Barry, McGarry Doyle help Ontario Green oust reigning T12 champs

Ontario Green pitcher Lukas Barry deals during his strong four-inning stint against Team Atlantic in the semi-finals of Tournament 12 on Monday morning at the Rogers Centre in Toronto. Barry allowed just one run in four innings. Photo Credit: Nik Marsiglio

By Peter Mendelsohn

Canadian Baseball Network

TORONTO -- Lukas Barry struck out three over four one-run innings to help lead Team Ontario Green into the T12 Tournament championship game with a 5-1 win over Atlantic Maroon on Monday morning at Rogers Centre.

Things looked dicey early on for Barry who allowed four of the first five Atlantic batters to reach base in the top of the first inning.

But with the bases loaded, just one out, and a run already in, the Mississauga native knew he had to bear down.

“I knew one run was in so I was trying to minimize the damage as much as I could,” said Barry, after the game. “Obviously I’m in a double play situation so I’m trying to pound the zone as much as I can, and get a ground ball.”

He might not have gotten a double play, but Barry was able to limit the first inning damage to a single run with a strikeout and a ground out.

Team Atlantic's Nick Gravel is out by a half step at the back end of a 1-2-3 double play in the second inning of the Monday morning semi-final at Tournament 12. First baseman Blake Buckle of Ontario Green makes the catch. Photo: Nik Marsiglio

Team Ontario tied the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the first after a bases loaded walk to Tye Imeson off Evan O’Toole drove in Bryce Arnold from third base. Ontario took a 2-1 lead on the following batter, with Drew Howard scoring from third base on a Kieran Gagnon force out.

The score stayed that way until the fifth.

Atlantic right fielder Mario Zabala lined an Owen MacNeil change-up deep to right field. But Ontario right fielder Noel McGarry Doyle made a great running catch close to the warning track.

“The first couple pitches, he (Zabala) was going opposite field,” said McGarry Doyle. “So I stepped back a bit, and right when that pitch came, it went to me.”

The Maple, Ont., native wasn’t finished.

In the bottom of the fifth, with Team Ontario holding a 3-1 lead, McGarry Doyle came to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs and singled up the middle, scoring two.

“I just saw the last guy with a first pitch change-up so I was thinking I was going to get a first pitch change-up,” said McGarry Doyle. “That’s what I got and I just drove it up the middle.”

That put the game out of reach.

Ontario Green will face the winner of the Team Quebec vs. Team Alberta semi-final in the 4 p.m. championship.