McKenzie hurls gem to lead B.C. past Ontario Black at T12
Third baseman Dylan Ohlsen (Chilliwack, B.C.) drove in the second run for B.C. in their 6-0 win over Ontario Black on Thursday evening at Tournament 12.
By Austin Owens
Canadian Baseball Network
Once a star for Canada at the 2014 Little League World Series, Madjik McKenzie (Vancouver, B.C.) was at it again Thursday night, pitching one-hit ball and striking out five in five innings to help carry B.C. Orange to a 6-0 victory over the Ontario Black squad at Tournament 12.
Ontario had its first chance to put runs on the board in the second inning. After Ryan Faragher (London, Ont.) was hit by a pitch and Ryan Magdic (Beamsville, Ont.) walked, McKenzie struck out the next two batters before getting Ethan Hammond (Oakville, Ont.) to pop out to end the inning.
B.C. drew first blood in their half of the second after an error by Ontario third baseman Leo Markotic (Georgetown, Ont.) allowed Brett Bass (Abbotsford, B.C.) to score from third.
Dylan Ohlsen (Chilliwack, B.C.) added onto the lead an inning later, driving in Jayden Knight (Langley, B.C.) to make it 2-0 for British Columbia.
McKenzie cruised through the first four innings, not allowing a base hit and getting all five of his punch outs in the process.
Ontario pitcher Ryan Capuano (Scarborough, Ont.), meanwhile, gave up three hits and struck out two while being charged with one earned run over three innings of work.
His replacement, Nicholas Jaeggin (Oakville, Ont.) ran into trouble in the fifth. But after loading the bases, the reliever got Dion Wintjes (Vancouver, B.C.) to pop out to end the inning.
Ontario had several chances to push runners across but couldn’t manage to get that one hit to put a run on the board. It’s best chance came in the sixth inning, where the Black had runners on the corners before Magdic grounded out to end the inning.
B.C. put the game away in the sixth. Knight hit a ball to left field, which cleared the bases. Daniel Gernon (Surrey, B.C.), as well as Liam and Johnny Vulcano (Surrey, B.C.), scored to make it 6-0.
“It was a great game all around. Everybody did their job perfectly and we got the win as a team,” McKenzie said after the game.
Both teams are in action Friday night. Ontario will play its provincial counterparts, Ontario Green, while B.C. takes on Alberta.