Elliott WWBA Day VI: Noronha, Patrick, Roberts, Wells

Ontario Blue Jays OF Glenn Noronha (Mississauga, Ont.)

By Bob Elliott

Canadian Baseball Network

The Ontario Blue Jays had a chance to blow things wide open.

The bases were loaded in the bottom of the second in a consolation playoff game against Trosky National at the 22nd annual Perfect Game World Wood Bat championship in Fort Myers, Fla.

The Blue Jays had right man at the plate in clean-up hitter Cole Patrick (Markham, Ont.). He was facing LHP Ryan Ure, of Colorado who is headed for Oklahoma State.

Patrick swung through an 84 MPH fastball. Then, he swung through a high 96 MPH heater. After a ball and a foul ball on an 85 MPH pitch, the clean-up hitter cleaned up.

Patrick doubled to left centre on the fifth straight fastball (86 MPH) he saw, which brings to mind the old line “you can throw a pitch as quick as a bullet, you throw five in a row ... a hitter will turn it around.”

Jackson Somerville (Burlington, Ont.), Adrian Dominguez (Vaughan, Ont.) and Glenn Noronha (Mississauga, Ont.) scored on the play giving the Ontario Blue Jays a 4-1 lead and put them on the way to an 8-5 victory.

Coach Mike Steed (Burlington, Ont.) guided his team to a 2-1 mark in pool play, a split of two playoff games -- to reach the round of 16 in the 94-team tournament -- a consolation win and an exhibition game win ... a 5-2 record.

The Los Angeles-based Garciaparra Baseball Group (GBG) won the 96-team tournament making its fourth appearance in the final four in the past seven years. GBG Navy 2021 beat Canes 17U Prospects 8-5 and Power Baseball 2021 9-1 in the final.

Ryan Wells (Caledon, Ont.) worked the first three innings allowing one run on three hits and two walks, striking out four batters. Wells worked consistently in the 81-86 MPH, throwing 50 pitches (56% for strikes).

Griffin Potter (Kincardine, Ont.) worked an inning allowing one run on one hit and two walks. He struck out one in his 25-pitch outing (56% strikes) as he hit 84 MPH.

Ethan Mason (Barrie, Ont.) allowed three runs on three hits and a walk, while fanning three. He needed 32 pitches (65%), hitting 82 MPH.

In the turnaround second, Dylan Shepherd (Barrie, Ont.) and Somerville each singled to right chasing Mateo Zeppieri to third. Dominguez was hit by a pitch and Noronha walked, forcing in a run.

Noronha had a pair of hits, knocked in two runs and batted .400 through seven games.

Zeppieri singled and batted .533.

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A pair of Great Lakes Canadians had two of the three hits as Brewers Langley Blaze fell 11-2 to the Premier Baseball Scout Team.

SS Ben Roberts (Burlington, Ont.) doubled and 1B Caleb Clark (Orillia, Ont.) singled.

Other Great Lakes players on the team were RHP Tanner Dawe (London, Ont.) and LHP Adam Shoemaker (Cambridge, Ont.), along with 2B Nathan Kirkpatrick (Surrey, BC) the Blaze.

The Brewers were 1-4 with an exhibition game loss.