August 10, 2023

By Bob Elliott

Canadian Baseball Network

The Mississauga Majors stole the Baseball Ontario 15U title at Clarkson Park.

Literally.

And it’s not like the Majors did the thievery during the dark of night, but rather in broad daylight.

The Majors entered the seventh inning of the gold medal championship game down 4-2 to the Peterborough Tigers heading into the bottom of the seventh. With a run in and two out, first Nicholas Segaric stole home for the tie and four pitches later Evan Gaudry stole home with the game winner.

The Majors didn’t walk it off. They ran it off.

As Zotique Laframboise (Hull, Que.) used to say watching games in the Ottawa Valley: “Me? I’ve never seen nothing like that before.”

After retiring the first out and allowing a single to C Chase Von Richter, starter Rylan Cunningham departed for reliever Aiden Stabler.

Next came an eight-pitch walk and a fly ball to right.

Two out ... one to go for Peterborough and gold. We’re not sure of the total attendance but anyone and everyone standing watching ... was nervously pacing as the tension grew.

Gaudry singled to right scoring Von Richter, then Alexader Bilecki was hit by a pitch loading the bases.

With Stabler going from the full wind up, Segaric stole home on the 3-1 pitch.

“Our coach (Ron Burke) said if he throws the next pitch from the full wind up ... you’re going,” Segaric said. “He went from the full and I just put my head down and ran. Their catcher did a good job blocking the ball in the dirt but I beat it.”

Now, this question was asked after the silver medals were presented to the Tigers, after the gold medals went to the Majors, after the team pictures and after a seldom scene joint picture with both teams had been taken and after players had hugged their parents.

How much was your heart racing when you got the sign?

“It still is,” said Segaric, who entered the game as a pinch runner at second, “right now it’s going like crazy.”

Now it was tied ... but we’re we headed to extras? Peterborough needed only one strike to get there.

Stabler was working from the stretch now ... and on the 1-2 count to C Cameron Tully the barn door was open as Gaudry broke from home to score the game winner.

“Coach said ‘GO’ I thought ‘Oh my gosh,’ and off I went,” Gaudry said, “Their catcher blocked the ball, but it sort of kicked away on him.

“I’ve never ever stolen home before ... well I did try to steal home in the Great Lake Canadians tournament ... but I was out.”

Nope, that doesn’t count.

Burke said he thought making the mad dash for home was the best chance to advance and called the steals in “curve ball counts.” The Majors now advance to the national 15U championship in Laval, Que.

The Majors and Burke won the eliminations previously with the likes of David Allemby, Ryan Stalony, Josiah Romeo, Liam Cruickshanks and Jack Stott. For coach Stan Wilson, on loan from his duties with the Ontario Blue Jays, it was his fifth win at the eliminations, the first four with the Brampton Royals. Rich Robinson and Gordon Bilecki also coach.

Bilecki singled to open the game, advanced and scored on a wild pitch, then Matthew Perez-Scott singled to right for a 2-0 Majors lead four hitters into the game.

That was it for the Majors until the seventh as Peterbrough’s Kyle Duda doubled in the fourth and scored on a McCullough fly ball. The Tigers took a 4-2 lead in the fifth as Alex McMann singled, Dalton walked and Noah Nowak singled to load the bases. A run was balked home, another scored on an error and McCullough singled. McGullough had two hits and knocked in a run, as did Gus Reid.

Reliever Gabriel Tubongbanua pitched the final three scoreless innings for the Majors for the win.

There was another rare play when Stabler tagged and attempted to beat the throw home. The incoming throw sailed over the catcher’s head, but the pitcher backing up the play snagged the high throw and tagged the runner, who was attempting to avoid the catch.

Plate ump Jared Merkley correctly ruled obstruction on the part of the catcher and the run stood.

The Majors beat Whitby 2-0, Cambridge 22-0, North Toronto 15-2, Kitchener 13-1, Milton 12-8 and Riverside.

That left only Peterborough and the Majors.

* * *

The Tigers won the first match up by a 2-1 score and it was as exciting as the finale.

Peterborough scored in the second when Duda walked, was moved to second and scored on a McCann single. And Duda walked again in the sixth, moved up on a grounder and scored on a Stabler single to right.

And now Tigers pitcher Alex Kuypers, who took over for Reid after 4 2/3 scoreless, walked a tight rope in the seventh.

It went like this:

_ Tully was hit with a 2-2 pitch.

_ Perez=Scott walked.

_ Romeo Wagmare reached on an error with Tully scoring. Now the Tigers lead was a run with men on second and third.

_ Drayden Morales lined to 3B Cunningham who made the catch and doubled Perez-Scott off third.

_ William Henderson walked.

_ Jalen Jacob was hit by a pitch.

_ Then a fly ball to centre field ended the seven-batter seventh which amounted to one Majors runs.

Peterborough, coached by Rob Neck, opened with an 8-4 win over Hamilton, then beat Cambridge 13-7, then dropped a 12-9 decision to Mississauga North, bounced back to beat Niagara 24-2, Oakville 7-4 and Mississauga North 3-1 in another exciting finish before cutting the 28-team field to two: the Majors and Peterborough.

The draw start to finish ....