By Bob Elliott

Canadian Baseball Network

The defending champs did not have much to defend.

Down to their final three outs they were trailing The Futures 1-0 and a loss would have meant the Atlantic would watch Monday’s semi-final and final from section 123 or section 121 or ... well they would have had their choice.

Yet to paraphrase Yogi Berra, it is never over until all 21 outs are over ... And Atlantic had three to play with.

Right-handed hitting C Ayden MacKenzie (Antigonish, NS/17U Nova Scotia Selects/Newbridge Academy) plopped a ball just inside the right field foul line for a double off Mitch Bratt. RF Zachary Laurie (Peterborough, Ont./Stouffville 18U) made a strong throw and SS Elijha Hammil (Oakvillee, Ont/Ontario Terriers) applied the tag on the bang bang play.

Nick Gravel (Fall River, NS/17U Nova Scotia Selects/Vauxhall) pinch ran and went to third on a wild pitch. Second base ump Guario Laverty called Gravel safe. 2B Nick Boutilier (Dartmouth, NS, 17U Nova Scotia Selects) then bounced a one hopper to 2B Ricardo Sanchez (Okotoks, Okotoks Dawgs) as Gravel broke for home.

From the 300 Level Gravel looked like an easy out. Reigning MVP Micah McDowell (Coldbrook, NS/Okotoks Dawgs), who looked on from the on-deck circle, said “The ball beat him easy ... by three or four steps.”

Yet, Gravel wasn’t like loose gravel rolling down the third base line. C Russell Young (Cloverdale, BC/Langley Blaze) caught the ball and stuck out his left arm to apply the tag. Except. Gravel high stepped it like he was in a Vegas chorus line Girl, landing on the plate. Tie game.

“The catcher thought he had me,” said Gravel, who admitted he thought of Blue Jays highlight reel, high jumper, Chris Coghlan. Coghlan was out by 4 1/2 miles in April of last year when he flipped over St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina.

McDowell and Gravel, who live more than an hour away from each other, were Nova Scotia regulars at the peewee nationals in London, the bantam nationals in Vaughn and Summerside, PEI, the Canada Games in Winnipeg and the Canada Cup in Moncton.

McDowell then bounced to second who threw to Sanchez, who fired to second for the force with Hammil getting one out, but McDowell beat the return throw to first. McDowell stole second. After a walk Gavin Pringle (Duncan, BC/Victoria Eagles) took over in relief striking out Evan O’Toole (Bridgewater, NS/Vauxhall).

With Max Grant (Fredricton, NB/Vauxhall) batting, Pringle bounced one, McDowell scored the winner and the Atlantic had moved on to the semi-finals. Never a doubt. Coach Corey Wood (Fredericton, NB) was at the original T12 with Evan Comeau (Waverly, N.S.) and Andrew Case (Saint John, NB), as the Atlantic surprised the power house provinces.

The Atlantic will play Ontario Green in one semi-final Monday, while Quebec will take on Alberta. The final goes at 4 pm.

***

Hogarth pitches at this year’s T12

On Sunday, RHP Daniel Hogarth (St. John’s, Nfld.) worked a scoreless seventh to record the victory for the Atlantic squad. He retired Chris Iantomasi (Whitby, Ont/Toronto Mets) on a line drive, struck out Josh Niles (St. Thomas, Ont., Great Lakes Canadians), walked Homer Bush, Jr. (Houston, Tex.) who stole second and after a stolen base got Young to pop up in foul ground with Ben MacDougall (Summerside, PEI/Summerside Selects) making the grab near the seats.

This was Hogarth’s third trip to the Tournament 12 but his first time on the mound.

“When (Gravel) scored everyone jumped up, we were raring to go,” Hogarth recalled of Sunday’s game which put the Atlantic into the semi-final.

Being on the mound at the Roers Centre has given Hogarth a new perspective.

“Pitching on this mound is something, usually at home we pitch with a three-foot hole in front of the rubber,” said Hogarth, who plays for the Storm in intermediate (16-to-21) and for Holy Cross in senior ball. “It’s tough hitting here ... seeing 80-plus when you usually see fastballs in the 70s at home.”

Hogarth hit a double in 2016. Last year he left Toronto and headed north to play for the Sudbury Voyageurs.

“The facilities were nuts, the coaching was good too, but ...” said Hogarth, who became home sick and headed to his island after three weeks.

His mom, Rene, is a chef at an old folks home and his father, Richard, builds kitchen floors and stairs in new homes. Both have been very supportive of his baseball aspirations.

RHP Matt Wiggins (Merrickville, Ont.) accepting the Jan Tolton Memorial Best in Dorms award at the annual Vauxhall banquet.

