Somerville.
Game Five ... A sixth-inning run gave the Ontario Blue Jays a 2-1 win over the Dulins Dodgers at George Brett Field at Terry Park Sports Complex
Naylor started the sixth inning off with a single to centre and he moved up on an Alberto bunt. An out later, Sargeant doubled to centre bringing home Naylor for a 2-0 lead. Sargeant was 2-for-2 and is hitting .429 through five games.
Watt allowed a lead-off homer cutting the Jays lead in half. After a single, Watt was replaced having allowed one run on three hits and striking out two in two innings. Watt was clocked in the 77-82 mph neighbourhood
Sugimoto retired the side for the save on 22 pitches (54% strikes), hitting 92 mph. James Wilson started and worked three scoreless for the win, allowing four hits and a walk. He fanned three. Wilson threw 47 pitches (48% strikes).
RF Cole Patrick (Markham, Ont.) doubled in a run while the other hits went to 2B Ellert, CF Valdes, 3B Naylor and Ashe.
Gave Six ...The Ontario Blue Jays scored in every inning, but needed a run in the bottom of the sixth for a 10-9 win over Precision Baseball 17u at Cypress Lake High School.
With one out Ellert walked in the bottom of the sixth and moved to second on a balk. Naylor was then walked intentionally. Ellert and Naylor each stole and Scott was walked intentionally. Sargeant walked on a 3-1 count to force home Ellert with the walk-off walk.
RF Patrick had two doubles and knocked in a run, while SS Ellert picked up a pair of safeties.
The other hits went to White and Latter, who each doubled home a run, plus Naylor and Scott, while RBIs were collected by Jordin Limnidis (Milton, Ont.), Naylor, Scott and Sargeant.
Tiw gained the win allowing one run on four hits and a walk in two innings. He threw 43 pitches (62% strikes) while fanning three. He sat at 85 mph.
Tavares gave up five runs on two hits and three walks throwing 36 pitches (44% strikes) in 1 2/3 innings, hitting 86 mph. Farsalas gave up three runs on five hits and a walk in 2 1/3. He threw 43 pitches (69% strikes).
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Game Seven: MVP BEAST 2022 beat the Ontario Blue Jays 9-1 in consolation play at the Twins CenturyLink Sports Complex.
On a bullpen day, Marcus Guglietti (Nobleton, Ont.) worked a scoreless inning throwing 25 pitches (52% strikes) and hitting 78 mph. Next was Sagar Pruthi (Brampton, Ont.) who allowed one run on two walks, throwing 22 pitches (45% strikes) as he, too, sat at 79. Then, Gabriel D’Addario (Milton, Ont.) pitched an inning allowing two runs on two hits and a walk as he threw 17 pitches (58% strikes), also at 79.
Cameron Johnson (Burlington, Ont.) allowed two runs in 26-pitch outing (46% strikes) and he too was at 79. Sargeant pitched 1/3 of an inning giving up two runs on 15 pitches (40% strikes). Lawson Leblanc (Georgetown, Ont.) gave up two runs on three hits and a walk. He was clocked at 78 in his 24-pitch outing (62% strikes).
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Pool TT
Team PCT W-L-T RA RS
Dulins Dodgers .667 2-1-0 7 15
Dirtbags All Blacks .667 2-1-0 11 20
Ontario Blue Jays .667 2-1-0 18 14
Precision Baseball 17u Campbell .000 0-3-0 24 11
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The top five hitters this season after the BCS were ... White, who hit .443 with 11 doubles, three triples, a homer, 20 RBIs and a 1.317 OPS in 24 games ... Scott, batting .414, three doubles, a homer and a 1.171 OPS in 15 games ... Ellert, .438, two doubles, a triple, a homer and a 1.169 OPS in 17 games ... Sargeant, .414, three doubles, seven RBIs and a 1.126 OPS in 20 games ... and Morro, .409, six doubles, triple, 14 RBIs and a 1.125 OPS in 20 games.
And the top five arms have been ... Watt, 0-0, 0.00, four walks, 32 strikeouts in 24 innings ... Marzec, 2-0, 0.00, nine walks, 22 strikeouts in 19 1/3 innings ... Clarkson, 0-0, 0.00, seven walks, 13 strikeouts in 13 2/3 innings ... Sugimoto, 0-0, 0.00, seven walks, 24 strikeouts in 16 2/3 innings ... and Tiw, 1-0, 0.00, 12 walks, 21 strikeouts in 17 innings.