October 11, 2021

By Bob Elliott

Canadian Baseball Network

In hockey, a Gordie Howe hat trick occurred when the Detroit Red Wings Hall of Famer had scored a goal, picked up an assist and won a fight.

In baseball, a Johnny Bench grand slam would be a 2-for-3 day, knocking in a run, throwing out a runner attempting to steal ... AND putting down all the right fingers on the way to catching a shutout. That’s assuming of course he did not hit a slam.

Ontario Terriers’ C Hugh Pinkney (Etobicoke, Ont.) had what would be known as a Bench grand slam as Team Northeast blanked Royals Scout Team 2022 4-0 on Day III of the 23rd annual Perfect Game World Wood Bat Association championship. No less than 100 teams (including 71 Canadians) are competing in Jupiter, Fla.

A Rutgers commit, Pinkney was hitting sixth and catching for the Northeast as he hit an RBI double to left in the fourth to put his club up 3-0 and knock the Royals Scout Team starter from the game. He also threw out Royals Luke Moore attempting to steal second in the third.

Delaware commit Anthony Gubitosi threw six innings and Monmouth signee Tyler Mullen tossed one to combine on the three-hit shutout. Pinkney also had another hit and is batting .667 through two games.

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Sam Shaw was a star as the Brewers Langley Blaze beat the Dallas Tigers 7-2. Lead-off man and DH Shaw (Victoria, BC) of the Victoria Mariners had a pair of singles and two RBIs.

Shaw hit a two-run single to centre in the second inning to put the Blaze up 6-0. Shaw also led off the game with a single to right to set the tone and three batters later scored in the four-run first.

LF Ty Hamilton (Orleans, Ont.) singled and drove in a run.

Blaze’s Jacob Sedun (Langley, B.C.) came in with two out in the seventh after the starter hit 100 pitches and slammed the door. The 6-foot-5, 200-pounder recorded the final out on a ground ball to third. He threw four pitches (50% strikes) hitting 91 MPH.

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Three Canuck hitters were in the midst of a six-run rally as NEB National scored six times in the final inning to give them a 6-5 win over Slammers Baseball 2022. NEB was down 5-0 with one out ... and as the saying goes “it all started with a single ...”

Next FieldHouse Pirates’ Cameron Gurney (Scotland, Ont.) reached on an error by the third baseman, fellow Pirate and third-place hitter Nathaniel Ochoa (Burlington, Ont.) singled in a run. A walk and a fly ball brought home Gurney -- but now two men were out. A double scored two runs, including Ochoa, then a single with FieldHouse’s Carter Krawchuk (St. Catharines, Ont.) pinch running with the score now tied. After a walk and a passed ball, a single brought home Krawchuk with the game winner in the walk-off win.

RHP Owen Millar (Burlington, Ont.) also of the Pirates, took over in the fourth inning with the game scoreless. He allowed five runs -- two earned -- on six hits in 2 2/3 innings. He struck out one in his 50-pitch outing (62% strikes). His fastball was clocked at 88 MPH.

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Ontario Blue Jays, Blue Jays Scout Team, Rawlings National and Elite Braves Scout Team did not play on Day III.