Blain, Ellis, McIntosh lead Team Navy past Team Royal

Vauxhall Academy’s Easton Kitura (Spruce Grove, Alta.), of Team Royal, slides into home plate, scoring on an RBI sac fly by Nate Lodewyks (La Salle, Man.) in the fifth inning of Team Navy's 6-3 win over Team Royal at the Canadian Futures Showcase on Thursday at Rogers Centre. Photo: Lucas Argier/Toronto Observer

September 19, 2024

By Zachary Phillips

Centennial Sports Journalism

Maxime Blain (Repentigny, Que.) drove in two runs on a single in the fourth inning to push Team Navy past Team Royal, 6-3, at the Canadian Futures Showcase on Thursday afternoon at Rogers Centre.

The ABC product ripped a first pitch fastball back up the middle off reliever Trent Rudge (Cottam, Ont.), in what stood as the game winning run. Team Navy’s offensive production came mostly from Noah McIntosh (Dartmouth, N.S.), who had two hits, and player of the game Sam Ellis (La Peche, Que.), who reached safely in all three at-bats.

“Just trying to stay with my approach, get on base, stay up the middle and use my speed,” said Ellis. “Just being here is enough for me, it's awesome, just being on the field with all these great players.”

Team Royal starting pitcher Reid Clague (Victoria, B.C.) issued four consecutive walks in the top of the first, with the fourth coming to Kadyn Armitage (Surrey, B.C.), bringing around the game's first run.

Team Royal quickly answered in the home half of the first after Philip Cheong (Richmond Hill, Ont.) led off with a double. He eventually came around to score, tying the game at one.

Clague finished the afternoon with three innings pitched allowing two runs, but struggled at times with his command, issuing eight walks.

Team Navy starter Cohen Miller (Calgary) tossed three solid innings, striking out five, walking two and allowing just two hits and one earned run.

In the top of the fourth with the game tied 2-2, Armitage was plunked and immediately swiped second, setting up McIntosh for an RBI single into left field to reclaim the lead for Team Navy.

Blain ripped the eventual game-winning single three batters later, bringing home Cheong from second. McIntosh came around to score after the throw to the plate skipped away from the catcher, extending Team Navy’s lead.

Team Royal second baseman Veer Wadhwani (Toronto) put a jolt into the Rogers Centre in the bottom of the third, launching a 397-foot double to deep centre field. The six-foot-one, 185-pound 17-year-old showed grown-man power with the ball leaping off the bat at just under 100 mph.

Pinch-hitter Nate Lodewyks (La Salle, Man.) inched Team Royal closer with a bases loaded sacrifice fly in the fifth, making it 5-3, but that’s all they could muster as the comeback attempt fell short.