October 10, 2021

By Bob Elliott

Canadian Baseball Network

The East Cobb Yankees had the tying run on first base and only one out in the final inning.

Then, the call went to the bullpen. RHP Boston Warkentin (Ladner, B.C.) needed only nine pitches to record a pair of strikeouts and save a 5-4 win for NEB National on Day 2 of the 23rd annual Perfect Game World Wood Bat Association championship in Jupiter, Fla.

Warkentin, a member of the Okotoks Dawgs, went ball one to the first hitter he faced and then three straight strikes for the second out. Then, he went 2-0, before throwing three consecutive strikes to end it.

FieldHouse Pirates’ SS Nathaniel Ochoa (Burlington, Ont.) singled for NEB.

NEB stayed undefeated in its second game of the day battling MLB Breakthrough Series 2022 to a 2-2 tie.

Okotoks Dawgs’ Matthew Grabmann (Dartmouth, N.S.) pitched for NEB allowing two runs -- one earned -- on three hits and two walks, striking out six in three innings. Grabmann needed 49 pitches (67% strikes) as his fastball was clocked at 95 MPH.

Ochoa (Burlington, Ont.) went 1-for-3 and is hitting .375 through three games. NEB is now 1-0-1.

* * *

2B Nathan Kirkpatrick tripled, singled and knocked in two runs as the Brewers Langley Blaze battled the Richmond Braves to a 9-9 tie. The Braves scored three times in the final inning for the tie. Langley hitters went 1-2-3 in the bottom half.

Kirkpatrick (Surrey, B.C.) bunted to third in the fifth and he hit a two-run triple to right for a 6-4 lead.

LF Aidan Malish (Kelowna, B.C.) doubled in a run, while CF Ty Hamilton (Orleans, Ont.) singled and also drove in a run. Hamilton is hitting .429 through three games.

In Langley’s second game of the day -- a 2-0 win over the Canes Florida 18U Prime -- Kirkpatrick and Hamilton were in the middle of things again.

Kirkpatrick singled to right in the seventh and Hamilton singled to centre in the fifth. Langley scored a pair in the fourth.

* * *

Mississauga North Tigers’ Taeg Gollert (Toronto, Ont.) wound up with the win as the Rawlings National Scout Team scored in the bottom of the seventh for an 8-7 win over Stix 2022 Scout.

Gollert took over in the top of the seventh and pitched a 1-2-3-4 scoreless inning to put up a zero. First, he recorded a strike out swinging, then a strike out looking, and after a single got the final out of the inning with a fly ball.

Gollert led off the bottom of the seventh with a walk, but was thrown out stealing. A walk, a single and an error gave Rawlings National the victory.

He threw 14 pitches (71% strikes) as his fastball was clocked at 88 MPH.

* * *

The St. Louis Pirates/Cubs Scout Team blanked the Ontario Blue Jays 8-0 in the second game of the round robin.

Kansai Sugimoto and Jeff Tiw were roughed up, each allowing four runs. Sugimoto (Mississauga, Ont.) started and gave up four runs on three hits. He struck out two in his 32-pitch effort (62% strikes) which saw him peak at 92 MPH.

Tiw (Burlington, Ont.) allowed four runs -- one earned -- on five hits and two walks, while he fanned one in 3 2/3 innings. Tiw’s fastball was clocked at 81-84 MPH.

The lone hit for the Ontario Blue Jays was Brendan Lawson (Toronto, Ont.) and his fifth-inning infield single. Lawson is hitting .500 through two games.

* * *

White Rock Tritons’ RHP Chase Marshall (Surrey, B.C.) pitched in relief for the Toronto Blue Jays Scout Team, 8-0 losers to the 5 Star National.

Marshall worked 1 1/3 innings coming on with his team down 4-0. He allowed four runs -- three earned -- on four hits and a walk. He struck out one, throwing 38 pitches (63% strikes). His fastball was clocked at 89 MPH. The loss dropped their record to 1-1.

* * *

Ontario Terriers CF Cameron Chee-Aloy (Toronto, Ont.) singled for the San Diego Padres Scout Team in an 8-2 loss to SWFL 2022 Nation. He singled to right in the sixth and then stole second. The Padres Scout Team is now 0-2.