* * *

Jets recruit a RHP and a Coach: When the Vauxhall Jets began 13 seasons ago they concentrated on recruiting players from the Prairies and the Maritimes. The goal was not to recruit from the stronger provinces. They never had a player from Ontario until then.

Yet when they did Matt Wiggins (Merrickville, Ont./Ottawa-Nepean Canadians) was the first recruited and when he showed up a year ago he looked like a hoops player. Wiggins stands 6-foot-7 and may be the tallest player in the six-year history of T12.

There is no truth to the rumor coach Les McTavish carries a milking stool to the mound with him to look his pitcher in the eye -- to get the honest answer on how he’s feeling or whether he thinks he can get the next hitter.

In Wiggins’ first outing with a man on base, he showed a high leg kick as runners easily stole second.

When the Jets gathered for their post-game talk McTavish told Wiggins he would have to work on his delivery to home plate with a slide step in order to eliminate runners running wild.

Wiggins said, “What are you talking about? I have the best pick-off move in all of Ottawa.”

Sure enough next game Wiggins picked off a runner. Next game. Same thing. Wiggins followed in the long line of Ottawa-Nepean Canadians greats -- Dave MacQuarrie, Doug Frobel, Phil Franko, Mark Gryba, Shawn O’Connor, Cameron Pelton and Brian Kusiewicz -- playing for Mike Tokkessy (Kanata, Ont.) and Andy Burns (Brockville, Ont.).

Wiggins moved down in population from Merrickville (POP: 3,067) to Vauxhall (POP: 1,222) and up in stop lights from one in Merrickville to four in the southern Alberta town.

Tanner Watson (Arnprior, Ont.), who runs winter pitching programs when he isn’t being Tim Raines’ brother-in-law, is responsible for Wiggins winding his way west.

McTavish visited Kanata, watched Wiggins throw and asked if he would like to more about the Jets program.

“At first my parents kind of didn’t want to let me go,” he said.

Mom Martha is a physiotherapist in Brockville and dad Jim works in IT for the Canadian Revenue Agency. Wiggins credits his father, a softball player, for teaching him a love of the game. How they would sit and talk. How like 90% of the Ottawa Valley his father was a die-hard Montreal Expos fan who still wears an Expo cap. And his father still hopes that the franchise returns.

He earned the nickname coach because he has helped coach the Vauxhall volleyball team since a pulled hamstring prevented him from playing. He said off last season St. Mary’s High in Taber was Vauxhall’s biggest rival. Merrickville’s biggest rival? That is not so easy to identify says Wiggins. He played hockey for the Rideau St. Lawrence Kings and baseball for the Kemptville Wildcats, home of former Canadians great John Flanagan.

The Jets were 28-10 in the spring with three, tournament championships (Prairie Baseball Tournament, Haven Agencies Tournament and Missoula Memorial Day Tournament) and a second (Best of the West).

“We are put on a pedestal, we have to behave better than everyone else,” said Wiggins. Coach Wiggins agrees. “We may get some special treatment -- like the teachers allow us to hand our stuff in a day late. That means a lot.”

Between volleyball and baseball, Wiggins said he went to class two days in two weeks.

Someone donated two sets of Mark Pro exercise gear and Coach Wiggins is in charge of who uses it and when they use it for trainer Jeff Krusnell. Does it work?

“Well last time I sprained my ankle I was out three weeks, this time I sprained it Sept 1,” Wiggins said. “I used Mark Pro twice a day, pitched on the eighth day and on Saturday worked two scoreless in a 3-2 loss to Ontario Green.”

He did not allow a hit, walked two and fanned four, under the watchful eye of former big leaguer Mike Johnson (Sherwood Park, Alta.)

Before he was known as Coach Wiggins he threw 78 MPH when he arrived and was clocked at 88-89 this spring. After the layoff he was 86 MPH on Saturday, his first outing since his injury.

Oh yeah the injury. He was about to be timed in the 60-yard dash and it went badly real early.

“I took one step and pulled my left hamstring, I took another and rolled my left ankle, I took another and rolled my left ankle the other way,” Wiggins said. “Coach asked it was bad. I said yes.”

But he bounced back

Scouts in the crowd: Talent evaluators of the Tampa Bay Rays, Baltimore Orioles and a horde from the Toronto Blue Jays, plus the Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers, Minnesoota Twins, Texas Rangers, Anaheim Angels, Oakland A’s, Seattle Mariners, New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, Washington Nationals, Cincinnati Reds, Arizona Diamondbacks, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants were on hand. Call it 18-for-30.

Recruiters in the crowd: Coaches from Boise State, Cal State Northridge, Kentucky, Ohio State, Niagara, St. John’s, University of Nebraska-Kearney, UBC, Iowa Western JC,