September 19, 2024

By Eric Cruikshank

Centennial Sports Journalism

TORONTO – Tim Piasentin's game-tying RBI-single in the top of the seventh inning was the highlight of the day for Team New Blue, which tied Team Red 4-4 on Day 2 of the 2024 Canadian Futures Showcase at the Rogers Centre.

With one out remaining in the game and a 1-2 count, Piasentin (Coquitlam, B.C.) hit a clutch infield single just overtop of third baseman Joey Khananisho (Kleinburg, Ont.) to bring in Thomas Hanger (Toronto) and even things up.

Despite coming up just short on the final scoring play, Khananisho was given the Player of The Game award after recording two hits, a stolen base, and scoring two runs for Team Red.

“I'm pretty proud of my performance so far,” he said afterwards. “My defence has been pretty strong so far. I just want to maybe get some more extra base hits, and then I’ll be feeling pretty good.”

Khananisho, who has yet to commit to a college baseball program, is enjoying this opportunity to play amongst the best young talent in Canada -- especially on the iconic Rogers Centre field.

“It's amazing because I come to watch these games on this field and I haven’t been here since the renovations,” he said. “It's kind of cool being able to play on it now. I’d usually just be watching.”

Matthew Tran (Pickering, Ont.) tossed 62 pitches in three innings for Team New Blue, giving up five hits and walking three while striking out two. Jake Fehr (Delta, B.C.) and Austin Blair (Victoria, B.C.) each made relief appearances in this contest.

Logan Forgie (Ottawa, Ont.) took the mound as the starter for Team Red, allowing two hits and a walk while striking out three batters on 39 pitches in two innings. Charlie Firth (Ottawa, Ont.), Preston Tocheniuk (Okotoks, Alta.), and starting centre fielder Evan Dugdale (Maple Ridge, B.C.) pitched in relief of Forgie.

Quinn Lightfoot (Caledon, Ont.) got Team Red on the board early, driving in the game’s first run on a single that was just out of the reach of shortstop Hanger, scoring Khananisho from second base.

Team New Blue managed to tie the game 1-1 in the top of the second after an error from shortstop Matthew Kolodziej (Oakville, Ont.) allowed Evan York (Waterloo, Ont.) to get on base, leading to an RBI-single from Mason Ault (Ancaster, Ont.) to right field a few moments later.

Later in the inning York managed to advance to third base, and a wild pitch from Forgie allowed him to score easily and give Team New Blue a 2-1 lead heading into the bottom of the second.

Team New Blue was able to extend their lead in the top of the third. After Hanger and Piasentin were both hit by pitches from Firth, York delivered a single that scored Hanger to make it 3-1.

Team Red started off the bottom of the third with three consecutive singles from Nicholas Cote (Oakville, Ont.), Khananisho, and Felix Gosselin (Drummondville, Que.), followed up by a rare 1-2-3 double-play on a quick reaction from Tran at the mound. Tran then walked the next three batters, allowing two runs that tied the game 3-3.

Team Red reclaimed the lead in the bottom of the fourth inning after a sacrifice fly to centre field courtesy of Cote scored Dugdale from third, making it 4-3 after four innings.

After two-and-a-half innings of scoreless baseball, Piasentin picked up his first and only hit to tie the game, setting up New Blue’s defence to end the game with a great final catch from Ryan Stalony (Mississauga, Ont.) in foul territory.